This research explores the extent to which virtual worlds can serve as online collaborative learning environments for students by increasing social presence and engagement. 3D environments enable learning, which simulates face-to-face encounters while retaining the advantages of online learning. Students in Education departments created avatars that represented them at collaborative meetings and activities. The study examines students’ choice of Avatar appearance in relation to their own appearance and their prevailing social and cultural norms. It compares the appearance of avatars chosen by students from different countries and cultures through analysis of observations, questionnaires, and interviews. Does the user’s appearance affect his/her avatar’s appearance? Does the user’s culture affect his/her choice of avatar? Do 3D environments blur multicultural differences? Do similarities between students and their avatars contribute to their learning experience, and if so, in what way? Results indicate that although virtual 3D environments provide freedom, external contexts create powerful boundaries and expectations, leading many participants to seek a socially acceptable online appearance influenced by their cultural norms, as well as by online group identity. This study extends the dual-congruity perspectives of the Avatar Choice Model to a conceptual framework based on a quad-congruity perspective, including the importance of the online group and adding the constraining effect of offline culture and norms on virtual representations.
{"title":"Virtual Representations in 3D Learning Environments","authors":"Miri Shonfeld, Miki Kritz","doi":"10.28945/1929","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/1929","url":null,"abstract":"This research explores the extent to which virtual worlds can serve as online collaborative learning environments for students by increasing social presence and engagement. 3D environments enable learning, which simulates face-to-face encounters while retaining the advantages of online learning. Students in Education departments created avatars that represented them at collaborative meetings and activities. The study examines students’ choice of Avatar appearance in relation to their own appearance and their prevailing social and cultural norms. It compares the appearance of avatars chosen by students from different countries and cultures through analysis of observations, questionnaires, and interviews. Does the user’s appearance affect his/her avatar’s appearance? Does the user’s culture affect his/her choice of avatar? Do 3D environments blur multicultural differences? Do similarities between students and their avatars contribute to their learning experience, and if so, in what way? Results indicate that although virtual 3D environments provide freedom, external contexts create powerful boundaries and expectations, leading many participants to seek a socially acceptable online appearance influenced by their cultural norms, as well as by online group identity. This study extends the dual-congruity perspectives of the Avatar Choice Model to a conceptual framework based on a quad-congruity perspective, including the importance of the online group and adding the constraining effect of offline culture and norms on virtual representations.","PeriodicalId":104467,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Learning and Learning Objects","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133817061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The concept of learning object has become a central notion of the majority of current approaches to e-learning that focus on reusability and automation. Learning object metadata can be considered a driver for mediated resource location, thus fostering the development of digital repositories and intermediaries. Such entities are aimed to collect, store and expose rich learning object descriptions. This has lead to approaches for Semantic Web applications to e-learning that explicitly model learning objects as instances inside formal ontologies, thus representing metadata as logics-based sentences, with such sentences describing digital artifacts in terms of shared conceptualizations of diverse domains. Nonetheless, existing models do not explicitly consider the aspect of “value” inherent to learning processes and artifacts as components inside the context of organizational Information Systems. The Information Systems view regarding learning objects requires a consideration of the learning behavior of the organization as a whole, in which learning objects become critical resources linked to strategic or contingent organizational needs. This paper examines the role of learning objects as elements inside Information Systems, and provides a semantic definition for them that integrate the various aspects of learning processes in the organizational context. In addition, the main elements of a proposed formal ontology of learning objects inside organizational Information Systems are discussed by means of scenarios.
