Learning Approach and Learning: Exploring a New Technological Learning System

This study furthers the understanding of the connections between learning approaches and learning. The research population embraced 44 males from the Jewish ultraorthodox community, who abide by distinct methods of study. One group follows the very didactic, linear and structured approach of a methodical and gradual order, while the second group follows the multi-directional approach that emphasizes global, abstract thought. The participants, who for ideological reasons hardly use computer technology, were exposed to a new technological learning system. The study employed the qualitative research method, with the research tools including textual analysis, observations and guided in-depth interviews. The findings show that those following the multi-directional method handled the device better from the didactic perspective. The question of how learning and teaching paradigms influence individual study is discussed

Master of Science

thesisThe current study utilized a meta-analysis review to investigate the sensitivity of several cognitive load measures. Specifically, the study examined whether self-rating, single-task performance, dual-task performance, eye-track, or physiological measures are most sensitive to changes in cognitive load. Additionally, the sensitivity of load measures was analyzed in relation to several variables such as age, research design, and learning content. After the initial search, 224 publications were identified and coded for inclusion in the meta-analysis. A random-effects model was employed, and the results demonstrated that cognitive load sensitivity varied by measure type. The load sensitivity among the study characteristics of age, content area, and research design also varied corresponding to specific cognitive load measure types. The number of self-rating items used to assess cognitive load did not significantly vary between single item and multiple item scales. Lastly, cognitive load sensitivity did not vary significantly among the measures in relation to peak and overall load. The last result may be biased by a small sample size of peak measures (n = 8)

Layered evaluation of interactive adaptive systems : framework and formative methods

Peer reviewedPostprin

Introduction to pollution prevention concepts in freshman chemistry through simulations and hypermidia

As citizens of the 20th century, a key issue we all are aware of is degradation of the environment. In the interest of teaching the environmental issues to freshmen engineers, this study develops a computer aided learning/teaching (CAL/T) tool. This CAL/T tool consists of Internet based multimedia courseware and intelligent simulations. The courseware assembles the fundamentals of chemistry associated with current environmental issues such as air pollution, stratospheric ozone layer depletion and environmentally sensitive or \u27clean\u27 manufacturing. The courseware targets early and comprehensive understanding of pollution prevention concepts with a focus on environmentally friendly manufacturing. The courseware includes: on-line text, audio-video education tools, video files of laboratory demonstrations, interactive computer software for environmental problem solving and laboratory simulation, on-line self assessment tests, information about faculty, and on-line evaluation tools to obtain students\u27 feed-back to enhance faculty teaching. To enable the widest possible dissemination this courseware can be accessed by academia, industry, and governmental research and educational institutions through the World Wide Web

RFID-Integrated Retail Supply Chain Services: Lessons Learnt From The Smart Project

This paper proposes a service-oriented architecture that utilizes the automatic, unique identification capabilities of RFID technology, data stream management systems and web services, to support RFID-integrated supply chain services. In the lifespan of SMART project (IST-2005, FP6) two services have been deployed supporting dynamic-pricing of fresh products and management of promotion events. The two services have been field-tested in three retail stores in Greece, Ireland, and Cyprus. The valuable lessons learnt, concerning RFID readability challenges, consumer privacy, customers and store staff health concerns, investment cost, and so on, are reported to provide guidance to future developers of RFID-integrated supply chain services as well as to set an agenda for academic research

Human Factors As A Parameter For Improving Interface Usability And User Satisfaction

The endeavour to optimize HCI should integrate a wide array of user characteristics that have an effect throughout users’ interactions with a system. Human factors such as cognitive traits and current state, from a psychological point of view, are undoubtedly significant in the shaping of the perceived and objective quality of interactions with a system. The research that is presented in this paper focuses on identifying human factors that relate to users’ performance in Web applications that involve information processing, and a framework of personalization rules that are expected to increase users’ performance is depicted. The empirical results that are presented are derived from environments both learning and commercial; in the case of e-learning personalization was beneficial, while the interaction with a commercial site needs to be further investigated due to the implicit character of information processing in the Web

The Evolution of Cognitive Load Theory and the Measurement of Its Intrinsic, Extraneous and Germane Loads: A Review

Cognitive Load Theory has been conceived for supporting instructional design through the use of the construct of cognitive load. This is believed to be built upon three types of load: intrinsic, extraneous and germane. Although Cognitive Load Theory and its assumptions are clear and well-known, its three types of load have been going through a continuous investigation and re-definition. Additionally, it is still not clear whether these are independent and can be added to each other towards an overall measure of load. The purpose of this research is to inform the reader about the theoretical evolution of Cognitive Load Theory as well as the measurement techniques and measures emerged for its cognitive load types. It also synthesises the main critiques of scholars and the scientific value of the theory from a rationalist and structuralist perspective

