We explore how small-format laptops ("netbooks") have been used within evidence-based investigations undertaken by secondary school students, to what extent these are suitable for effectively supporting learners across different locations and contexts, and their implications for open learning. Over the course of seven trials with 300…

Describes the several kinds of use studies, and then attempts to appraise what they contribute and do not contribute to the planning process. (Author)

A study was conducted of the users of the Indiana University PROBE computer retrieval program using the Resources in Education ERIC data base. The critical incident survey identified the PROBE user characteristics, needs, and satisfaction. (Author)

Data obtained by analysis of citations at the ends of articles published during an 18 month period in each of eight scientific subjects, imply that compactness with respect to time is associated with concentration with respect to scattering. (11 references) (Author/NH)

The reasons for the widespread nonuse of libraries are explored and methods for overcoming these obstacles are suggested. (10 references) (NH)

One must continue to use one's physical and mental capacities to maintain a condition of health, whether in leisure or non-leisure occupations. (MF)

States that products are tested for usability before they are released, but usually in a lab, an artificial environment. Suggests ways in which ethnographic principles can be used along with traditional usability testing to predict a product's acceptability in the marketplace. (PA)

Much has been researched and written concerning the structure, attributes, and benefits of the professional learning community (PLC), yet many have found that this highly collaborative model is difficult to implement. One reason for this was that conflict among team members often limited communication and therefore halted collaboration. In an…

The aim of the study is to reveal the students' opinions about the use of PDAs (Personal Digital Assistant) in learning environment within the context of multimedia based applications. Through purposeful sampling, 17 undergraduate students attending the elective course of BTO 323 Character Design in Computer Environment in the Department of…

In recent years, the development of information and communication technology (ICT) in the world and Malaysia namely has created a significant impact on the methods of communicating information and knowledge to the learners and consequently, innovative teaching techniques have evolved to change the ways teachers teach and the ways students learn.…

This article presents student perceptions about different types of web-based activities used to seek information for French language learning. Group interviews were conducted with 71 students in five Canadian universities to elicit data on their use of the Internet for information-seeking activities. These students use the Web for three main…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the usability (effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction) of e-feedback interfaces. The experiment compares a traditional visual approach with a multimodal approach in order to determine the impact of multimodal metaphors upon the user's understanding, reasoning and engagement with the…

The paper presents the facilities offered by the open learner model maintained in the web-based, adaptive, activity-oriented learning environment SCALE (Supporting Collaboration and Adaptation in a Learning Environment), in order to guide online students who become disengaged and support their reengagement. The open learner model (OLM_SCALE)…

Recent research in learning technologies has demonstrated many promising contributions from the use of ontologies and semantic web technologies for the development of advanced learning environments. In spite of those benefits, ontology development and maintenance remain the key research challenges to be solved before ontology-enhanced learning…