{"title":"Modeling the Organizational Aspects of Learning Objects in Semantic Web Approaches to Information Systems","authors":"Miltiadis Demetrios Lytras, M. Sicilia","doi":"10.28945/424","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/424","url":null,"abstract":"The concept of learning object has become a central notion of the majority of current approaches to e-learning that focus on reusability and automation. Learning object metadata can be considered a driver for mediated resource location, thus fostering the development of digital repositories and intermediaries. Such entities are aimed to collect, store and expose rich learning object descriptions. This has lead to approaches for Semantic Web applications to e-learning that explicitly model learning objects as instances inside formal ontologies, thus representing metadata as logics-based sentences, with such sentences describing digital artifacts in terms of shared conceptualizations of diverse domains. Nonetheless, existing models do not explicitly consider the aspect of “value” inherent to learning processes and artifacts as components inside the context of organizational Information Systems. The Information Systems view regarding learning objects requires a consideration of the learning behavior of the organization as a whole, in which learning objects become critical resources linked to strategic or contingent organizational needs. This paper examines the role of learning objects as elements inside Information Systems, and provides a semantic definition for them that integrate the various aspects of learning processes in the organizational context. In addition, the main elements of a proposed formal ontology of learning objects inside organizational Information Systems are discussed by means of scenarios.","PeriodicalId":104467,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Learning and Learning Objects","volume":"97 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123977047","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The purpose of the following study was to examine the impact of web-based learning tools (WBLTs) in science classrooms (grades 7 to 10) from the perspective of both teachers and students. Survey, qualitative, and student performance data were collected from a sample of 11 teachers and 371 students. Teachers were very positive about the learning benefits, design, and engagement value of WBLTs. Students were more critical, but still positive about these same features. Qualitative data suggested that students appreciated visual scaffolding, ease of use, engagement, and using technology. Student performance based on five knowledge categories (remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, and evaluating) increased significantly when WBLTs were used. Finally, middle and secondary school students had similar attitudes toward WBLTs, but older students showed higher learning performance gains.
{"title":"Examining the Effectiveness of Web-Based Learning Tools in Middle and Secondary School Science Classrooms","authors":"R. Kay","doi":"10.28945/1534","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/1534","url":null,"abstract":"The purpose of the following study was to examine the impact of web-based learning tools (WBLTs) in science classrooms (grades 7 to 10) from the perspective of both teachers and students. Survey, qualitative, and student performance data were collected from a sample of 11 teachers and 371 students. Teachers were very positive about the learning benefits, design, and engagement value of WBLTs. Students were more critical, but still positive about these same features. Qualitative data suggested that students appreciated visual scaffolding, ease of use, engagement, and using technology. Student performance based on five knowledge categories (remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, and evaluating) increased significantly when WBLTs were used. Finally, middle and secondary school students had similar attitudes toward WBLTs, but older students showed higher learning performance gains.","PeriodicalId":104467,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Learning and Learning Objects","volume":"5 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115553333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study illustrates the potential of applying Web usage mining - the analysis of Web log files in educational research. It consists of two sub-studies and focuses on two types of analysis, both related to the whole learning process: investigating one learner's activity in order to learn about her or his learning process, and examining the activity of a large group of learners, in order to develop a log-based motivation measure. Subjects were 674 adults who used an online learning unit as part of their preparations for the Psychometric Academic Entrance Exam and whose log files were drawn. The first sub-study aimed to illustrate the knowledge about the online learner that can be extracted from log files, and this resulted in a list of computable, non computable, and higher-level learning variables. In the second sub-study, a log-based motivation measuring tool was developed on the basis of a theoretical framework, a mechanism for computing relevant learning variables, and a clustering of these variables into three groups (associated with the theoretical framework). A discussion of the results, in the context of educational Web mining, is provided.
