KnowledgePuzzle: a browsing tool to adapt the web navigation process to the learner's mental model

This article presents KnowledgePuzzle, a browsing tool for knowledge construction from the web. It aims to adapt the structure of web content to the learner’s information needs regardless of how the web content is originally delivered. Learners are provided with a meta-cognitive space (eg, a concept mapping tool) that enables them to plan navigation paths and visualize the semantic processing of knowledge in their minds. Once the learner’s viewpoint becomes visually represented, it will be transformed to a layer of informative hyperlinks and annotations over previously visited pages. The attached layer causes the web content to be explicitly structured to accommodate the learner’s interests by interlinking and annotating chunks of information that make up the learner’s knowledge. Finally, a hypertext version of the whole knowledge is generated to enable fast and easy reviewing. A discussion about the

ADOLESCENTS' CONSTRUCTIVELY RESPONSIVE READING STRATEGY USE IN A CRITICAL INTERNET READING TASK

The goal of this study was to examine types and patterns of reading strategies that proficient adolescent readers used while reading on the Internet. Informed by research related to reading comprehension, intertextuality, and new literacies, I drew upon the model of Constructively Responsive Reading that had evolved from print reading to Internet reading (Afflerbach & Cho, 2009; Pressley & Afflerbach, 1995). The model offered an analytical tool to construct descriptions of the complexity of use of the four general types of strategies in Internet contexts: Realizing and Constructing Potential Texts to Read, Identifying and Learning Text Content, Monitoring, and Evaluation. Seven highly proficient adolescent readers (Mean Age = 17.5) individually performed Internet reading, with a goal to create a critical question about their self- selected controversial topic across two 45-minute sessions: Open Website Searching and Focused Website Learning. I used multiple sources to triangulate complementary data to infer participants' Internet reading strategy use. Participants' think-aloud verbal reports were synchronized with their reader-computer interactions recorded in the computer. These real-time strategy data were complemented by other contextual data (e.g., pre-/post-reading interviews, participant-generated critical questions). I integrated these data into Internet Reading Strategy Matrices of the individual participants, which were analyzed, both qualitatively and quantitatively. During the entire course of data analysis, I constantly referenced the model of Constructively Responsive Reading with the four strategy categories. My data analyses afforded detailed descriptions of diverse constructively responsive reading strategies in Internet contexts and dynamic patterns of such reading strategy use. Grounded-analysis of data resulted in the identification of an array of reading strategies and many instances of strategy interplay among the four strategy categories. Chi-squared analysis of aggregated strategy data revealed the goal-directed nature of strategy use, as participants' use of these four types of strategies was associated with two different session tasks. Also, analysis of the processing chains visualizing the flow of strategy use indicated differences in the performances of Internet reading strategy use among the participants and their distinctive modes of Internet reading. Overall, my study supported the theoretical model of Constructively Responsive Reading, with empirical data that described diversity and patterns of constructively responsive reading strategies in Internet contexts. The complexity of Internet reading was discussed with regard to constructively responsive reading that coordinates different roles and functions of the four general types of strategies

The guiding process in discovery hypertext learning environments for the Internet

Hypertext is the dominant method to navigate the Internet, providing user freedom and control over navigational behaviour. There has been an increase in converting existing educational material into Internet web pages but weaknesses have been identified in current WWW learning systems. There is a lack of conceptual support for learning from hypertext, navigational disorientation and cognitive overload. This implies the need for an established pedagogical approach to developing the web as a teaching and learning medium. Guided Discovery Learning is proposed as an educational pedagogy suitable for supporting WWW learning. The hypothesis is that a guided discovery environment will produce greater gains in learning and satisfaction, than a non-adaptive hypertext environment. A second hypothesis is that combining concept maps with this specific educational paradigm will provide cognitive support. The third hypothesis is that student learning styles will not influence learning outcome or user satisfaction. Thus, providing evidence that the guided discovery learning paradigm can be used for many types of learning styles. This was investigated by the building of a guided discovery system and a framework devised for assessing teaching styles. The system provided varying discovery steps, guided advice, individualistic system instruction and navigational control. An 84 subject experiment compared a Guided discovery condition, a Map-only condition and an Unguided condition. Subjects were subdivided according to learning styles, with measures for learning outcome and user satisfaction. The results indicate that providing guidance will result in a significant increase in level of learning. Guided discovery condition subjects, regardless of learning styles, experienced levels of satisfaction comparable to those in the other conditions. The concept mapping tool did not appear to affect learning outcome or user satisfaction. The conclusion was that using a particular approach to guidance would result in a more supportive environment for learning. This research contributes to the need for a better understanding of the pedagogic design that should be incorporated into WWW learning environments, with a recommendation for a guided discovery approach to alleviate major hypertext and WWW issues for distance learning

