While gamification and game-based learning have both been demonstrated to have a host of educational benefits for university students, many university educators do not routinely use these approaches in their teaching. Therefore, this systematic review, conducted using the PRISMA guidelines, sought to identify the primary drivers and barriers to…

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed education dramatically, with the sudden shift from face-to-face to emergency remote teaching. Online learning environments may facilitate data-driven instructional process; yet, our understanding regarding data-driven decisions is still limited. This quantitative study examined types of learners'…

Serious games have a great potential for training and educating people in novel and engaging ways. However, little empirical research has been done on the effectiveness of serious games, and although early findings do point to a moderately positive direction, even less is known about why some games succeed in effectively educating while others do…

This paper reports the development of a practical tool that provides expert feedback to students following an extended simulation exercise in cross-country flight planning. In contrast to development for laboratory settings, the development of an expert instructional product for everyday use posed some interesting challenges, including dealing…

The Chinese National Quality Course Plan is a large-scale project by the Ministry of Education, which has led to the production of more than 12,000 courses from some 700 universities since 2003. This paper describes in detail the purpose of the project and how it is organized at all levels, including how individual courses get selected at…

Serious virtual worlds (SVWs) represent a great opportunity for learning and should embed a lot of high-quality contextualised information so that the player can take the most from his or her exploration of the environment. This requires defining new methodologies and tools for effective production. We have investigated this issue in implementing…

Chinese classrooms, whether on school grounds or online, have long suffered from a lack of interactivity. Many online classes simply provide recorded lectures to which students listen after downloading. This format only reinforces the negative effects of passive non-participatory learning. At the e-Learning Lab of Shanghai Jiaotong University…

Discusses a rank-ordering exercise designed to highlight evaluation issues involved in development of simulation training activities. The rank-ordering exercise raised awareness of internal and external validity issues, and highlighted the need for evaluation "checks" to be made during the planning stages of any research of consultancy…

Discusses the need for and use of models in the design and development of instructional materials, providing an overview of the main characteristics of a unit model and three course models: a simple linear model, a refined linear model, and a branched model. (RAO)

Discusses the philosophy underlying the development of "Living with Technology," a new foundation course developed at the Open University. Additionally, a new model of course development is discussed which is designed to evaluate and revise the course in the light of student and tutor feedback. Eight references are listed. (Author/LLS)

How can we accelerate innovation and ensure effective dissemination of knowledge about online learning resources? This paper advocates strategies that systematically link online professional development with the research, development and diffusion cycle. The systemic approach we describe can accelerate knowledge advancement and help manage change…

Presents a method for flexible instructional development which aims at assisting the educational designers in the development of modules that are easily adaptable to different learners' needs and allow learners' choices and different delivery platforms, including distance education. (AEF)

Reports on an investigation of information and communications technology (ICT) skills and knowledge needs of teachers working in Scotland that indicated relatively low use of ICT and a number of key issues which have implications for teacher training and development. Suggests that a more holistic approach is required that includes appropriate…

Describes a three-week modular course on training methods that was prepared and run for technical instructors at a telecommunications training institute in Saudi Arabia. Course objectives are reviewed, a tool for identifying the training needs of trainers is discussed, and training development guidelines are described. (Author/LRW)

Examined the behavior of 203 secondary school business education teachers with reference to selected social system factors, relative to their adoption of microcomputers for delivering instruction. Findings suggest that the individual's attitude, the characteristics of the innovation, and the critical threshold mark influence microcomputer adoption…