Evaluating Persuasion in a Digital Learning Environment

The massification of higher education has produced cohorts of students with varying motivation and ability to meet their academic potential. Providing individualised support is not always feasible for instructors as class sizes continue to grow, so this research evaluates the persuasive design of a digital learning environment (DLE) to address the aforementioned issue. A system with persuasive features called Task-Test-Monitor (TTM) was used by students for a semester at an Australian university. At the conclusion of the semester, students were surveyed on their experience of using the system. Results showed students were strongly in favour of using such a system to help them study, with a significant portion of respondents reporting that the system influenced how they studied. Educators and system designers can benefit from these findings by applying persuasive design principles used in this research in their own pedagogy or system designs

Development of a Behavior Change Support System that Targets Learning Behavior: Examining the Effect of Rewards and Social Comparison

The increasing prevalence of digital and blended learning scenarios in higher education fosters the need for students to have strong self-regulated learning competencies. However, in particular, in digital learning environments, many students struggle to develop effective learning behaviors but often avoid seeking support. To address this issue, Behavior Change Support Systems (BCSS) in form of smartphone apps can provide valuable guidance towards self-regulated learning. While BCSS have been successfully implemented in the health context, research in the educational context is limited. This study addresses this research gap by presenting the development of a BCSS targeting self-regulated learning and investigating its ability to promote students\u27 use continuance through two motivational design principles (rewards vs. social comparison). Using the Perceived Persuasiveness Questionnaire, significant differences are found in students\u27 perceived effectiveness and perceived social support of the BCSS versions. Social comparison is identified as more effective than rewards for high use continuance

APPLICATION OF PLACEBO EFFECT INTERFACE DESIGN IN IMPROVING THE USER EXPERIENCE

The Internet is a virtual architecture of the real world. Traditional designers often transplant real-life experiences into Internet product design to reduce learning costs. The user interface is the language of communication between the two worlds. The user experience can make the virtual world communicate more smoothly with the real world. It is difficult for designers to balance user needs with business needs if they rely solely on traditional life experiences. Because both are competing for users' time. Thus, we can balance the needs of both parties by using the placebo effect to reduce the anxiety of the user waiting. This article takes the loading method of APP startup page as an example, from the perspective of Internet interface design and user experience, to explore how to optimize the user experience and reduce anxiety. Using the questionnaire method and the sounding thinking method to obtain the user's data. The correlation between different requirements was obtained by using the Likert scale and One-factor dependent sample ANOVA. The Kano model was used to classify the data into different levels of requirements. This study has contributed to the study of user experience in optimizing the loading interface

Persuasive technology and user experience design guidelines to motivate users for autonomous learning on a digital learning platform in the context of a corporate environment in South Africa

Organisations are increasingly relying on digital platforms for autonomous learning for skills development. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many employees to work from home, and as a result, the use of autonomous learning increased to the point where it became the preferred learning mode. Persuasive technologies (PT) can improve employees’ motivation for completing autonomous learning tasks on digital learning platforms in corporate organisations. Despite the potential for supporting autonomous learning, the application of PT in the South African corporate organisation context remains limited. The research problem identified was the lack of users’ motivation to learn autonomously on digital learning platforms. The study was novel in drawing on the theoretical lenses of both PT and user experience (UX) to investigate the motivation for autonomous learning in a corporate utility in South Africa. For corporate organisations to improve employees’ motivation in autonomous learning, the digital learning platform may use persuasive strategies such as competition, self-monitoring, and cooperation; or UX attributes such as effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction in contributing to motivate employees’ learning needs. The methodology applied in the study was guided by design science research (DSR). Fourteen subject matter experts in focus groups validated the persuasive strategies and UX attributes extracted from literature. The validated constructs used as the basis for the design guidelines informed the design and development of a prototype aimed at testing the motivation of employees in autonomous learning in the digital learning platform. The prototype was presented to 76 users, their interactions with the prototype were captured, and their perceived user experience was evaluated in a survey. The triangulation of the findings from the user interaction captured via mouse movement and the survey confirmed that the design guidelines based on the nine constructs (PT and UX) were appropriate for designing a PT prototype system to motivate employees in autonomous learning in the digital learning platform. The study was limited to one organisation and one module within the digital learning environment. The focus was on motivation only and excludes other pedagogical aspects of the teaching and learning process. The study makes a theoretical contribution in terms of the literature-based, empirically refined design guidelines and a questionnaire for evaluation of the prototype by users; and a practical contribution by the development of a prototype as a PT system to test the motivation of the employee in autonomous learning in the digital learning platform.School of ComputingM. Sc. (Computing

Arcs Motivation Model: Content Analysis of Applied Articles Between the Years 1997-2018

