Development of an Automated Instrument for Measuring the Usefulness of Mathematics Tutorial Courseware

Selecting mathematics courseware (PKM) by teachers is essential in order to get the most useful courseware for students. Empirical research is hindered by the lack of standard instruments with valid and reliable factor, criteria and metrics. Therefore the primary purpose of this study was to develop an instrument for evaluating the usefulness of mathematics courseware called IPKpkm and to provide psychometric evidence of validity and reliability. Through out four phases of this study, 696 participants were involved and six types of PKM were used. Each participant was required to evaluate the courseware heuristically and complete the IPKpkm form. First, based on the theoretical perspective, a hypothesize model with three factors which were usability, functionality and efficiency, five sub-factors and seven criteria were proposed. Preliminary study produced initial instrument (IPKpkm_1) consisting of 85 checklist metrics. Second, each metric was reviewed for clarity and appropriateness of metrics content by an expert panel consisting of eight lecturers from four local universities and two Assistant Directors from the Curriculum Development Center. Based on the experts’ judgments, 67 metrics were selected to form the first version of the questionnaire with a five-point-Likert-type scale (IPKpkm_2). IPKpkm_2 was administered to 35 secondary mathematics teachers Metrics analysis was conducted and three metrics were eliminated. Third, IPKpkm_3 with 64 metrics were administered to 626 mathematics teachers in five zones through out Malaysia. Analysis using SPSS 12 was conducted to find the variable that showed significant contribution to the PKM usefulness score. Findings suggested that three variables, which were teacher’s academic background, computer usage experience and evaluation error, had significant impact to PKM usefulness score. From these findings PKM usefulness mean score formula were constructed. Exploratory and confirmatory analysis revealed a three factors solution similar to the hypothesized model. Exploratory factor analysis suggested eight criteria and reduced the metrics to 57 (IPKpkm_4). Results from the initial, first, second and third confirmatory factor analysis using AMOS 5, produced 34 metrics instrument (IPKpkm_5) that provided good fit models. Goodness-of-fit analysis had supported the hypothesized models and construct validity of IPKpkm_5. Convergent and divergent validity were supported hence added strong evidence of construct validity. Fourth, IPKpkm_5 were compared to similar instrument called Instrument for Evaluating Chinese Educational Software (IECES). Both instruments were administered to 26 Third Year Mathematics Education, UKM students. Positive correlation of both scores supported the criterion validity of IPKpkm_5 and thus completed validity tests. Results from construct reliability showed there was good to very good reliability for the three factors and eight criteria. Finally, a web-based evaluation system to measure the usefulness of PKM (SPKpkm) was developed and tested. The system makes the evaluation process more efficient and can generate the mean score automatically

User Centered Design Approach to Redesign Graduate Student Management Information System

This study conducted a user centered design approach based on user perception using the Graduate Student Information System. This study start by requirement gathering employs interview method with discussing about its interface design and its available menu. Then following as design, evaluation and delivery to actual user. The proposed design is evaluated by 30 respondent using questionnaire The findings from the analyzed result show that usability factor encountered by user that has high average mean was interface standard. The study prove that the current system needs to improve from functionality aspect. The proposed system is expected to help the administration task

Usefulness model for the redesign of Graduate’s Student Management Information System

Postgraduate Student Management Information System (PSMI) is developed for managing the academic matters of postgraduate students, such as registration, appointment of supervisor, proposal defence, appointment of examiners and managing oral defence examination. The system which is known as SMASH was developed in the Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia to facilitate the task of the Graduate Management Unit. However, SMASH is rarely used due to usability problems. Among the problems are, the administrative staffs are not aware of the graduate programs applications which are made through SMASH. There is a lack of functionality especially on the menu and the design of the interface. SMASH provides functionality that is limited to only download the application form. This paper discusses the usefulness model development that can be used as a guideline to improve the system. The usefulness model is developed by adapting IS0 9241 and ISO 9126 usability standards. This study employs User-Centered Design method which involves students and faculty administrative staffs. This study starts by identifying the usability problems through Heuristic Evaluation and analysing the user requirements through the system analysis and interview. The preliminary study discovers that there is a need for improvement in the interface design and the functionality of the system to meet user requirements. The user requirement analysis and the proposed improvement serves as the basis in redesigning the system prototype. The usefulness model is then verified by 30 respondents through survey

