Information systems for interactive learning: Design perspective

This paper aims to present and discuss educational issues and relevant research to universities and colleges in the Arabian Gulf Region. This include cultural, students’ learning preferences and the use of information and communication technology. It particularly focuses on interactive learning through the consideration of learning styles. It explores the sequential-global learning styles profile of undergraduate students as part of a continuous research in Information Systems design with a particular focus on the design of Interactive Learning Systems (ILSs). A study to examine the learning style profile of undergraduate students in a cohort of Management Information Systems at a UAE university has been conducted, and a discussion and recommendations on how these findings can be reflected on the design of ILSs are provided

Using learning technology in university courses: do styles matter?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relevance of three different types of styles measure for students' learning in a large introductory university course in psychology, using information technology to enhance teaching. The paper examines the relationship between styles, the usage of learning technology, and academic performance in this course. Design/methodology/approach – Styles are measured using approaches to learning, thinking styles, and cognitive styles. The usage of the online material is measured by considering both time spent on the resources and the amount of material viewed (pages and hits) as well as tools used. Findings – The findings are that the academic performance of students who used the online resources is significantly higher than those who either choose to not use the online materials at all or choose to use to the materials to a lesser extent. It is determined that the measure of approaches to learning (approaches and study skills inventory for students) is the stronger predictor for successful use of the material. Research limitations/implications – Using a reasonably sized sample in an ecologically valid context offered the opportunity to put styles into context and to consider the practical use of styles. This research is limited by the context and the particular sample. It is also difficult to completely exclude the fact that students using the extra material are generally more motivated and would have obtained better grades even without the resources. Originality/value – This paper offers further evidence for the relations between different measures of styles and evaluates the effects that styles might have on usage of online material and academic performance

Investigating the Impact of Learners’ Learning Styles on the Acceptance of Open Learner Models for Information Sharing

Individual differences in learners’ learning styles can have a significant effect on their acceptance of collaboration technologies to facilitate the sharing of learning information in technology-based collaborative learning. There is, however, a lack of understanding of the impact of learning styles on the acceptance of open learner models as a collaboration technology for information sharing. This study investigates the impact of learners’ learning styles on their acceptance of open learner models for information sharing. A total of 240 undergraduate students in a university in Malaysia have participated in the online survey. A chi-square test is performed to explore the relationship between learning styles and the acceptance of open learner models for information sharing in technology-based collaborative learning. The result reveals that learning styles have no significant impact on learners’ acceptance of open learner models for information sharing. The implications of this study can assist open learner models designers to apply appropriate instructional design strategies in developing open learner models applications

Analysis of Felder-Solomon Index of Learning Styles of Students from Management and Engineering at the University of Mauritius

No prior investigations have been made on the learning styles of students from different fields studying the same module at the University of Mauritius. Techniques have to be explored to depict their learning styles, which can lead to a more effective teaching. In this work, students from faculty of management and faculty of engineering studying one of the Information Technology modules at the University of Mauritius were being studied and their learning styles were being deduced through FelderSolomon index of learning (ILS) questionnaire. The data obtained from the questionnaire has been analyzed and it was concluded that students from both faculties have different learning styles. While understanding these differences, there is a better chance to meet diverse learning needs of both groups of students

Learning style tendencies based on fleming’s VARK learning style among TVET students

This study aims to identify learning style tendencies based on the Fleming’s VARK learning style of TVET students. This study uses a questionnaire approach to assess TVET students' learning styles based on Fleming’s visual, auditory, writing or reading and kinesthetic learning styles. The study population is technical students of FPTV, UTHM and the selected sample consists of 53 students from various fields namely General Machining (BBA), Welding and Metal Fabrication (BBD), Electrical & Electronics (BBE) and Creative Multimedia (BBF) who took the subject BBD10803 Information Technology in Education at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. The results of this study indicate that the most preferred Fleming’s VARK learning style is a visual learning style

Designing a Modern Cloud-Oriented Virtual Personalized Educational Environment

This paper focuses on students’ research ability to use information and communication technologies to carry out information activities in their professional field. The results of studies on personalized and adaptive learning, based on the consideration of learning styles were analyzed. Based on the statistical analysis of the pedagogical experiments some recommendations were formulated for technology training for teachers and students, to improve efficiency trainin

Learning Styles at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

This research attempted to gain additional perspective on assessing the effects of learning English in a predominately Chinese-speaking country. Using surveys and focus groups, we conducted two studies at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology investigating learning styles and classroom preferences. We examined differences in learning styles between Eastern and Western cultures, and investigated whether the learning styles differed based on academic major in our Eastern population. The results suggest that only slight differences exist in learning styles based on academic major. We also verified the cultural differences found in past research. Putting all this together, learning styles play an important role in how students view and use information presented in the classroom

Evaluating the impact of Internet provision on students’ information‐gathering strategies

This paper explores the use of the World Wide Web (WWW) as a teaching and learning tool. In particular, it focuses on the impact of new technology on students’ learning. An investigative study was undertaken using two cohorts of students taking modules supported by WWW pages. Two modules were selected. These were taught by the same lecturer but adopted distinctly different approaches to delivering module content via the WWW. The administrative structure of both pages was similar in the delivery of basic information, lecture themes, assessment details, outline of essential reading, etc. However, the depth of the material provided in support of each lecture topic, and the styles of assessment for each module, were quite different. The study identified distinct differences in confidence in using the WWW and perceptions of its value for learning, between the two student cohorts. It is proposed that this is a reflection of the depth of material provided and the type of knowledge acquisition encouraged by the contrasting styles of the WWW pages

Considering learning styles in adaptative web-based education

This paper shows a way of using some dimensions of learning styles of students in order to improve the efficiency of adaptive learning systems. Firstly, it reviews the literature and previous work related to the taxonomy of learning styles and its application to web-based education. Later, it introduces the Felder-Silverman learning style model and the procedure of extracting information about students’ learning styles from the Felder-Soloman ILS questionnaire. Then, it presents a mechanism of application of these dimensions to content sequencing. The example used to explain the adaptation effects is taken from a course developed with TANGOW, Task-based Adaptive learNer Guidance On the Web.This work has been sponsored by the Spanish Interdepartmental Commission of Science and Technology (CICYT), project numbers TEL1999-0181 and TIC2001-0685-C02-01

Proceedings of the Third Computing Women Congress (CWC 2008): Student papers

The Third Computing Women Congress was held at the University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand from February 11th to 13th, 2008. The Computing Women Congress (CWC) is a Summer University for women in Computer Science. It is a meeting-place for female students, academics and professionals who study or work in Information Technology. CWC provides a forum to learn about and share the latest ideas of computing related topics in a supportive environment. CWC provides an open, explorative learning and teaching environment. Experimentation with new styles of learning is encouraged, with an emphasis on hands-on experience and engaging participatory techniques