DergiPark: 520477tredARCSmotivasyon modelinin eğitimsel kullanımına ilişkin uygulamalı makalelerin geneleğilimlerini belirlemeyi amaçlayan bu çalışmada, içerik analizi yöntemikullanılmıştır. Çalışmada, Web of Science, ERIC, SCOPUS, ULAKBİM ve GoogleScholar’da dizinlenen dergilerdeki 128 uygulamalı makale incelenmiş veelektronik ortamda oluşturulan formla sınıflandırılmıştır. Çalışmalar GoogleFormlar ve Microsoft Excel programları kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir.Çalışmada makalelerinin çoğunluğunun Web of Science’da dizinlenen dergilerdenelde edildiği; en sık 2018 yılında yayın yapıldığı; en fazla sayıda makaleninComputers amp; Education dergisinde yayınlandığı; bilgisayar destekli/webtabanlı eğitim alanının sıklıkla çalışıldığı; en sık nicel yöntemin tercihedildiği; veri toplama aracı olarak en yaygın motivasyon anketi /ölçeği veyaenvanterinin kullanıldığı; örneklem grubu olarak sıklıkla üniversiteöğrencilerinin tercih edildiği; veri analiz tekniğinde ise en yaygın olarak ttestinin kullanıldığı belirlenmiştir.In this study whichaims to determine the general tendencies of the applied articles related toeducational use of ARCS motivational model, content analysis method was used.In this study, 128 applied articles in journals indexed in Web of Science,ERIC, SCOPUS, ULAKBIM and Google Scholar were examined and classified byelectronic form. The studies analyzed with Google Forms and Microsoft Excel. Itis determined that the majority of the articles in the study were obtained fromthe journals indexed in Web of Science; the largest number of publications werepublished in the year 2018; most articles are published in Computers amp;Education; the most studied subject area is computer assisted/web basedtraining; the most used method is quantitative method; the most common datacollection tool is the motivation questionnaire; the most used sample group isuniversity students; and the most commonly used data analysis technique is thet test

Research Commentary: Setting a Definition, Context, and Theory-Based Research Agenda for the Gamification of Non-Gaming Applications

As a nascent area of study, gamification has attracted the interest of researchers in several fields, but such researchers have scarcely focused on creating a theoretical foundation for gamification research. Gamification involves using game-like features in non-game contexts to motivate users and improve performance outcomes. As a boundary-spanning subject by nature, gamification has drawn the interest of scholars from diverse communities, such as information systems, education, marketing, computer science, and business administration. To establish a theoretical foundation, we need to clearly define and explain gamification in comparison with similar concepts and areas of research. Likewise, we need to define the scope of the domain and develop a research agenda that explicitly considers theory’s important role. In this review paper, we set forth the pre-theoretical structures necessary for theory building in this area. Accordingly, we engaged an interdisciplinary group of discussants to evaluate and select the most relevant theories for gamification. Moreover, we developed exemplary research questions to help create a research agenda for gamification. We conclude that using a multi-theoretical perspective in creating a research agenda should help and encourage IS researchers to take a lead role in this promising and emerging area

Designing Culture-Tailored Persuasive Technology to Promote Physical Activity

Physical inactivity has been recognized as one of the leading risk factors that account for cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, stroke, hypertension, etc., with the World Health Organization labeling it as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. Research has shown that persuasive technology (PT) can be leveraged as a motivational/supportive tool in tackling the physical-inactivity problem. In particular, research shows that persuasive health applications (PHAs) are more likely to be effective if they are theorydriven and tailored to the target audience. Yet, most existing PHAs on the market are neither theory-driven nor tailored to the target audience. Rather, their designers often employ a one-size- fits-all approach. This makes it difficult to know what design decisions are effective or ineffective among a given target audience. To bridge this gap, I proposed a framework, called the "EMVE-DeCK Framework," grounded in Bandura's Triad of Reciprocal Determinism, for designing, implementing and evaluating tailored PT interventions. Basically, the EMVE-DeCK Framework employs "Theory" and "Technology" to explain and change "Behavior." Moreover, research shows that culture can be leveraged as a personalization mechanism for tailoring PHAs to the target users to make them more effective. However, there is limited cross-cultural research|grounded in theory and empirical evidence|on the effectiveness of culture-based tailoring, especially comparative studies involving understudied populations in the PT research landscape. Hence, using the Hofstede's cultural framework (individualism vs. collectivism), Social Cognitive Theory, Technology Acceptance Model and the EMVE-DeCK Framework, I conducted a number of comparative studies to understand the culture-speci c determinants of physical-activity behavior and the acceptance of a proposed PHA. I used the ndings to inform the design, implementation and evaluation of two versions of a tness app called BEN'FIT - personal version (PV) and social version (SV) - aimed to motivate bodyweight exercise at home. In this dissertation, using the EMVE-DeCK Framework and Canada/United States (individualist culture) and Nigeria (collectivist culture) as a case study, I describe: (1) the cross-cultural user studies and empirical f indings that informed the PT intervention; (2) the design and implementation of the culture-tailored PHA; (3) the evaluation of the overall and culture-tailoring e ectiveness of the PHA in a eld setting. Finally, based on empirical evidence, I present a set of validated PT design guidelines in the eld for designing and tailoring PHAs to users in the individualist and collectivist cultures. This dissertation makes three major contributions to PT research in the Human-Computer-Interaction domain. Firstly, it demonstrates how theory and culture can be employed in the design and development of PT interventions to motivate behavior change. Secondly, it reveals and validates in the eld how the individualist and collectivist cultures fundamentally differ in their motivational mechanism of behavior change. Thirdly, it provides an in-the- field validates PT design guidelines for developing tailored PHAs for the two main types of culture. In the physical-activity domain, the dissertation is the rst to conduct a theory-driven, in-the-fi eld cross-cultural PT research that focuses on an understudied population from Africa (Nigeria) and compare its ndings with those of a widely studied population from North America (Canada/United States)

