Evaluating Engagement in Digital Narratives from Facial Data

Engagement researchers indicate that the engagement level of people in a narrative has an influence on people's subsequent story-related attitudes and beliefs, which helps psychologists understand people's social behaviours and personal experience. With the arrival of multimedia, the digital narrative combines multimedia features (e.g. varying images, music and voiceover) with traditional storytelling. Research on digital narratives has been widely used in helping students gain problem-solving and presentation skills as well as supporting child psychologists investigating children's social understanding such as family/peer relationships through completing their digital narratives. However, there is little study on the effect of multimedia features in digital narratives on the engagement level of people. This research focuses on measuring the levels of engagement of people in digital narratives and specifically on understanding the media effect of digital narratives on people's engagement levels. Measurement tools are developed and validated through analyses of facial data from different age groups (children and young adults) in watching stories with different media features of digital narratives. Data sources used in this research include a questionnaire with Smileyometer scale and the observation of each participant's facial behaviours

Study Interactivity In Digital Narrative: Children Engagement And Enjoyment

This study examined the experience of how Iranian children interact with the Quest Atlantis digital narrative and sought to discover they various enjoyment level by applying the use of the Instrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) instrument (Ryan, 2006

A Remotely Operated Science Experiment framework for under-resourced schools

Teaching argumentation with appropriate activities and strategies would support a wide range of goals in science education. Though science labs have been suggested and employed for argumentation activities, such educational expenditures are likely to be beyond the means of most schools in under-resourced areas. Due to the lack of appropriate technological infrastructure and financial support, science education in developing countries is limited to the traditional approach. Teachers and students in the developing world, or other rural areas without sufficient lab resources in developed countries, would adopt argumentation in science classroom if they utilize their wireless infrastructure. We suggest a remote science lab for students in under-resourced schools, and suggest a possible way to engage them in argumentation activities. This paper introduces Remotely Operated Science Experiment (ROSE) and its implementation, and draws on the result of the intervention focusing on the impact of ROSE on students’ argumentation and learning

Teachers cloud-based content creation in light of the TPACK Framework: implications for teacher education

With the advent ubiquitous computing, cloud-based content creation is becoming more popular and readily accessible. In Malaysia the government equipped 10,000 public primary and secondary schools with 4G Internet connectivity and a cloud-based learning environment called the Frog VLE. This study investigated the alignment and compatibility the TPACK framework to teachers’ learning designs. A rubric was developed, based on the TPACK framework, and after feedback from an expert panel, 152 cloud-based sites were analysed. Results show that most areas were somewhat aligned with the TPACK framework while three areas were fully aligned and one area was minimally aligned. The fully aligned areas were use of links, design navigation flow and design functionality. The minimally aligned area was interactivity. This research finding can potentially inform teacher education as if specifically taught this can empower teachers when creating cloud-based content

Toward designing mobile games for visually challenged children

This study attempts to design a mobile learning game for visually challenged children to improve their spatial ability and executive function. Two audible mobile games were designed and tested: (1) Cardinal Direction (CD) and (2) modified Tower of London (TOL). Qualitative (i.e. observational notes and interviews) and quantitative data (i.e. game scores, time logs, and survey data) were collected and analyzed. Results yielded a high level of enjoyment among participants. Findings on collaboration, usability, accessibility, audible feedback, and student success in winning points in the games are discussed in order to provide insights into designing a more comprehensible mobile learning game, with higher collaboration features, for visually challenged users in future

Evaluation of the learning designs of cloud-based content using the TPACK Framework

The paradigm shift in the adoption of cloud-based technology in educational settings in the United States and globally is undeniable. For the first time, an entire nation is connected through a single, cloud-based learning platform under the Malaysian 1BestariNet project. The Malaysian Ministry of Education has connected over 10,000 public schools, 5 million students, 500,000 teachers and 4.5 million parents via high speed 4G Internet connectivity and the cloud based Virtual Learning Environment called FrogVLE. This study focuses on teachers' cloud-based resource development and the developed of a rubric created to use the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework to investigate teachers learning designs that are made available on the cloud for their students to access. This rubric has been evaluated for its validity and reliability which is reported in this paper

Mobile learning perception and interest among higher education distance learners in Asia

This study, as a part of Asia e University mobile Learning project (AeUmL), aimed to investigate the higher education distance learners’ conceptualization and the level of interest towards having the opportunity to learn while mobile. It also addressed participants’ access level and frequency use of the technologies typically employed in mobile learning. Quantitative data were collected from 112 survey respondents enrolled in AeU Post Graduate Programs in Kuala Lumpur center. Results yielded a mixed response in terms of student perception on various examples of mobile learning while their interest level and attitudes towards having the option of mobile learning were reported very high. Students’ participation rate in utilizing mobile technologies and electronic learning activities were analyzed. Future research implications and issues surrounding the development of mobile learning in Asian higher education are also discussed

Public online charter school students: choices, perceptions, and traits

There has been a steady growth of the K-12 student population taking courses online. This study examined reasons for students to choose a public online charter school program and their perceptions of online discussion. A survey was sent to 1,500 students newly enrolled in a statewide public online charter school program. From those who responded, 44% indicated that the online discussion component is not helpful in achieving their academic goals. Also, further analysis suggested that those who drop out of traditional schools probably would not stay even in an online program unless the program adequately supported the students. In this report, interrelationships among perceptual measures along with traits and preferences of online students are discussed and suggestions are made for educators