{"title":"Learning about Online Learning Processes and Students' Motivation through Web Usage Mining","authors":"A. Hershkovitz, Rafi Nachmias","doi":"10.28945/73","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/73","url":null,"abstract":"This study illustrates the potential of applying Web usage mining - the analysis of Web log files in educational research. It consists of two sub-studies and focuses on two types of analysis, both related to the whole learning process: investigating one learner's activity in order to learn about her or his learning process, and examining the activity of a large group of learners, in order to develop a log-based motivation measure. Subjects were 674 adults who used an online learning unit as part of their preparations for the Psychometric Academic Entrance Exam and whose log files were drawn. The first sub-study aimed to illustrate the knowledge about the online learner that can be extracted from log files, and this resulted in a list of computable, non computable, and higher-level learning variables. In the second sub-study, a log-based motivation measuring tool was developed on the basis of a theoretical framework, a mechanism for computing relevant learning variables, and a clustering of these variables into three groups (associated with the theoretical framework). A discussion of the results, in the context of educational Web mining, is provided.","PeriodicalId":104467,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Learning and Learning Objects","volume":"52 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115138320","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction An e-portfolio is an organized compilation that demonstrates knowledge, skills, values, and/or achievements and that includes reflections or exegesis which articulate the relevance, credibility, and meaning of the artifacts presented (Cooper & Love, 2007). They are customizable to represent the uniqueness of an individual student, requiring reflection that encourages deep learning (Barrett, 2004). Further, e-portfolios can stimulate a dialogue about learning as instructors and peers provide feedback on the portfolios engendering further action and reflection on the part of the learner. An e-portfolio system is a repository management system used in the creation, storage, and assessment of e-portfolios. Under the name of artifacts, they are capable of including academic records, essays, project reports, assignments, audio and video files, assessments, and personal and professional development related contents linked to learning goals and reflections (Wang, 2009) . E-portfolio systems can be open source (e.g., Open Source Portfolio and Moodle's Exabis Portfolio Block), custom created by an academic institution (Purdue University's electronic portfolio system built using Microsoft's SQL and University of Singapore's Student Electronic Learning Folio developed using ASP.net), developed by an institution using open standards (e.g., Iowa's State University's eDoc), or commercially developed (e.g., eFolio, TaskStream). According to Wang (2009) among different e-portfolio systems there are significant variations in user interface design; however, regardless of platform, the functionalities of competitive e-portfolio systems are similar with all including capabilities for the uploading of artifacts, customization, commenting on and assessing student work, communicating and sharing, reflection, drawing linkages to goals, showcase generating, and varying forms of administrative reporting. Further, Wang (2009) explained that most available systems are subject independent and therefore useful across the academic spectrum. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), a Historically Black University, has implemented an electronic portfolio project within the Department of Business, Management, and Accounting (Department) that is used for both summative and formative assessment as well as to encourage students to engage in deep learning and self reflection. The project was initially implemented with senior standing students and was gradually embedded throughout the curriculum starting with incoming freshmen. As a multi-year project, the goal is to help both students and faculty evaluate students' academic and professional development longitudinally (Buzzetto-More, 2010) . The project is designed to have several benefits: 1) Allowing both faculty and students to evaluate student growth and progression towards learning goals. 2) Encouraging students to reflect on their own growth and development. 3) Serving as a tool to guide the student in their
电子档案是一个有组织的汇编，展示了知识、技能、价值观和/或成就，包括反思或注释，阐明了所呈现的工件的相关性、可信度和意义(Cooper & Love, 2007)。他们是可定制的，以代表个别学生的独特性，需要反思，鼓励深度学习(巴雷特，2004)。此外，电子档案可以激发关于学习的对话，因为教师和同伴会对档案提供反馈，从而促使学习者采取进一步的行动和反思。电子投资组合系统是用于创建、存储和评估电子投资组合的存储库管理系统。在工件的名义下，它们能够包括学术记录、论文、项目报告、作业、音频和视频文件、评估以及与学习目标和反思相关的个人和专业发展相关的内容(Wang, 2009)。电子投资组合系统可以是开源的(例如，开源投资组合和Moodle的Exabis投资组合块)，由学术机构定制创建(普渡大学的电子投资组合系统使用微软的SQL构建，新加坡大学的学生电子学习Folio使用ASP.net开发)，由使用开放标准的机构开发(例如，爱荷华州立大学的eDoc)，或商业开发(例如，eFolio, TaskStream)。Wang(2009)认为，在不同的电子投资组合系统中，用户界面设计存在显著差异;然而，不管平台是什么，竞争性电子投资组合系统的功能都是相似的，包括上传工件、定制、评论和评估学生作业、交流和共享、反思、绘制与目标的联系、展示生成以及各种形式的管理报告。此外，Wang(2009)解释说，大多数可用的系统是独立于学科的，因此在整个学术领域都很有用。马里兰大学东岸分校(University of Maryland Eastern Shore)是一所历史悠久的黑人大学，它在商业、管理和会计系(Department of Business, Management and Accounting)内实施了一个电子作品集项目，用于总结性和形成性评估，并鼓励学生进行深度学习和自我反思。该项目最初是在高年级学生中实施的，并逐渐融入到从新生开始的课程中。作为一个多年的项目，目标是帮助学生和教师纵向评估学生的学术和专业发展(Buzzetto-More, 2010)。这个项目有几个好处:1)允许教师和学生评估学生的成长和学习目标的进展。2)鼓励学生反思自身的成长与发展。3)作为指导学生学术和职业规划的工具。4)帮助学生了解课程如何与现实世界的实践相联系。5)帮助学生看到课程学习的相互关系，以及课程学习如何转化为自己朝着学习目标的发展。6)提供灵活的评估方法，让学生有更多的自主权和更多的成功机会。7)提供以学生为中心的方法来衡量学生对学习目标的掌握程度，鼓励深度学习。8)通过为主要是第一代、低收入、学业准备不足的少数族裔学习者提供一种机制，帮助他们就自己的学习和成就进行对话，从而发挥赋权工具的作用。9)提供一种机制，通过这种机制，学生可以展示他们的才能，这可以被学生在寻找实习和/或长期就业时用于专业晋升(Buzzetto-More, 2010)。…
