Automation of the configuration process for a transportation management application and the creation of a web application with an integration of an e-Learning solution to offer a new user experience

The aim of this study is to provide a customized solution of a transportation management application for small business customers and to replace the manual process used for the creation of the configuration file and for the personalization of the application interface. Also, the customers knowledge gap related to the use of the application needs to be addressed. The final goal of this work is to ameliorate the personalization aspect of the application, solve the knowledge gap problem and offer small business customers a better experience with the transportation management application. In this study, we automatized the personalization process of the application, implemented an E-learning solution and created a new user experience using human computer interfaces principles. This study kicks off a review on E-learning and on web-based training, followed by a detailed study for the proposed E-learning solution. Finally, a prototype is developed to demonstrate the proposed solution and the new user experience

An exploration of student performance, utilization, and attitude to the use of a controlled content sequencing web based learning environment

Universities, traditionally places of teaching and research, have seen and are continuing to see radical changes occur in the area of teaching and the methods of teaching delivery. The World Wide Web, or ‘Web’ has begun to subsume the classroom as the preferred means by which students access their tertiary learning materials, and ultimately, how academic staff deliver those materials. The delivery of learning via the Web takes many forms and is generically, and usually inaccurately, referred to by such names as e-learning, online learning, web-based training and web based education, using such technologies as virtual learning environments, learning management systems and learning content management systems. This study focuses specifically on the delivery of electronic learning materials in the support of both inclass and online teaching

Web design for effective online training and instruction.

The following is a research/experimental thesis that surveys and examines web-design for effective online training and instruction. The purpose of the thesis is to create -- from a variety of relevant learning theories and practical web-design strategies advocated in the research literature -- a Web-based instruction checklist that can be used to develop and assess online instructional materials. This checklist, referred to as WeBIC, is structured around the common ISD processes of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation, with a focus on ‘Web Usability’ and ‘the Five Ps’ of preparation, presentation, participation, practice and performance. To determine the usefulness of WeBIC as a design and evaluation tool, three studies have been generated: (1) an experimental comparison study of online instructional materials in two formats -- a web-study one that follows guidelines and strategies outlined by WeBIC, and the other that follows a text-only format based on a modified form of thesis writing guidelines; (2) an analysis study of server data related to website access and instructional activity at ESLenglish.com and during the comparison study; and (3) an evaluation study of the instructional materials used in the comparison study and the instructional materials available at ESLenglish.com. The comparison study showed 2.1% learning gains that under closer analysis were found to be non-significant. The server analysis study confirmed the importance of designing for ‘speed of access’ and ‘navigation ease.’ It also brought into question the reliability of web mining data and the need for proper operational definitions. The evaluation study produced WeBIC scores for ESLenglish.com and the comparison study learning materials that could be used as benchmarks for further research

E-Learning

Technology development, mainly for telecommunications and computer systems, was a key factor for the interactivity and, thus, for the expansion of e-learning. This book is divided into two parts, presenting some proposals to deal with e-learning challenges, opening up a way of learning about and discussing new methodologies to increase the interaction level of classes and implementing technical tools for helping students to make better use of e-learning resources. In the first part, the reader may find chapters mentioning the required infrastructure for e-learning models and processes, organizational practices, suggestions, implementation of methods for assessing results, and case studies focused on pedagogical aspects that can be applied generically in different environments. The second part is related to tools that can be adopted by users such as graphical tools for engineering, mobile phone networks, and techniques to build robots, among others. Moreover, part two includes some chapters dedicated specifically to e-learning areas like engineering and architecture

Simplifying Authoring of Adaptive Hypermedia Structures in an eLearning Context

Full version unavailable due to 3rd party copyright restrictions.In an eLearning context, Adaptive Hypermedia Systems have been developed to improve learning success by increasing learner satisfaction, learning speed, and educational effectiveness. However, creating adaptive eLearning content and structures is still a time consuming and complicated task, in particular if individual lecturers are the intended authors. The way of thinking that is needed to create adaptive structures as well as the workflows is one that lecturers are unaccustomed to. The aim of this research project is to develop a concept that helps authors create adaptive eLearning content and structures, which focuses on its applicability for lecturers as intended authors. The research is targeted at the sequencing of content, which is one of the main aspects of adaptive eLearning. To achieve this aim the problem has been viewed from the author’s side. First, in terms of complexity of thoughts and threads, explanations about content structures have been found in storytelling theory. It also provides insights into how authors work, how story worlds are created, story lines intertwined, and how they are all merged together into one content. This helps us understand how non technical authors create content that is understandable and interesting for recipients. Second, the linear structure of learning content has been investigated to extract all the information that can be used for sequencing purposes. This investigation led to an approach that combines existing models to ease the authoring process for adaptive learning content by relating linear content from different authors and therefore defining interdependencies that delinearise the content structure. The technical feasibility of the authoring methods for adaptive learning content has been proven by the implementation of the essential parts in a research prototype and by authoring content from real life lectures with the prototype’s editor. The content and its adaptive structure obtained by using the concept of this research have been tested with the prototype’s player and monitor. Additionally, authoring aspects of the concept have been shown along with practical examples and workflows. Lastly, the interviewees who took part in expert interviews have agreed that the concept significantly reduces authoring complexity and potentially increases the amount of lecturers that are able to create adaptive content. The concept represents the common and traditional authoring process for linear content to a large extent. Compared to existing approaches the additional work needed is limited, and authors do not need to delve into adaptive structures or other authors’ content structures and didactic approaches

Separation of educational and technical content in educational hypermedia

The creation and development of educational hypermedia by teachers and educational staff is often limited by their lack of computing skills, time and support from the educational institutions. Especially the lack of computing skills is a hinderance to most of today’s educational experts. The problem is to find out how those educational experts could be supported by computer based tools which are tailored especially to their needs without having any technical limitations. In this study the separation of technical and educational content in educational hypermedia is examined as a solution to this problem. The main hypothesis of this study is that the separation of technical and educational content is possible if it is based on a fine-grained structure of different teaching and learning strategies and their conversion into an authoring tool. Such an authoring tool would make the creation of educational hypermedia very easy for teachers and therefore enable them to overcome the existing obstacles. The development of a new model, the creation of a new XML language and the implementation of a new authoring tool form the basis for a detailed investigation. The investigation was done by undertaking several research tasks like the evaluation of the XML language and the authoring tool by a group of educational experts of different knowledge domains, the practical usage of the authoring tool for the creation of real-life based educational material and the analysis of the gained research results. The analysis of the qualitative data showed that the separation of educational and technical content in educational hypermedia is possible and that it can be applied by educational experts with low computing skills as well as by technical experts with no educational background. Furthermore, the analysis allowed some additional insights into the creation of educational material by teachers and how it can be improved. The main conclusion of this study is that authoring tools in educational hypermedia should use the separation of educational and technical content based on different teaching and learning strategies which allows educational experts with low computing skills to create educational content for delivery via the World Wide Web