An E-Supervision System in Education Environments

Abstract

The appropriate and successful integration of technologies into learning environment over the pervious ten years period has left great gab between the amount of technology available and the support for teachers. As we know, the capacitor supervision very important exactly in primitive interval for the beginning teachers and must be in convergent periods of time. In other hand, the forerunner teachers also need to integrating technologies in their occupational framework to decrease gab between teachers and the using of technologies. From this point of view, we consider a more effective way to establish a convenient way of communication between teachers and their supervisors by building an electronic-supervision system (E-Supervision). The E-Supervision process aimed to creating an educational collaboration environment between supervisors and teachers which include acquiring more skills, experiences, attitudes, and teaching strategies and others. In the other side, it aims to give the supervisors reachness, continuous and open support to their teachers which will relieve their task stress and less daily time through communicating with teachers through E-Supervision system. The purpose of this study is to design an electronic supervision system (E-Supervision) environment to assist the professional development for the supervision process, which aim to design the main frontage of E-Supervision system (ESS) and to connect educators on the topic of elementary of the teaching development. We believe the ESS will increase positive communications and interaction between educators and it will form an integrated information management system for the learning and teaching processes.

Full text

An E-Supervision System in Education Environments
Hanadi Omar Merdah
The Faculty of Computing
Department of Computer Science
Um UlQura University
Msc Student
HMARADAH@stud.kau.edu.sa
Abstract:
The appropriate and successful integration of technologies into learning environment over the
pervious ten years period has left great gab between the amount of technology available and the support for
teachers. As we know, the capacitor supervision very important exactly in primitive interval for the
beginning teachers and must be in convergent periods of time. In other hand, the forerunner teachers also need
to integrating technologies in their occupational framework to decrease gab between teachers and the using of
technologies. From this point of view, we consider a more effective way to establish a convenient way of
communication between teachers and their supervisors by building an electronic-supervision system (E-
Supervision).
The E-Supervision process aimed to creating an educational collaboration environment between
supervisors and teachers which include acquiring more skills, experiences, attitudes, and teaching strategies
and others. In the other side, it aims to give the supervisors reachness, continuous and open support to their
teachers which will relieve their task stress and less daily time through communicating with teachers through
E-Supervision system.
The purpose of this study is to design an electronic supervision system (E-Supervision) environment
to assist the professional development for the supervision process, which aim to design the main frontage of
E-Supervision system (ESS) and to connect educators on the topic of elementary of the teaching development.
We believe the ESS will increase positive communications and interaction between educators and it will form
an integrated information management system for the learning and teaching processes.
1. INTRODUCTION
The general components for any e-system are communication type, feedback evaluation,
technologies based, appropriate software, effective environments, and networking. Despite of
existence of several technologies in computer world, web-based and Internet-based are forth-going
and most appealing; hence they are generally used for many e-systems. Within any e-system,
collection of appropriate tools is being developed that allow e-system to take place quite effectively
in an environment and support the components and technologies.
In this paper we discuss the design of E-Supervision system that cab be used in education
environment. The E-Supervision model appears to be a natural complement to the increasing use of
distance learning technologies and support the learning process currently available. We believe that
the future of education, not only within continuing education, will more and more be reliant on
web-based, on-line educational material. In order to continue developing electronic education and
learning, we must first know about all of the supervision process. The key components of the
electronic educational environments: interactive materials, digital resources including libraries,
course and student management. Certainly, in our E-Supervision model we have more key
components that include teacher and supervisor management, appropriate software, and feedback
evaluation.
E-Supervision system, in its simplifying version, is a web-based system using multi-agents
technologies with client/server approach to access and receive information from databases to
helping supervisors to achieving their work. It will facilitate many issues of working such as reduce
visiting to schools, increase time to do administrative works, easy access all information about
teachers and increase communications to teachers and others issues. In the following we illustrate
some environments which applied e-systems such as E-Learning, E-Government and E-
Supervision. Then we will discuss some important components and models using in E-Supervision,
the Hierarchical scheme of Administrative Supervision System (HASS), the Education Supervising
Model (ESM), generic Electronic Education System Model (EES), and generic Electronic
Supervision System Model (ESS).