{"title":"Assessing the Efficacy and Effectiveness of an E-Portfolio Used for Summative Assessment","authors":"Nicole A. Buzzetto-More","doi":"10.28945/1164","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/1164","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction An e-portfolio is an organized compilation that demonstrates knowledge, skills, values, and/or achievements and that includes reflections or exegesis which articulate the relevance, credibility, and meaning of the artifacts presented (Cooper & Love, 2007). They are customizable to represent the uniqueness of an individual student, requiring reflection that encourages deep learning (Barrett, 2004). Further, e-portfolios can stimulate a dialogue about learning as instructors and peers provide feedback on the portfolios engendering further action and reflection on the part of the learner. An e-portfolio system is a repository management system used in the creation, storage, and assessment of e-portfolios. Under the name of artifacts, they are capable of including academic records, essays, project reports, assignments, audio and video files, assessments, and personal and professional development related contents linked to learning goals and reflections (Wang, 2009) . E-portfolio systems can be open source (e.g., Open Source Portfolio and Moodle's Exabis Portfolio Block), custom created by an academic institution (Purdue University's electronic portfolio system built using Microsoft's SQL and University of Singapore's Student Electronic Learning Folio developed using ASP.net), developed by an institution using open standards (e.g., Iowa's State University's eDoc), or commercially developed (e.g., eFolio, TaskStream). According to Wang (2009) among different e-portfolio systems there are significant variations in user interface design; however, regardless of platform, the functionalities of competitive e-portfolio systems are similar with all including capabilities for the uploading of artifacts, customization, commenting on and assessing student work, communicating and sharing, reflection, drawing linkages to goals, showcase generating, and varying forms of administrative reporting. Further, Wang (2009) explained that most available systems are subject independent and therefore useful across the academic spectrum. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), a Historically Black University, has implemented an electronic portfolio project within the Department of Business, Management, and Accounting (Department) that is used for both summative and formative assessment as well as to encourage students to engage in deep learning and self reflection. The project was initially implemented with senior standing students and was gradually embedded throughout the curriculum starting with incoming freshmen. As a multi-year project, the goal is to help both students and faculty evaluate students' academic and professional development longitudinally (Buzzetto-More, 2010) . The project is designed to have several benefits: 1) Allowing both faculty and students to evaluate student growth and progression towards learning goals. 2) Encouraging students to reflect on their own growth and development. 3) Serving as a tool to guide the student in their ","PeriodicalId":104467,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Learning and Learning Objects","volume":"15 1-2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123643151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction While engaging in knowledge acquisition in online learning environments, especially online text reading, students tend to be disoriented and face a cognitive load problem (Chen & Dwyer, 2003). Under this situation, specific instructional scaffolds should be used to assist learners to comprehend large amount of information (Sharma & Hannafin, 2007). Of those available scaffolds listed in the existing literature, visual scaffolds are regarded as an effective tool to support student learning because human beings are visually oriented (Dwyer, 2007; Norman, 2004). According to Davis (2007), the text-based reading document is still a mainstream instructional material in online learning settings despite the availability of high technologies. As Chen and Dwyer (2003) pointed out, online instructors often employed hypermedia documents as reading materials to support student learning. In order to pursue better instructional effectiveness, high-quality design in online reading materials is necessary. However, whether or not embedding visual scaffolds can enhance students' online reading performance is worthy of exploration. For the background information discussed above, this study aims to explore the in-instructional effectiveness of different types of visual scaffolds embedded in online reading material. Engineering students were chosen as a targeted group. One control group with no visual scaffolds was created. Two visuals, static and interactive visual scaffolds, were developed in an experimental study and serve as two treatment groups. The online reading material was a website that imparts basic science knowledge about the human heart. A post-test, consisting of identification, terminology, and comprehensive tests, was used to measure students' online reading performance. Specifically, the purpose of the study is to evaluate the instructional effectiveness of two types of visual scaffolds for engineering students in an online reading environment. Theoretical Foundation The Concept of Scaffolding Scaffolding is defined as "an adult controlling those elements of the task that are essentially beyond the learner' capacity, thus permitting him to concentrate upon and complete only those elements that are within his range of competence" (Wood, Bruner, & Ross, 1976, p.9). A theoretical foundation behind scaffolding is Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, which emphasizes the role of social interaction in promoting cognitive development and bridging the gap between what learners actually know and potentially know (Sharma & Hannafin, 2007). To date, scaffolding no longer restricts interactions between individuals. It has extended to technological tools and instructional techniques, which are often regarded as scaffolds (Puntambekar & Hubscher, 2005). For example, Zumbach, Reimam, and Koch (2006) designed a feedback-based instructional technique to promote a higher-level thinking during online discussions. The Feature of Scaffold In online learn
