The Effect of Varied Visual Scaffolds on Engineering Students’ Online Reading

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 learning settings, Hill and Hannafin (2001) proposed four types of scaffolds--procedural, strategic, metacognitive, and conceptual scaffolds--which can be employed to support student learning. Procedural scaffolds assist learners to use online resources and to "clarify requirement and reduce cognitive load" (p. 45). Strategic scaffolds provide learners with alternative approaches to engage online tasks. Metacognitive scaffolds allow learners to "assess what they know and what to do as they learn" (p. 45). Conceptual scaffolds help learners digest online information and facilitate knowledge construction. In directed distance learning environments (DDLEs), Sharma, Oliver, and Hannafin (2007) defined DDLEs scaffolds as "planned strategies and content structures that assist the learner in more efficiently and effectively processing and internalizing course materials" (p. 265). Basically, DDLEs scaffolds are instructional techniques that aim to improve students' learning performances in terms of knowledge acquisition. …