Usability guidelines for elderly website interface

The elderly population is growing every year. Most of them are retirees. The number of elderly are significantly increasing in the near future. Therefore, it is important to see them as a large scale users of technology. However, the information system that exists is mostly general and not specific to a particular group. For the elderly, this is a constraint for those who have certain deficiencies such as having reduced visibility, movement, and deterioration of cognitive skills. It is essential to conduct a study to identify the problems faced by the elderly in using existing information system. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to discuss the construction of a usability guideline for elderly website interface. The study began by identifying the problems faced by the elderly to the usability of the current information systems that are available interviews. Usability characteristics of information systems that are suitable to the elderly are identified and a guideline for the elderly interface usability of information systems is constructed. These guideline illustrates that a friendly website interface for elderly are sites that provide usage facilities to the elderly such as simple language, large font size, navigation that is easy to use and has a combination of media such as video and audio. These guidelines are used to develop usability’s website interface for elderly. The website evaluation is conducted to assess the usability features used in the design. The website is tested by target users. Feedback from the elderly is used to enhance the interface to become more usable and can serve as a reference for web developers

Exploring indicators of engagement: applications for gamification of online training systems

In recent years, gamification is being used in business organization for an increased employee engagement in the work place. However, less has been said about engagement of employees in online training to learn new skills and knowledge that may help or improve status quo in the organization. This paper explores the engagement indicators and game elements that may foster employee engagement in online training. The study employs an iterative step-by-step methodology that is used in information technology for the development of artefacts. As a result, a framework to implement the gamification technique in online training is proposed. The framework consists of a gamification construct that contains a set of commonly used game elements such as points, levels, challenges, rewards, competition, progress bar, leaderboard, badges, and feedback. The framework also contains three engagement dimensions including behavioural, emotional, and cognitive dimensions. To achieve the main objective of the study, an iterative process used by information technology researchers to develop new artefacts and their constructs is employed. As for the formulation of the hypothesis, for the evaluation of gamification’s influence on employee engagement when attending an online training, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is employed

A Proposed Model for Virtual Fitting Room Based on Usability and Profound Emotional Elements

Technological advancement has evolved the way business is conducted. Companies around the globe venture into e-commerce to reach more customers apart from the traditional retails and marketing approaches. Nowadays, almost everything could be found sold via the internet regardless of size, usage, price and etc. The challenge of e-commerce channel is coming from its inability to provide a practical ways in giving the customers the sense of trying before purchase which is crucial for some product type namely clothing. This paper presents the issues in the e-commerce clothing industry, namely fitting issues and problems encountered in existing Virtual Fitting Room (VFR) applications. These issues include usability and lack of a profound emotional stimulant within existing applications. A systematic procedure of searching related literature on VFR is done based on several identified criteria from the established online repository. The extensive search result is then filtered based on the identified criteria once again to obtain the suitable model to be further studied. This study reviewed five VFR-related models, with the results confirming the issues of usability and profound emotional elements in each model.  This study also proposed a new VFR model based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), which consists of usability and profound emotional constructs. These elements were mainly included to solve the identified problems and to provide guidelines for a design solution, which is usable, useful, and delightful

The Acceptance of Braille Self-Learning Device

The blind and visually impaired individuals are the citizens that exists in any society. Their blindness and visual impairment prevent them from using computers, operating digital devices, learning educational software, and restricting them from gaining certain knowledges. One of the most proven techniques for people with visual impairments to gain knowledge is to become proficient in Braille. Braille is represented by six dots arranged in a 3x2 matrix and can be read receptively only by the sense of touch. The common way of learning Braille is one-to-one technique between students and teachers. They use bulky devices which is inconvenient, not portable and costly.  In fact, learning Braille always requires teachers to be present. People with visual impairments need special tools or tutorials to master the Braille language. This research introduces Braille Fingers Puller (BFP) self-learning device which is autonomous, low-cost, user-friendly, and portable with self-learn and self-test functions. Prior to the current device development, a Braille Finger Puller acceptance model is proposed based on seven factors that influence the BFP behavioral pattern which are perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, performance, satisfaction, emotion, attitude, and comfort. The Braille Fingers Puller is tested with the blind association and finding shows that all factors except comfort factor have high score toward the intention to use BFP. Further improvement of the self-learning device is suggested in order to make it more comfortable for the visually impaired person to use