Technologies to enhance self-directed learning from hypertext

With the growing popularity of the World Wide Web, materials presented to learners in the form of hypertext have become a major instructional resource. Despite the potential of hypertext to facilitate access to learning materials, self-directed learning from hypertext is often associated with many concerns. Self-directed learners, due to their different viewpoints, may follow different navigation paths, and thus they will have different interactions with knowledge. Therefore, learners can end up being disoriented or cognitively-overloaded due to the potential gap between what they need and what actually exists on the Web. In addition, while a lot of research has gone into supporting the task of finding web resources, less attention has been paid to the task of supporting the interpretation of Web pages. The inability to interpret the content of pages leads learners to interrupt their current browsing activities to seek help from other human resources or explanatory learning materials. Such activity can weaken learner engagement and lower their motivation to learn. This thesis aims to promote self-directed learning from hypertext resources by proposing solutions to the above problems. It first presents Knowledge Puzzle, a tool that proposes a constructivist approach to learn from the Web. Its main contribution to Web-based learning is that self-directed learners will be able to adapt the path of instruction and the structure of hypertext to their way of thinking, regardless of how the Web content is delivered. This can effectively reduce the gap between what they need and what exists on the Web. SWLinker is another system proposed in this thesis with the aim of supporting the interpretation of Web pages using ontology based semantic annotation. It is an extension to the Internet Explorer Web browser that automatically creates a semantic layer of explanatory information and instructional guidance over Web pages. It also aims to break the conventional view of Web browsing as an individual activity by leveraging the notion of ontology-based collaborative browsing. Both of the tools presented in this thesis were evaluated by students within the context of particular learning tasks. The results show that they effectively fulfilled the intended goals by facilitating learning from hypertext without introducing high overheads in terms of usability or browsing efforts

Research, writing, and computer technology: A reconsideration of invention and process

This thesis argues for a more open and active research process and approach toward the teaching of researched writing. A hypertext-based research environment may enrich student learning and writing by reinforcing recursivity throughout the writing process, at the same time as it encourages reflection on both cognitive and social processes of knowledge construction. Further argument is for a more vigorous student engagement in knowledge-making activities by encouraging active research further along the writing process

UNDERSTANDING THE PARADOX OF MENTAL EFFORT IN ONLINE LEARNING CONVERSATIONS

This study investigates inquiry-based interaction and learning outcomes mediated by two types of artifact-centered discourse environments. The study aims to promote social construction of knowledge by optimizing the division of mental effort between pragmatic and semantic grounding activities. We present a theoretical research model by combining social constructivism, grounding theory, and cognitive load theory. We carried out a quasi-experimental study using survey instruments, content analysis, sequential analysis, and knowledge tests for a holistic approach to understand the paradox of mental effort in online learning conversations. The primary finding of this study is that a linked artifact-centered discourse environment facilitates pragmatic grounding activities to attain a common ground in online learning conversations. Additionally, less need for pragmatic grounding activities leaves more room for semantic grounding activities. Finally, more semantic grounding activities lead to a deeper understanding of the learning material

Visualising software in cyberspace

The problems of maintaining software systems are well documented. The increasing size and complexity of modern software serves only to worsen matters. Software maintainers are typically confronted with very large and very complex software systems, of which they may have little or no prior knowledge. At this stage they will normally have some maintenance task to perform, though possibly little indication of where or how to start. They need to investigate and understand the software to some extent in order to begin maintenance. This understanding process is termed program comprehension. There are various theories on program comprehension, many of which put emphasis on the construction of a mental model of the software within the mind of the maintainor. These same theories hypothesise a number of techniques employed by the maintainer for the creation and revision of this mental model. Software visualisation attempts to provide tool support for generating, supplementing and verifying the maintainer’s mental model. The majority of software visualisations to date have concentrated on producing two dimensional representations and animations of various aspects of a software system. Very little work has been performed previously regarding the issues involved in visualising software within a virtual reality environment. This research represents a significant first step into this exciting field and offers insight into the problems posed by this new media. This thesis provides an identification of the possibilities afforded byU3D graphics for software visualisation and program comprehension. It begins by defining seven key areas of 3D software visualisation, followed by the definition of two terms, visualisation and representation. These two terms provide a conceptual division between a visualisation and the elements of which it is comprised. This division enables improved discussion of the properties of a 3D visualisation and particularly the idenfification of properties that are desirable for a successful visualisation. A number of such desirable properties are suggested for both visualisations and representations, providing support for the design and evaluation of a 3D software visualisation system. Also presented are a number of prototype visualisations, each providing a different approach to the visualisation of a software system. The prototypes help demonstrate the practicalities and feasibility of 3D software visualisation. Evaluation of these prototypes is performed using a variety of techniques, the results of which emphasise the fact that there is substantial potential for the application of 3D graphics and virtual reality to software visualisation

Tiny robots in our pockets: a critical exploration of podcasts

Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2015This project is an exploration of the audio platform of podcasting. It is in three parts. The first part is an initial introduction to the medium of podcasting and an introduction to a critical theory of media studies in regard to popular culture. The second part is an exploration of the educational and academic applications of podcasting as well as an examination of aural learning as an important cultural mode of discourse. There are pedagogical implications and examples of utilizing both popular culture and podcasting in the classroom. The third part is a critical examination of selected podcasts that feature discussions of popular culture and how those discussions fit into the critical modes, genres and discourses outlined in the first two parts of this project. This discussion focuses mostly on the critical examination of science fiction films in podcasting. There is a conclusion that wraps up the main ideas and critical theories discussed in the project as well as an epilogue that addresses concerns raised at the defense of this project regarding pedagogy and accessibility. This is the transcript of this project. The actual thesis artifact is a series of three podcasts that are available through the University of Alaska Fairbanks Graduate School Archive and through the website SoundCloud. (https://soundcloud.com/quinn-dreasler/sets/quinns-thesis