Adult learners with low literacy skills compose a highly heterogeneous population in terms of demographic variables, educational backgrounds, knowledge and skills in reading, self-efficacy, motivation etc. They also face various difficulties in consistently attending offline literacy programs, such as unstable worktime, transportation…

The author demonstrates a new system useful for reflective learning. Our new system offers an environment that one can use handwriting tablet devices to bookmark symbolic and descriptive feedbacks into simultaneously recorded videos in the environment. If one uses video recording and feedback check sheets in reflective learning sessions, one can…

The purpose of this study was to examine the performance patterns of freshman engineering students as they completed a tutorial on freebody problems that employed a computer-based pen (CBP) to provide feedback and direct learning. A secondary analysis was conducted on detailed performance data for 16 participants from a freshman Engineering course…

This research applies Socio-Cultural theory and Distributed Cognition/Activity theory to conceptualize the design of collaborative learning activities in large shared digital spaces. The paper begins by providing a summary of previous work in the creation of a technology platform for large shared digital spaces. It then details how Socio-Cultural…

An adaptation technique of multimodal interfaces based on a cognitive modeling of users is presented in this paper. The adaptation process tries to select a combination of modalities that best fits the cognitive profile of each user. This profile contains indicators of cognitive abilities and styles. This paper focuses on output modalities and…

As computer interfaces emerge as an instructional medium, instructors transitioning from the classroom continue to bear the burden of designing effective instruction. The medium of the computer interface, and the kinds of learning and interactive possibilities it affords, presumably changes the delivery of learner-centered instruction.…

Creating educational software generally requires a great deal of computer expertise, and as a result, educators lacking such knowledge have largely been excluded from the design process. Recently, researchers have been designing tools for automating some aspects of building instructional applications. These tools typically aim for generality,…

Discusses the application of computer based training (CBT) to human-computer interface design. Describes course considerations; courseware; and software environment for practice, and presents a case study outlining small group production of interactive guidebooks. Concludes that CBT can reduce instructional time and is an effective method for…

This paper describes the Perseus Project, an undertaking begun in the Classics Department of Harvard University devoted to the creation of a massive interactive hypermedia product on ancient Greek culture. The project is discussed in terms of its importance; contents; funding; development; delivery systems; future releases; costs; user acceptance…

Hypertext is well-suited for educational applications where open learning and knowledge exploration is desired. In such applications, principles of good hypertext interface design should be employed to avoid navigational problems so as to maximize learning. Interface design, however, may also directly enhance acquisition of a particular knowledge…

The SAGRES system is an educational environment built on the Web that facilitates the organization of visits to museums, presenting museum information bases in a way adapted to the user's characteristics (capacities and preferences). The system determines the group of links appropriate to the user(s) and shows them in a resultant HTML page. In…

This study evaluates the usability of the proposed MOA (mouse-over-abstract) interfaces that could be implemented in Web-based or stand-alone applications. The MOA designs provide users with an abstract that serves as context cues about the information presented in the linked page. The context cues are available in visual and/or audio formats.…

Education delivery systems have evolved from content delivery mechanisms to collaborative environments. The next step in this evolution is to provide greater support for asynchronous learners, those that progress through course material with little or no support from the instructional team. The integration of Web technologies with artificial…

This study evaluates the use of graphing calculators in the science classroom within the context of a collaborative action research approach. A class of diversified middle-class students (n=650) defined by teachers and administrators as "above average" were studied. Initially, information was gathered on current classroom management techniques as…

As new users from the non-technical community are attracted to multimedia (MM) computing, it becomes necessary to design a convenient and easy-to-understand logical structure that facilitates data transfer from the MM data repository to MM applications. A recently introduced layered formalism, which describes MM applications in terms of the data…