2. E-SUPERVISION BACKGROUND
a. Definition and Benefits
Supervision is defined as collection of the elements of direction, guidance, oversight and coordination
of the activities of the trainees. “It is a process of advice, information and learning for social work. Learning
means applied learning as well as cognitive learning. Normally the process takes place face to face” [5].
E-Supervision offers a way of a person's supervisor to supervise that person at geographically distant
sites. Particularly in education it also provides an opportunity for enhanced collaboration between the
supervisors, head-teachers, and teachers.
E-Supervision systems include the follows benefits for users:
! Simplicity E-Supervision is a simple and straightforward process for those who are familiar with
Internet interaction tools and who have good typing skills.
! Convenience supervision is done in the comfort of one’s home or office. No travel is involved.
! Ease of expression some issues are easier to express online as opposed to face-to-face.
! The potential to be both time-and cost-effective in addition of reduced costs in accessing and
using a lot of supervision and reduced travel expenses, substantial time savings that result in
increased supervisor productivity may be realized. Because the supervisor can schedule multiple
teacher supervisory sessions per day. With the ability to supervise from his or her office, the
supervisor can make efficient use of the time when he or she is not directly supervising [1].
! Quick and continuous access to information. It is easier for supervisors, teachers, and other
employees to check on multiples information at the click of a button [2].
! Better management. E-Supervision facilities speed up supervision cycle and increase the
efficiency of these processes, as large variety of information management [2].
! Individual time in communication. “Everybody takes as much time as necessary to work out the
questions, to write about problems and to give or to reflect feedback [5]”.
b. E-Supervision System Motivation
The supervisors should know all problems and difficulties confront of teachers then find the solutions or
advices continually and accessibly. In other side , daily supervisors lose a lot of her/his time, effort, and cost to
do supervision in her/his regions that because she/he usually do visiting to schools in her/his region up to three-
four times over academic year in the general mean. All office works of supervisor are canceling in that day
which she/he do supervision in it. In addition, by this way, the supervision process increases overcrowding of
traffic in city from time to other. However, the Internet and computer technologies always use to solve problems
of losing time, effort, and cost besides help to simplify several processes in effective manner such as supervision
process. We consider the E-Supervision will reduce all values in order to be half of before. Further more, if E-
Supervision system will be general in all regions of kingdom, the educational system would be monotheist,
integrated, most effective, and strongest than before.
c. Supervision Business Process
The supervision system process is the collaboration working among several educators in education situation
that is to increase the affectivity, performance, and competency of educational process level. The supervision
business process is described below.
1. The system of supervision consists of several elements:
(i) Supervision with induction to the collaboration working and giving professional knowledge, skills, and
attitudes to supervisors and teachers.
(ii) Assessing, performance management, training, and development the competence and performance of the
supervisors and teachers to undertake the specified task. Withal the supervising, review for teachers.
(iii) Putting the plans, suggestions, observations and strategies for curriculums, teaching and supervision
process.

2. The Hierarchical scheme of Administrative Supervision System (HASS)
Ministry of girl's education has consisted of two main departments in its supervision system that are an
administrative department and an occupational or functional department. The hierarchical scheme for the
Administrative Supervision System of shown in Figure1, we use the last three-level. In next sub-section we
give the responsibilities for them which describe the occupational approach∗.
Manager of Supervision Center
Manager
Assistance-1
Manager
Assistance-2
Manager
Assistance-3
Manager
Assistance-n
…..
Superior-1
Superior-m
Superior-3
Superior-2
Supervisor-1
Supervisor-l
Supervisor-3
Supervisor-2
…..
…
School-1
School -j
School -3
School -2
Teacher-1
Teacher-i
Teacher-3
Teacher-2
...
….
3
…3
Figure1: The Hierarchical scheme of Administrative Supervision System (HASS)
3. Roles and Responsibilities:
(i) The Head-teacher
• The head-teacher has the statutory duty of deploying and managing all non teaching staff and allocating
particular duties to them in a manner consistent with their conditions of employment.
• Establishing the strategic operational framework, ensure its consistent application across the school and
monitor outcomes and standards and allocate responsibilities for its operation across the school.
• Ensuring that teachers have sufficient time allocated to undertake the system of supervision of
supervisors [6].
• Attendance to teacher class and observing progress of teachers then writing report about them.
• Assessment with several supervisors the performance of teachers during semesters at their school each
one in her/his department.
• Meeting with supervisors to address several issues include teacher’s assessment, solving many problems,
and knowing the regenerating of other issues.
(ii) The Supervisors
• Must be subject to the direction, supporting and supervision of a teacher.
• Having the skill expertise and experience to carry out the specified work.
• Visiting to a school and briefing of visiting then writing report of it.
• Assisting teacher to progress in preparing the teaching materials, skills, performance, and etc.
• Determine the frequency, timing and duration of planning meetings and advice when reviews are
appropriate and when the teacher's presence in the classroom is necessary.
• Assessment with head-teacher the performance of teachers during semesters at their school each one in
her/his department.
• Meeting with head-teacher to addressing several issues include teacher’s assessment, solving many
problems, and knowing the regenerating of other issues.
• Making different training and workshops for teachers to develop the teaching performance during
semesters.
∗ Gathering information by doing interviews in the supervision centers in Jeddah and Makkah and by visit
websites of Ministry of Education http://www.moe.gov.sa/