Designing Culture-Tailored Persuasive Technology to Promote Physical Activity

Physical inactivity has been recognized as one of the leading risk factors that account for cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, stroke, hypertension, etc., with the World Health Organization labeling it as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. Research has shown that persuasive technology (PT) can be leveraged as a motivational/supportive tool in tackling the physical-inactivity problem. In particular, research shows that persuasive health applications (PHAs) are more likely to be effective if they are theory-driven and tailored to the target audience. Yet, most existing PHAs on the market are neither theory-driven nor tailored to the target audience. Rather, their designers often employ a one-size-fits-all approach. This makes it difficult to know what design decisions are effective or ineffective among a given target audience. To bridge this gap, I proposed a framework, called the “EMVE-DeCK Framework,” grounded in Bandura’s Triad of Reciprocal Determinism, for designing, implementing and evaluating tailored PT interventions. Basically, the EMVE-DeCK Framework employs “Theory” and “Technology” to explain and change “Behavior.” Moreover, research shows that culture can be leveraged as a personalization mechanism for tailoring PHAs to the target users to make them more effective. However, there is limited cross-cultural research—grounded in theory and empirical evidence—on the effectiveness of culture-based tailoring, especially comparative studies involving understudied populations in the PT research landscape. Hence, using the Hofstede’s cultural framework (individualism vs. collectivism), Social Cognitive Theory, Technology Acceptance Model and the EMVE-DeCK Framework, I conducted a number of comparative studies to understand the culture-specific determinants of physical-activity behavior and the acceptance of a proposed PHA. I used the findings to inform the design, implementation and evaluation of two versions of a fitness app called BEN’FIT—personal version (PV) and social version (SV)—aimed to motivate bodyweight exercise at home. In this dissertation, using the EMVE-DeCK Framework and Canada/United States (individualist culture) and Nigeria (collectivist culture) as a case study, I describe: (1) the cross-cultural user studies and empirical findings that informed the PT intervention; (2) the design and implementation of the culture-tailored PHA; and (3) the evaluation of the overall and culture-tailoring effectiveness of the PHA in a field setting. Finally, based on empirical evidence, I present a set of validated PT design guidelines in the field for designing and tailoring PHAs to users in the individualist and collectivist cultures. This dissertation makes three major contributions to PT research in the Human-Computer-Interaction domain. Firstly, it demonstrates how theory and culture can be employed in the design and development of PT interventions to motivate behavior change. Secondly, it reveals and validates in the field how the individualist and collectivist cultures fundamentally differ in their motivational mechanism of behavior change. Thirdly, it provides an in-the-field validated PT design guidelines for developing tailored PHAs for the two main types of culture. In the physical-activity domain, the dissertation is the first to conduct a theory-driven, in-the-field cross-cultural PT research that focuses on an understudied population from Africa (Nigeria) and compare its findings with those of a widely studied population from North America (Canada/United States)

Development and evaluation of a behavior change support system targeting learning behavior: a technology-based approach to complement the education of future executives using persuasive systems in higher education

Learning is crucial in today's information societies, and the need for comprehensive and accessible support systems to enhance learning competencies is increasingly evident. In this context, this dissertation provides descriptive knowledge about the demands for such a system, aiming to train higher education students and equip them with learning competencies. Drawing on design science research, the dissertation addresses the identified demands, considers technical frameworks and psychological models to design technology-based artifacts. Against this background, the dissertation provides a pragmatic contribution through novel artifacts in form of Behavior Change Support Systems targeting self-regulated learning in higher education. The evaluation of these artifacts extends prior design knowledge through specific recommendations, including design principles, that can guide the implementation of Behavior Change Support Systems and further technology-based interventions in higher education. These recommendations aim to promote the development of necessary competencies within the higher education context