The relationship between web enjoyment and student perceptions and learning using a web-based tutorial

Web enjoyment has been regarded as a component of system experience. However, there has been little targeted research considering the role of web enjoyment alone in student learning using web-based systems. To address this gap, this study aims to examine the influence of web enjoyment on learning performance and perceptions by controlling system experience as a variable in the study. 74 students participated in the study, using a web-based tutorial covering subject matter in the area of 'Computation and algorithms'. Their learning performance was assessed with a pre-test and a post-test and their learning perceptions were evaluated with a questionnaire. The results indicated that there are positive relationships between the levels of web enjoyment and perceived usefulness and non-linear navigation for users with similar, significant levels of system experience. The implications of these findings in relation to web-based learning are explored and ways in which the needs of students who report different levels of web enjoyment might be met are discussed

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 students’ 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

Investigating attributes affecting the performance of WBI users

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Computers and Education. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2013 Elsevier B.V.Numerous research studies have explored the effect of hypermedia on learners' performance using Web Based Instruction (WBI). A learner's performance is determined by their varying skills and abilities as well as various differences such as gender, cognitive style and prior knowledge. In this paper, we investigate how differences between individuals influenced learner's performance using a hypermedia system to accommodate an individual's preferences. The effect of learning performance is investigated to explore relationships between measurement attributes including gain scores (post-test minus pre-test), number of pages visited in a WBI program, and time spent on such pages. A data mining approach was used to analyze the results by comparing two clustering algorithms (K-Means and Hierarchical) with two different numbers of clusters. Individual differences had a significant impact on learner behavior in our WBI program. Additionally, we found that the relationship between attributes that measure performance played an influential role in exploring performance level; the relationship between such attributes induced rules in measuring level of a learners' performance

The effect of individual difference on learning performance using web-based instruction

Web-Based Instruction (WBI) brings a number of benefits to individuals requiring a combination of specific learning patterns and program structure. In this paper, we propose a WBI program which suits individual differences through an existing framework and which facilitates learning by accommodating learner preferences. In particular, we make advances in three key aspects. Firstly, we study three important individual differences (gender, cognitive style and prior knowledge) as well as their interactions in the resulting learning performances. Secondly, we combined three attributes to measure performance (gain score, number of visited pages and time spent on these pages) of the three interacting individual differences. Thirdly, we in-vestigate system features (navigation tools, additional support and content structure) to see how they can help users acquire information to meet their individual needs, resulting in an improvement in the learning performance. Two studies are presented; in one, we compare results from our program with previous studies thus evaluating its design. In the other, a data mining approach is used to investigate the effect of individual differences and how that could influence learner performance. Results indicate that performance can be affected by individual differences’ behaviour. Additionally, we found that the relationship between individual differences had an even higher impact on learners’ performance. The combined performance measurement attributes give a better understanding of how learners performed

Cognitive memory effects on non-linear video-based learning

During an informative learning process, information, material, facts and ideas are typically conveyed in a linear arrangement. Individuals are frequently distracted during this process with their attention being diverted to an interruption (Internet, phone call, etc). When presented with any new information, the mind evolves through problem solving and evaluation procedures. The way in which that information is processed and perceived depends on: (a) original presentation (b) examination of material and (c) an individualistic measurement of success. However, when faced with an interruption, the person is forced to deal with non-linear arrangement of information. This research investigates nonlinear presentation or seeking of material and the effects in optimizing memory retention. This study (1) analyzed the cognitive consequences of non-linear forms of information paths in comparison to standard/linear paths (2) investigated the user\u27s knowledge acquisition and control through non-linear paths during navigation while being interrupted; and, (3) determine how this non-linear presentation of instructions effect the overall learning experience. The research specifically focused on the performance levels under one of four conditions (procedural/segmented, procedural/non-segmented, non-procedural/segmented, or non-procedural/non-segmented) while interacting with a distributed web-based learning environment. The population of this study included 62 college students taking a 20 minute web-based session. Each student completed a background questionnaire, video assessment questionnaire, working memory test, work load test, a comprehension test and a learning style test. The workload test given was the NASA-TLX which examines the workload experienced during the web-based session. The learning styles test was the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT), which classified participants as either field independent or dependent. There was no significance in user performance levels between procedural / non-procedural tasks and segmented / non-segmented video types (p=0.1224). However, when comparing the means for each task type and technology type that procedural / segmented seemed to perform much higher than that of the other groups. There was marginal significance for performance level depending on individual learning styles (p=0.0838)