(iii) The Teachers
• Planning and Preparing Lessons and delivery lessons to students.
• Assessing the development, progress and attainment of students then reporting them.
• Using and producing several teaching technical tools then participation in different activities.
• Managing the class, supporting skills, appraising other teachers or extra curricula activities.
• Responsible for the progress of the students in the class over the course of the academic year [6].
4. The Educational Supervising Model (ESM)
In this study, we have proposed an ESM in a supervision environment include teachers, supervisors and
head-teachers are essential components. The three parts connect firmly, interact closely and keep the core–
supervising performance growing. In figure2, the ESM providing an integrated form shows that supervising
environment and relationship of the supervisor–teacher-head-teacher relationship how connected together.
Supervising
Performance
Teachers
Supervisors
Head-
Teachers
Teaching
Following
&Guidance
Teaching
Development
Teaching
Assessment
Teaching
Assessment
Teaching
Managing
Teaching
Observing
Personal
characteristics
Activities
Participation
Teaching
Technical
Tools
Teaching
Materials
Design
Teaching
Strategies
Frame
Connecting to
others
Developing
Skills
Acquiring
characteristics
Attending to
Activities
Motivating &
Supporting
Activities
Producing New
Tools
Using Teaching
Resources
Employing Tools
Developing
Content
Achieving
objectives of
content
Supporting
Thinking
Success in
Perparing
Analyzing
outcomes
Giving &
Receiving
Feedbacks
Managing the
Class
Achieving
objectives of
Teaching
Giving Skills
& Experiences
Making
Activities &
workshops
Giving
Instructions
Determining
Visitings
Making trainings
& Meetings
Evaluating
Performance
Observing the
progress
Editing Profile
Editing Profile
Observing the
progress
Evaluating
Performance
Attending to the
class
Giving Helping
Organizing
Teaching Table
Establishing
Operational
Frameworks
Making the
Meetings
Attending to the
class
Supervising
Environment
Figure 2: The Educational Supervising Model
d. E-Supervision on top of E-Learning
Information and communication technology (ICT) innovations created a new dimension of learning which
supply several tools and technologies. In particular, for educators, it can make explicit particular aspects of activity
so that they can be learned, recorded, discussed and evaluated. Many institutions of education are trying to integrate
new technologies of information and communications into current curricula or to develop new paradigms for
learning. The E-Learning is one of new stage of education which using e-mail, chat, website, video-conferencing,
and others technologies to enhancing and facilitating learning for students. As students, teachers need to necessary
and important task call supervision which is they acquire professional knowledge, skills, and attitudes. The broad
meaning of educational teaching include visiting, trial teaching, teaching practice, guidance personal teaching, and
administrative learning. Also, E-Supervision is new stage of educational teaching which using e-mail, chat, website,
video-conferencing, and others technologies to enhancing educational teaching process.
The E-Learning and E-Supervision are using the same technologies tools to establishing and performing so
we consider they have similar mechanism process but downright they differ in the business process to working them.