{"title":"The Effect of Varied Visual Scaffolds on Engineering Students’ Online Reading","authors":"Pao-Nan Chou, H. Hsiao","doi":"10.28945/1299","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/1299","url":null,"abstract":"Introduction While engaging in knowledge acquisition in online learning environments, especially online text reading, students tend to be disoriented and face a cognitive load problem (Chen & Dwyer, 2003). Under this situation, specific instructional scaffolds should be used to assist learners to comprehend large amount of information (Sharma & Hannafin, 2007). Of those available scaffolds listed in the existing literature, visual scaffolds are regarded as an effective tool to support student learning because human beings are visually oriented (Dwyer, 2007; Norman, 2004). According to Davis (2007), the text-based reading document is still a mainstream instructional material in online learning settings despite the availability of high technologies. As Chen and Dwyer (2003) pointed out, online instructors often employed hypermedia documents as reading materials to support student learning. In order to pursue better instructional effectiveness, high-quality design in online reading materials is necessary. However, whether or not embedding visual scaffolds can enhance students' online reading performance is worthy of exploration. For the background information discussed above, this study aims to explore the in-instructional effectiveness of different types of visual scaffolds embedded in online reading material. Engineering students were chosen as a targeted group. One control group with no visual scaffolds was created. Two visuals, static and interactive visual scaffolds, were developed in an experimental study and serve as two treatment groups. The online reading material was a website that imparts basic science knowledge about the human heart. A post-test, consisting of identification, terminology, and comprehensive tests, was used to measure students' online reading performance. Specifically, the purpose of the study is to evaluate the instructional effectiveness of two types of visual scaffolds for engineering students in an online reading environment. Theoretical Foundation The Concept of Scaffolding Scaffolding is defined as \"an adult controlling those elements of the task that are essentially beyond the learner' capacity, thus permitting him to concentrate upon and complete only those elements that are within his range of competence\" (Wood, Bruner, & Ross, 1976, p.9). A theoretical foundation behind scaffolding is Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, which emphasizes the role of social interaction in promoting cognitive development and bridging the gap between what learners actually know and potentially know (Sharma & Hannafin, 2007). To date, scaffolding no longer restricts interactions between individuals. It has extended to technological tools and instructional techniques, which are often regarded as scaffolds (Puntambekar & Hubscher, 2005). For example, Zumbach, Reimam, and Koch (2006) designed a feedback-based instructional technique to promote a higher-level thinking during online discussions. The Feature of Scaffold In online learn","PeriodicalId":104467,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Learning and Learning Objects","volume":"213 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121718931","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
D. Namuth, Susan M. Fritz, James W. King, Amy Boren
As the effectiveness of learning objects in enhancing education becomes better understood, it will be critical to more fully develop the predictive characteristics of learning object usage by diverse instructors and their long-term sustainability in learning object repositories. Additionally, the advancement of scholarship in these endeavors – a critical factor for faculty to consider – has frequently been overlooked. In this paper we explore these issues by examining the technical and human aspects of The Library of Crop Technology (http://croptechnology.unl.edu) and other repository models. While studies have been conducted to research the impacts of animations on student learning, teacher perceptions of such learning objects have not been examined. An online survey instrument was created and sent to those who had downloaded animations from the Library of Crop Technology. Data collected indicated that educational, animated, learning objects are an effective and sustainable means of meeting a wide array of educator needs. This study identified a template of science content, organization, creation of interest in the topic, visual appeal, effectiveness for teaching a topic, and ease of use as being important to the overall teacher perception of the learning object’s quality. The very positive evaluation received from the users, coupled with their indication of returning to the site multiple times and recommending it to their colleagues, further suggests that the public repository is a model to continue pursuing. An important, but often overlooked, concept in the development of repositories is the dynamics of long term sustainability and scholarly contributions. A second study researched team development and institutional commitments which play a role in the long term stability of this learning object repository. A model integrating team development, institutional commitments, learning object development and scholarship recognition is proposed.