Integrating multiple individual differences in web-based instruction

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.There has been an increasing focus on web-based instruction (WBI) systems which accommodate individual differences in educational environments. Many of those studies have focused on the investigation of learners’ behaviour to understand their preferences, performance and perception using hypermedia systems. In this thesis, existing studies focus extensively on performance measurement attributes such as time spent using the system by a user, gained score and number of pages visited in the system. However, there is a dearth of studies which explore the relationship between such attributes in measuring performance level. Statistical analysis and data mining techniques were used in this study. We built a WBI program based on existing designs which accommodated learner’s preferences. We evaluated the proposed system by comparing its results with related studies. Then, we investigated the impact of related individual differences on learners’ preferences, performance and perception after interacting with our WBI program. We found that some individual differences and their combination had an impact on learners' preferences when choosing navigation tools. Consequently, it was clear that the related individual differences altered a learner’s preferences. Thus, we did further investigation to understand how multiple individual differences (Multi-ID) could affect learners’ preferences, performance and perception. We found that the Multi-ID clearly altered the learner’s preferences and performance. Thus, designers of WBI applications need to consider the combination of individual differences rather than these differences individually. Our findings also showed that attributes relationships had an impact on measuring learners’ performance level on learners with Multi-ID. The key contribution of this study lies in the following three aspects: firstly, investigating the impact of our proposed system, using three system features in the design, on a learner’s behavior, secondly, exploring the influence of Multi-ID on a learner’s preferences, performance and perception, thirdly, combining the three measurement attributes to understand the performance level using these measuring attributes

The effects of individual differences and instructional aids on learners' disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in a hypermedia learning system

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Hypermedia Learning Systems (HLS) are being used increasingly widely in Higher Education, offering non-linear navigation through complex learning materials and, it is argued, leading to improve cognitive flexibility. For some learners, though, nonlinear navigation in HLS leads to higher levels of disorientation, which can have an impact on their learning performance and attitudes towards the learning system. There has been significant research into the factors that can influence individual learners‘ experiences. For example, a number of studies have confirmed that individual differences such as cognitive style, domain knowledge and computer experience affect individuals‘ levels of disorientation and learning performance, and influence their attitudes towards HLS. It has also been suggested that instructional aids (in the form of certain visual elements and audio elements) can reduce levels of disorientation and, in turn, increase learning performance in, and positive attitudes towards, HLS for some learners. However, existing studies have tended to look at only a subset of these three individual differences in relation to an individual and/or consider only a small number of visual instructional aids. No study up to this point has considered the impact of cognitive style, domain knowledge and computer experience on disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in a HLS that incorporates a full range of visual instructional aids. In terms of the research related to audio instructional aids, no studies have looked into the effects of audio aids and these three individual differences in relation to disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in HLS. This thesis addresses these two shortcomings through two experiments. The aim of experiment 1 was to examine the effects of and between these three individual differences with respect to disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in two versions of a HLS: one that incorporated the set of visual instructional aids and one that did not. Experiment 2 aimed to do the same, but with respect to a HLS that provided audio instructional aids. The experiments used quantitative and qualitative approaches to gather data to address a set of research questions and research hypotheses. The participants were 384 university students from across London. The Cognitive Style Analysis (CSA) test was administered to determine participants‘ field dependence, and participants‘ demographic information, levels of computer experience and levels of prior knowledge were gathered using questionnaires. Learning performance was measured through achievement tests and a practical task. Levels of disorientation were measured using questionnaires, and attitudes were assessed using questionnaires and interviews. Participants were also observed when they were interacting with the HLS to perform learning tasks. A number of interesting results were revealed. Significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to disorientation, learning performance and attitudes in the HLS that provided no instructional aids. No significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to disorientation or learning performance in the other two versions of the HLS – those providing visual and audio instructional aids. Significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to the use of the visual and audio instructional aids to perform learning in the HLS. No significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to attitudes in the HLS that provided visual instructional aids. Significant effects were found between the three individual differences with respect to attitudes in the version that provided audio instructional aids. Analysis of the results led to the framing of a set of HLS design guidelines which are presented in this thesis. Finally, an agenda for future research leading on from the study‘s findings is presented

Cultural Dimensions and Online Learning Preferences of Asian Students at Oklahoma State University in the United States

The purpose of this study was identifying Asian students' online learning preferences, personal problems, online learning benefits, and personal recommendations for improvement of online learning. The population of this study was the students who came from East Asia countries such as Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan. This research used an online survey questionnaire. To quantify the demographic profile, forced-choice questions were used. To identify online learning preferences, a five-point Likert type rating scale was used. To discover online learning personal problems, benefits, and recommendations for improvements, open-ended questions were used. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to analyze the collected data. Asian students' online learning preference were measured in accordance with Henderson's multiple cultural model. A new survey instrument was developed. Correlation coefficient analysis and exploratory factor analysis were used to establish validity and reliability of the instrumenSchool of Teaching and Curriculum Leadershi