Accordingly, we have built our E-Supervision model level on the top of E-Learning model level as it show in the
following figure3:
Internet Communication Technologies
Internet Communication Technologies
Supervising Environment
E-Supervising Environment
Online Teacher
Profile
Online
Teaching
Materials
Teaching
Material
Learning Environment
Course
Student
Teacher
Head-Teacher
Supervisor
Teaching
Tools
Teacher
Profile
Teacher
Head-Teacher
Supervisor
E-Learning Environment
Online
Lectures
Connecting
Tools
Learner
Lecturer
Connecting
Tools
Teacher
Head-Teacher
Supervisor
Our Topic
e. The Proposed E-Supervision System Architecture (ESS)
In Figure4, the system Architecture is divided into two areas: client and server. In the client area the system
contains individual interface to all end users including teachers, supervisors and Head-teachers. In the server
area the system is divided into three major components: web server, E-Supervision environment with portfolio
supervision system, and MS SQL server 2000.
Interface
Teacher
Head-
Teacher
Supervisor
Interface
Interface
Web Server
User Profile
Database
Web Log
Database
Infor.
Instr. & Inter
Database
Supervision
Database
Log Agent
Information
Agent
Guidance
Agent
Interaction
Agent
Instruction
Agent
Visiting
Supervision
Subsystem
On-Line
Supervision
Subsystem
Portfolio Supervision
System
E-Supervision Environment
Ms SQL-Server
Guidance
Database
Supervision
Agent
ServerClient
Figure 4: The E-Supervision System Architecture (ESS)
1. The Functionality of the E-Supervision System Components
a. The web server accepts requests from the end-user and sends the requested message. To completely record
teachers, supervisors, and head-teachers act performed by the web server, it contains a set of ASP
programs. The ASP program contains interaction agent, instruction agent, information agent, guidance
agent, supervision agent and log agent.
b. The Interaction Agent is as opinion exchange platform among teachers, supervisors, and head-teachers. It
includes some interaction technologies such as e-mail, messenger, video-conferencing, and chat-room.
c. The Information Agent is process and gives the latest information through the whole users. It includes new
announcement and handles in school activities, training, spins, and workshop and so on. Also, it
cooperates with supervision agent to provide the complete final assessment for users.
Figure 3: components of E-Learning and e-supervision Environments

d. The Instruction Agent is epitome supervision manage system (SMS) which including search services,
sequence services, content manage services, content providing services, content search services, profile
manage services, profile search services, and so on.
e. The Supervision Agent is setup the standards observes and assess the teacher’s performance in the
teaching either on-line or on-visiting supervising. It gives multi-dimension measures to help supervisors to
effective figure out the performance. On-line supervising gives the teacher’s behavior performance in
instruction agent. On-visiting supervising figure out the performance grade on school.
f. The Guidance Agent is epitome guidance manage system (GMS) which include guide and plan teachers to
specific schools, guide teachers to select specific strategies to teaching, how to design standard teaching
materials, guide supervisors to appropriate schools which be as their intentions, and it searches and
provides all services about schools, tools, courses, and forms.
g. The Log Agent is automatically record the frequencies and time consuming into log database, also record,
trace, and analyze all activities and access information on web sites. Therefore, the on-line behavior
automatically recorded by log agent which is given the on-line supervising through portfolio.
h. The Portfolio Supervision System ”Portfolio Instrument” can be defined as the constructive instrument of
assessment to evaluate the teaching portfolio which systematically includes teaching plans, written and
oral reports, student assignments, teaching dairies, student counseling records, and students’ grades. It
belongs to qualitative assessment for evaluating teacher performance so that teachers collect and integrate
personal portfolio of teaching activities in intern on a long-term basis.
The assessment method of portfolio which called Topic Maps of E-Portfolio System as in [7] is
shown in Figure 5, the teachers pick out pieces of work that they want to be evaluated by, and collect those
in a folder, either physical or digital. The portfolio can be content finished work, sketches, reflections,
responses from supervisors.
Figure 5: The Portfolio Assessment method
In our research, there are two categories: the first is traditional supervision subsystem (On-visiting
Supervision), supervisors observe, guide, develop, trace, and record all activities, progress, and performance
of teacher through many visits to the school so that it gives him/her a qualitative and quantitative data
according. The second is On-line Supervision, which gives only quantitative assessment, is recording
automatically all teachers' activities by log agent that account towards assessing his /her teaching abilities.
The information inside web logs is collected from recording, tracking, and analyzing all of activities in ESS
architecture.
3. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the design and requirements for building electronic supervision
by applying principles found in E-learning to increase interaction between teachers and supervisors. The main
goal of this research is:
"To build an E-Supervision system that helps supervisors and teachers to communicate easily and
efficiently in their work and to laid down the foundation toward a fully integrated management
information system for the educational environment"
Accordingly, to achieve that goal, the objectives of this proposal would be:
1- Analyzing the requirements of E-Supervision system and design a general framework model.
2- Designing the main frontage of E-Supervision system and related system elements.
3- Identifying problems and difficulties that E-Supervision systems can solve.
4- Designing and Building multi-agents with client/server subsystem framework.
5- Implementing a system model as a proof the concept in case study.
4. METHODOLOGY
In order to achieve our objectives of this proposal, we will follow the methodology that is outlined below:

• Demonstrate the necessary information about current traditional supervision system applied in girl education
by interviews, web-sites, and referencing books or sheets to define the problems.
• Building the necessary background, and environment of the system.
• Analyze the requirements of our system to be carried out.
• Design Use-case model for each actor in the system in order to design general model of the system.
• Designing general framework of the system then design the main frontage of E-Supervision system.
• Implement the system model as well as defining the limitations and the outcomes.
5. CONCLUSION
We consider the E-Supervision System will be integrated helpful, supportable, servable system to both
supervisors and teachers to achieve their works in complete manner. Withal, we believe E-Supervision System
reduce the time, cost, effort, and potentials which are needed in supervision processes. With that we access to
good performance to our main purpose of this study. E-Supervision System achieve a many of well done
communications, a lot of technologies and facilities, and access to effective goals of educational process. We
can say it will be large integrating information system particularly for educators on the level of the region.
6. REFERENCES
1. Gary S. Stofle, 1998,” Online Supervision for Social Workers”, ACSW, CSWR, CASAC, and Shavone Hamilton, CSW
2. Olga Luštšik, 2003, “E-BANKING IN ESTONIA: REASONS AND BENEFITS OF RAPID GROWTH
“,KROON&ECONOMY.
3. Hsiung, Chao-Ti; Tan, Nin-Juin ,(1999), “A Study of Creating a Distance Supervision Hot Line”, paper presented at the
Annual Meeting of the national association for research in science teaching, Boston.
4. Samuel Kinde Kassegne, 2006, “Work in Progress: Lessons from Virtual Supervision of Engineering and Computer
Science Graduate Students – Case of Addis Ababa University”, 36th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference
5. Jutta P., Maria J., Anna R., and Gunter V., (June 2006), “How to use weblogs in e-supervision?”, FH JOANNEUM,ZML-
Innovative Learning Scenarios and the Coordination Centre for International Activities.
6. LEA System Supervision, 2005,“Model System of Supervision for Support Staff and Teaching Assistants undertaking
specified teaching work”, THURROCK COUNCIL
7. Rniningsbak. L. , Stranda, O. , Meløy, J.R. , Lavik, S. , Nordeng, T.W., 2006,” BrainBank Learning – a Topic Maps E-
portfolio system for Meaningful Learnin
8. Mohamed S. Hamdi, 2007,” MASACAD: A multi-agent approach to information customization for the purpose of
academic advising of students”, Applied Soft Computing 7 (2007) 746–771, Elsevier Science Ltd
9. H. Chen, C. Yu, C. Chang,2005, “E-Homebook System: A web-based interactive education interface”, Computers &
Education, Elsevier Science Ltd
10. KUO-HUNG TSENG, august 29 2000, “Portfolio Instrument for Assessing Pre-service Technology Teachers”, Proc. Natl.
Sci. Counc. ROC(D), Vol. 11, No. 2, 2001. pp. 66-77
11. THOMAS D. WATKINS, JR. ,January 9 2004, “THE MICHIGAN HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHER CONTENT AREA
PORTFOLIO GUIDELINES”, MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
12. Mmine S. Cohen, Timothy J. Ellis, October 2001, ”TEACHING TECHNOLOGY IN AN ONLINE, DISTANCE
EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT”, 31st ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference
13. Judy Lombardi, 2001,” Supervision of Student Teachers: emerging models and innovative approaches in the USA”, Teacher
Development, Volume 5, Number 3.