{"title":"Principles of Sustainable Learning Object Libraries","authors":"D. Namuth, Susan M. Fritz, James W. King, Amy Boren","doi":"10.28945/419","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/419","url":null,"abstract":"As the effectiveness of learning objects in enhancing education becomes better understood, it will be critical to more fully develop the predictive characteristics of learning object usage by diverse instructors and their long-term sustainability in learning object repositories. Additionally, the advancement of scholarship in these endeavors – a critical factor for faculty to consider – has frequently been overlooked. In this paper we explore these issues by examining the technical and human aspects of The Library of Crop Technology (http://croptechnology.unl.edu) and other repository models. While studies have been conducted to research the impacts of animations on student learning, teacher perceptions of such learning objects have not been examined. An online survey instrument was created and sent to those who had downloaded animations from the Library of Crop Technology. Data collected indicated that educational, animated, learning objects are an effective and sustainable means of meeting a wide array of educator needs. This study identified a template of science content, organization, creation of interest in the topic, visual appeal, effectiveness for teaching a topic, and ease of use as being important to the overall teacher perception of the learning object’s quality. The very positive evaluation received from the users, coupled with their indication of returning to the site multiple times and recommending it to their colleagues, further suggests that the public repository is a model to continue pursuing. An important, but often overlooked, concept in the development of repositories is the dynamics of long term sustainability and scholarly contributions. A second study researched team development and institutional commitments which play a role in the long term stability of this learning object repository. A model integrating team development, institutional commitments, learning object development and scholarship recognition is proposed.","PeriodicalId":104467,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Learning and Learning Objects","volume":"22 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125050450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Online forum assignments are one of the main tools for collaborative learning. This study examines the impact of compulsory submission on the effectiveness of forum assignments. It compares the grades of 120 MBA students who studied an advanced elective course in a blended distance learning university during the years 2005-2009. Some students were required to participate in a forum assignment and their submissions were graded, whereas other students were similarly asked to participate in a forum assignment but their work was not graded. The findings suggest that the benefits of optional forum assignments are marginal, whereas compulsory forum assignments may improve student performance. The main theoretical contribution of this study is the indication that although the students had a task-oriented attitude and were not engaged in social interaction with regard to the forum assignment, compulsory posting of the assignment on the discussion board, improved their performance. Practically, the findings suggest that publishing student assignments on a course website may improve assignments’ quality and therefore enhance student performance, even if there is no further collaboration or social interaction. This finding is important since creating meaningful collaboration in online environments requires considerable instructors’ efforts in moderating the discussion.