Indeks kepuasan pelajar siswazah terhadap prasarana penyelidikan di Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Revolusi Perindustrian Keempat membawa cabaran baharu kepada institusi pengajian tinggi bagi menarik peluang untuk aktiviti penyelidikan berkualiti tinggi. Bagi memastikan institusi dapat menyokong secara tekal penyelidikan berimpak tinggi, prasarana bersesuaian disediakan sebagai pemangkin aktiviti penyelidikan cemerlang. Kajian ini bertujuan mengenal pasti tahap kepuasan pelajar siswazah terhadap prasarana penyelidikan di Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), dan mengukur indeks kepuasan terhadap prasarana penyelidikan. Kajian dilaksanakan terhadap sampel 992 orang pelajar siswazah UKM melalui kaedah tinjauan dengan menggunakan borang soal selidik. Enam faktor prasarana penyelidikan telah dikenal pasti dan dianalisis, iaitu perpustakaan, perkhidmatan pelajar, kemudahan fizikal, kemudahan keselamatan, kemudahan awam, dan kafeteria. Hasil kajian menunjukkan lebih 60% daripada item dikaji berada dalam kategori tahap kepuasan yang tinggi. Bagi Indeks Kepuasan Pelajar, UKM memperlihatkan pencapaian cemerlang bagi faktor perpustakaan, pencapaian baik bagi empat faktor berkaitan penyediaan kemudahan dan pencapaian sederhana bagi faktor kafeteria. Pengukuran kualiti prasarana berasaskan persepsi pelajar adalah penting bagi membantu menambah baik sektor penyelidikan dan menjadi tanda aras perkhidmatan penyelidikan

Penggunaan Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia (BIM) di dalam terjemahan maksud surah al-Fatihah

Bahasa isyarat merupakan suatu bentuk komunikasi yang digunakan oleh golongan kurang upaya pendengaran (GKUP) kerana penggunaan bahasa isyarat memudahkan komunikasi golongan kurang upaya pendengaran dan memberi peluang kepada GKUP untuk meluahkan rasa, pendapat, idea, perasaan dan sebagainya. Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia (BIM), menurut Lim (2006) merupakan bahasa utama untuk orang kurang upaya pendengaran di Malaysia. Sehubungan itu, kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengenal pasti penggunaan BIM dalam terjemahan maksud surah Al-Fatihah. Kajian ini melibatkan 10 orang golongan kurang upaya pendengaran (GKUP) yang berkemahiran dalam mengaplikasikan BIM dalam terjemahan surah Al-Fatihah. Surah Al-Fatihah dijadikan sebagai satu surah pilihan dalam kajian ini kerana surah ini merupakan ummul kitab atau ibu dalam Al-Quran. Kajian ini dijalankan secara temu bual separa struktur dengan 10 orang kurang upaya pendengaran. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan terdapat dua persepsi GKUP terhadap kepentingan BIM dalam terjemahan Surah Al-Fatihah iaitu BIM dapat memberi kefahaman kepada golongan kurang upaya pendengaran terhadap terjemahan maksud Surah Al-Fatihah. Selain itu, BIM dapat memberi penghayatan kepada GKUP terhadap terjemahan maksud surah Al-Fatihah. Oleh itu, kepentingan kajian ini menunjukkan bahawa penggunaan BIM amat membantu GKUP perlu mempelajari Al-Quran kerana ia memberi impak yang besar dalam pemahaman dan penghayatan terhadap isi kandungan Al-Quran