13,924 research outputs found
Browsing while reading: effects of instructional design and learners' prior knowledge
One of the key reasons that multimedia, and particularly hypertext systems, are gaining in importance is that they inspire hopes of optimizing learners' processes of knowledge construction. The present study is concerned with the respective influence of individual learner variables (i.e. particularly domainâspecific prior knowledge) on the use of different design attributes. Thirtyâsix university students worked through a hierarchically structured twoâpart hypertext about the psychology of memory under two experimental browsing conditions (reduced versus free browsing). Results show that deeperâlevel comprehension (i.e. structural knowledge) was predicted by the interaction of experimental condition and prior knowledge, but that simply retaining facts was not. Participants with low prior knowledge performed better on the comprehension test if they had worked on the version with reduced access. Moreover, the version with reduced access helped to reduce feelings of disorientation. The measure of disorientation also appeared to be closely linked with the individual's computer experience, selfâconcept of computer ability and subjectârelated interest. The main implications for educational practice relate to the design of an adaptive multimedia and hypertext learning system and the successful learning with it
Development of multiple media documents
Development of documents in multiple media involves activities in three different
fields, the technical, the discoursive and the procedural. The major development problems of
artifact complexity, cognitive processes, design basis and working context are located where these
fields overlap. Pending the emergence of a unified approach to design, any method must allow for
development at the three levels of discourse structure, media disposition and composition, and
presentation. Related work concerned with generalised discourse structures, structured
documents, production methods for existing multiple media artifacts, and hypertext design offer
some partial forms of assistance at different levels. Desirable characteristics of a multimedia
design method will include three phases of production, a variety of possible actions with media
elements, an underlying discoursive structure, and explicit comparates for review
Linking with Meaning: Ontological Hypertext for Scholars
The links in ontological hypermedia are defined according to the relationships between real-world objects. An ontology that models the significant objects in a scholarâs world can be used toward producing a consistently interlinked research literature. Currently the papers that are available online are mainly divided between subject- and publisher-specific archives, with little or no interoperability. This paper addresses the issue of ontological interlinking, presenting two experimental systems whose hypertext links embody ontologies based on the activities of researchers and scholars
Development and evaluation of clustering techniques for finding people
Typically in a large organisation much expertise and knowledge is held informally within employees' own memories. When employees leave an organisation many documented links that go through that person are broken and no mechanism is usually available to overcome these broken links. This match making problem is related to the problem of finding potential work partners in a large and distributed organisation. This paper reports a comparative investigation into using standard information retrieval techniques to group employees together based on their webpages. This information can, hopefully, be subsequently used to redirect broken links to people who worked closely with a departed employee or used to highlight people, say indifferent departments, who work on similar topics. The paper reports the design and positive results of an experiment conducted at RisĂž National Laboratory comparing four different IR searching and clustering approaches using real users' web pages
Investigation of the use of navigation tools in web-based learning: A data mining approach
Web-based learning is widespread in educational settings. The popularity of Web-based learning is in great measure because of its flexibility. Multiple navigation tools provided some of this flexibility. Different navigation tools offer different functions. Therefore, it is important to understand how the navigation tools are used by learners with different backgrounds, knowledge, and skills. This article presents two empirical studies in which data-mining approaches were used to analyze learners' navigation behavior. The results indicate that prior knowledge and subject content are two potential factors influencing the use of navigation tools. In addition, the lack of appropriate use of navigation tools may adversely influence learning performance. The results have been integrated into a model that can help designers develop Web-based learning programs and other Web-based applications that can be tailored to learners' needs
Semantic web technology to support learning about the semantic web
This paper describes ASPL, an Advanced Semantic Platform for Learning, designed using the Magpie framework with an aim to support students learning about the Semantic Web research area. We describe the evolution of ASPL and illustrate how we used the results from a formal evaluation of the initial system to re-design the user functionalities. The second version of ASPL semantically interprets the results provided by a non-semantic web mining tool and uses them to support various forms of semantics-assisted exploration, based on pedagogical strategies such as performing later reasoning steps and problem space filtering
Hypermedia learning and prior knowledge: Domain expertise vs. system expertise
Prior knowledge is often argued to be an important determinant in hypermedia learning,
and may be thought of as including two important elements: domain expertise and
system expertise. However, there has been a lack of research considering these issues
together. In an attempt to address this shortcoming, this paper presents a study that
examines how domain expertise and system expertise influence studentsâ learning
performance in, and perceptions of, a hypermedia system. The results indicate that
participants with lower domain knowledge show a greater improvement in their learning
performance than those with higher domain knowledge. Furthermore, those who enjoy
using the Web more are likely to have positive perceptions of non-linear interaction.
Discussions on how to accommodate the different needs of students with varying levels
of prior knowledge are provided based on the results
The WEB Book experiments in electronic textbook design
This paper describes a series of three evaluations of electronic textbooks on the Web, which focused on assessing how appearance and design can affect users' sense of engagement and directness with the material. The EBONI Project's methodology for evaluating electronic textbooks is outlined and each experiment is described, together with an analysis of results. Finally, some recommendations for successful design are suggested, based on an analysis of all experimental data. These recommendations underline the main findings of the evaluations: that users want some features of paper books to be preserved in the electronic medium, while also preferring electronic text to be written in a scannable style
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Navigation in hypermedia learning systems: Experts vs. novices
With the advancement of Web technology, hypermedia learning systems are becoming more widespread in educational settings. Hypermedia learning systems present course content with non-sequential formats, so students are required to develop learning paths by themselves. Yet, empirical evidence indicates that not all students can benefit from hypermedia learning. Research into individual differences suggests that prior knowledge has significant effects on student learning in hypermedia systems, with experts and novices showing different preferences to the use of hypermedia learning systems and requiring different levels of navigation support. It is therefore essential to develop a mechanism to help designers understand the needs of experts and novices. To address this issue, this paper presents a framework to illustrate the needs of students with different levels of prior knowledge by analyzing the findings of previous research. The overall aim of this framework is to integrate studentsâ prior knowledge into the design of hypermedia learning systems. Finally, implications for the design of hypermedia learning systems are discussed
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