{"title":"The Value of Collaborative E-Learning: Compulsory versus Optional Online Forum Assignments","authors":"Ruti Gafni, N. Geri","doi":"10.28945/1319","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/1319","url":null,"abstract":"Online forum assignments are one of the main tools for collaborative learning. This study examines the impact of compulsory submission on the effectiveness of forum assignments. It compares the grades of 120 MBA students who studied an advanced elective course in a blended distance learning university during the years 2005-2009. Some students were required to participate in a forum assignment and their submissions were graded, whereas other students were similarly asked to participate in a forum assignment but their work was not graded. The findings suggest that the benefits of optional forum assignments are marginal, whereas compulsory forum assignments may improve student performance. The main theoretical contribution of this study is the indication that although the students had a task-oriented attitude and were not engaged in social interaction with regard to the forum assignment, compulsory posting of the assignment on the discussion board, improved their performance. Practically, the findings suggest that publishing student assignments on a course website may improve assignments’ quality and therefore enhance student performance, even if there is no further collaboration or social interaction. This finding is important since creating meaningful collaboration in online environments requires considerable instructors’ efforts in moderating the discussion.","PeriodicalId":104467,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Learning and Learning Objects","volume":"32 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126250752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Previous research on the development of learning objects have three notable characteristics: a focus on either technical or learning features, but not both, a target audience consisting exclusively of higher education students, and the absence of formal evaluation. This study provides a detailed description and formal evaluation of a multi-component model used to develop five learning objects for secondary school students. Overall, two thirds of the students reported that the learning objects were beneficial, citing a motivating theme, interactivity, and visual qualities as the most important features. However, almost 60% of all students were critical about the learning object quality. Clarity of instructions, help functions and organization/layout presented the most problems. While the development model used in the study emphasized both technical and learning components, the latter was far more important to teachers and students. Key steps that appeared to be beneficial in the development process included a collaborative team approach, understanding the learner, a focus on clear instruction and organization, and using a comprehensive, theoretically supported evaluation metric to examine the quality and benefits of learning objects.
{"title":"Developing Learning Objects for Secondary School Students: A Multi-Component Model","authors":"Robin H. Kay, Liesel Knaack","doi":"10.28945/423","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/423","url":null,"abstract":"Previous research on the development of learning objects have three notable characteristics: a focus on either technical or learning features, but not both, a target audience consisting exclusively of higher education students, and the absence of formal evaluation. This study provides a detailed description and formal evaluation of a multi-component model used to develop five learning objects for secondary school students. Overall, two thirds of the students reported that the learning objects were beneficial, citing a motivating theme, interactivity, and visual qualities as the most important features. However, almost 60% of all students were critical about the learning object quality. Clarity of instructions, help functions and organization/layout presented the most problems. While the development model used in the study emphasized both technical and learning components, the latter was far more important to teachers and students. Key steps that appeared to be beneficial in the development process included a collaborative team approach, understanding the learner, a focus on clear instruction and organization, and using a comprehensive, theoretically supported evaluation metric to examine the quality and benefits of learning objects.","PeriodicalId":104467,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Learning and Learning Objects","volume":"58 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126497647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This paper discusses the application of Learning Objects in supporting the teaching of principles of Audio Engineering a subject traditionally taught face-to-face utilizing specialized audio equipment. It demonstrates how creating interactive multimedia learning objects can enhance traditional teaching methods, and potentially provide virtual learning environments for online delivery. The paper also focuses upon the application of the multimedia architecture 'QuickTime', which was chosen because of its cross-platform capability, multi platform delivery and scalability (Internet, CDROM, Hard drive...), ease of authoring, high level of interactivity possible, and excellent audio capabilities. The insights gained from developing and evaluating several interactive Learning Objects are highlighted.
{"title":"Interactive QuickTime: Developing and Evaluating Multimedia Learning Objects to Enhance Both Face-To-Face and Distance E-Learning Environments","authors":"T. Cochrane","doi":"10.28945/409","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/409","url":null,"abstract":"This paper discusses the application of Learning Objects in supporting the teaching of principles of Audio Engineering a subject traditionally taught face-to-face utilizing specialized audio equipment. It demonstrates how creating interactive multimedia learning objects can enhance traditional teaching methods, and potentially provide virtual learning environments for online delivery. The paper also focuses upon the application of the multimedia architecture 'QuickTime', which was chosen because of its cross-platform capability, multi platform delivery and scalability (Internet, CDROM, Hard drive...), ease of authoring, high level of interactivity possible, and excellent audio capabilities. The insights gained from developing and evaluating several interactive Learning Objects are highlighted.","PeriodicalId":104467,"journal":{"name":"Interdisciplinary Journal of e-Learning and Learning Objects","volume":"19 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116447309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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