Advancing Facial Expression Recognition in Online Learning Education Using a Homogeneous Ensemble Convolutional Neural Network Approach

Abstract

Facial expression recognition (FER) plays a crucial role in understanding human emotions and is becoming increasingly relevant in educational contexts, where personalized and empathetic interactions are essential. The problems with existing approaches are typically solved using a single deep learning method, which is not robust with complex datasets, such as FER data, which have a characteristic imbalance and multi-class labels. In this research paper, an innovative approach to FER using a homogeneous ensemble convolutional neural network, called HoE-CNN, is presented for future online learning education. This paper aims to transfer the knowledge of models and FER classification using ensembled homogeneous conventional neural network architectures. FER is challenging to research because there are many real-world applications to consider, such as adaptive user interfaces, games, education, and robot integration. HoE-CNN is used to improve the classification performance on an FER dataset, encompassing seven main multi-classes (Angry, Disgust, Fear, Happy, Sad, Surprise, Neutral). The experiment shows that the proposed framework, which uses an ensemble of deep learning models, performs better than a single deep learning model. In summary, the proposed model will increase the efficiency of FER classification results and solve FER2013 at a accuracy of 75.51%, addressing both imbalanced datasets and multi-class classification to transfer the application of the model to online learning applications.