A hypermedia lesson about 1875-1885 costume: cognitive style, perceptual modes, anxiety, attitude, and achievement

Cognitive theory focuses attention on mental processes involved in learning. Cognitive theory is based on the view that the human mind interprets information and the individual is central to the learning process. There are individual differences in the ways that information is initially received into the brain. One of the problems associated with the teaching-learning process is determining how learners acquire, store, and recall information;The purpose of this study was to profile students\u27 cognitive styles and to determine relationships among variables that may be associated with how students progress through a computer and videodisc lesson. The lesson is about historic costume. This study was to gain a better understanding of each individual\u27s information-gathering habits and to discover possible patterns among several variables related to gathering information. This study examined the relationships among (1) nine dimensions of cognitive style, (2) students\u27 use of three perceptual modes (visual images, written text, and audible descriptions), (3) computer attitude, (4) computer anxiety, and (5) achievement;A descriptive and correlational design was used for this study. Twenty-four variables were examined. Seventy-nine college students participated in the study;Five instruments were used to collect data: National Association of Secondary School Principals\u27 Learning Style Profile, Computer Anxiety Index, Beliefs in Computers Scale, achievement tests, and Hypercard and videodisc lesson;Strongest cognitive skills were analytic, categorization, and spatial. Students chose visual images more often than either text or audio when learning about historic costume from a computer and laserdisc. Students with strong analytic skills were more likely to use more text and less audio than students with average analytic skills. Strong analytic skill associated with higher achievement. Students have individual cognitive styles and preferences for progressing through a lesson. This suggests that teachers should plan instruction to meet the learners\u27 needs for effective learning

Relationships among student attitudes, motivation, learning styles, learning strategies, patterns of learning and achievement: a formative evaluation of distance education via Web-based courses

The World Wide Web (WWW) is the latest in a long line of educational technologies, and the list of courses on it is growing daily. Formative evaluations would help educators enhance teaching and learning in Web-based courses. This study analyzed the relationships between student achievement and the following variables: attitudes, motivation, learning strategies, patterns of learning, learning styles, and selected demographics. It was a population study that included 99 students taking two non-major introductory biology courses offered over the WWW by Iowa State University in the fall of 1997. Seventy-four (75%) students completed a learning style test, an on-line questionnaire, and received a grade by the end of the semester. The learning style test was the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT), which classified students as either field-dependent or field-independent. The on-line questionnaire consisted of four scales (attitude, motivation, learning strategies, and patterns of learning), whose pilot-test reliabilities ranged from .71 to .91. The selected demographic variables were gender, class level, previous experience in subject area, hours per week studying and working, computer access, and types of students as off-campus, on-campus, or adult students. Over two-thirds of the students taking the Web-based courses were field-independent learners; however, there were no significant differences (.05 level) in achievement by learning style. Also, different backgrounds of students with different learning styles learned equally well in Web-based courses. The students enjoyed the convenience and self-controlled learning pace and were motivated by competition and high expectations in Web-based learning. They used most the learning strategies of finding important ideas from lectures and memorizing key words of important concepts and least the learning strategy of making charts or tables to organize the material. They seemed more interested in checking their grades than in communicating with the class and instructors via e-mail, discussion netforum or chat netforum. Motivation and learning strategies were the two significant factors that explained more than one-third of student achievement measured by class grade. Educators should assist students in mastering different motivational and learning strategies to help them become self-regulated learners

Learner Engagement with YouTube Videos in Informal Online Learning: An Investigation of the Effects of Segmenting, Signaling, and Weeding

Millions of educational videos available on YouTube offer unprecedented opportunities for online learning. As it invites open-ended and self-paced exploration of almost any topic, YouTube has emerged as an important platform for informal online learning that occurs outside the formal classroom. A considerable number of studies have been directed toward YouTube educational videos. However, research on learner engagement with YouTube educational videos is limited, despite the central role of engagement in learning and the increasing popularity of YouTube videos in informal online learning. This paper addresses this research gap. We adopt the conceptualization that learner engagement has three dimensions – behavioral, emotional, and cognitive - and investigate how the features of segmenting, signaling, and weeding (SSW), the three multimedia learning principles, in YouTube educational video presentations collectively affect learner engagement in informal online learning. Our analysis shows that different SSW features have various associations with the three dimensions of learner engagement. These findings substantiate the empirical knowledge of learner engagement with YouTube educational videos. Our study corroborates extant video engagement research and extends its relevance to informal learning on social media. It also informs video designers and developers on adding video presentation features to optimize video engagement on social media