FN ISI Export Format VR 1.0 PT J TI Application of machine learning techniques to analyse student interactions and improve the collaboration process AU Anaya, AR Boticario, JG SO EXPERT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATIONS VL 38 IS 2 BP 1171 EP 1181 PY 2011 TC 1 AB In e learning environments that use the collaboration strategy providing participants with a set of communication services may not be enough to ensure collaborative learning It is thus necessary to analyse collaboration regularly and frequently Using machine learning techniques is recommended when analysing environments where there are a large number of participants or where they control the collaboration process This research studied two approaches that use machine learning techniques to analyse student collaboration in a long-term collaborative learning experience during the academic years 2006-2007 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 The aims were to analyse collaboration during the collaboration process and that it should be domain independent Accordingly the intention was to be able to carry out the analysis regularly and frequently in different collaborative environments One of the two approaches classifies students according to their collaboration using unsupervised machine learning techniques clustering while the other approach constructs metrics that provide information on collaboration using supervised learning techniques decision trees The research results suggest that collaboration can be ana lysed in this way thus achieving the alms set out with two different machine learning techniques (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved UT WOS:000284175700009 SN 0957-4174 DI 10.1016/j.eswa.2010.05.010 ER PT J TI A common framework for information sharing in e-learning management systems AU Cuellar, MP Delgado, M Pegalajar, MC SO EXPERT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATIONS VL 38 IS 3 BP 2260 EP 2270 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Internet Learning Management Systems (LMSs) are powerful tools that help us in our daily teaching and learning activities. Most users and software are mainly focused in content dissemination and group works, but the possibilities that Internet LMSs could offer go further. Some recent approaches use semantic web to improve the capabilities and user experiences in e-learning by mean of artificial intelligence and knowledge management techniques. In this work, we develop a procedure to achieve the integration of different e-learning systems, and to give semantics to entities and relations in the database of LMSs by mean of ontologies. This integration could ease the dissemination of learning resources and knowledge from the databases of the Learning Management Systems. Moreover, the semantic interpretation of database schemes would allow to find precise information quickly. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000284863200107 SN 0957-4174 DI 10.1016/j.eswa.2010.08.014 ER PT J TI Quest for the Golden Rule: An effective social skills promotion and bullying prevention program AU Rubin-Vaughan, A Pepler, D Brown, S Craig, W SO COMPUTERS & EDUCATION VL 56 IS 1 BP 166 EP 175 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Everyday many students face bullying situations that they are ill equipped to manage. E-learning has recently emerged as a potentially effective tool in teaching children social skills, in addition to academic subject matter. Quest for the Golden Rule is one of the first bullying prevention e-learning programs available, designed by the Practi-Quest Corporation, for children in grades 2 - 5. The purpose of the current study was to explore data collected as part of standard program quality assurance practices to evaluate the impact of the gaming modules on how much children learned through interacting with the modules. Sample sizes ranged from 226 to 438 depending on the module: with approximately equal numbers of boys and girls. Following their interactions with each module, children's knowledge of bullying and their identification of strategies to prevent bullying improved significantly. The majority of children reported that they enjoyed the game and felt confident that they could help solve bullying problems. Quest for the Golden Rule is an engaging, effective, and efficient means of raising awareness, fostering positive attitudes, and promoting effective problem-solving for bullying prevention in schools. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000283916000017 SN 0360-1315 DI 10.1016/j.compedu.2010.08.009 ER PT J TI "Virtual Pediatric Renal Grand Rounds": An Innovative E-Learning AU Sethi, SK Singla, S SO PEDIATRIC NEPHROLOGY VL 26 IS 1 BP 159 EP 160 PY 2011 TC 0 UT WOS:000284596400027 SN 0931-041X DI 10.1007/s00467-010-1613-z ER PT J TI An empirical analysis of ontology-based query expansion for learning resource searches using MERLOT and the Gene ontology AU Segura, A Salvador-Sanchez Garcia-Barriocanal, E Prieto, M SO KNOWLEDGE-BASED SYSTEMS VL 24 IS 1 BP 119 EP 133 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This paper proposes an expansion of queries based on formal domain ontologies in the context of the search for learning resources in repositories. The expansion process uses the relation types that are represented in these models; common ontological relations, and ontological relations specific to domain and traditional terminology relations, typical of thesauri. The tests were conducted using Gene ontology as the knowledge base and MERLOT is used as the test repository. The results of this study case indicate that, at similar levels of precision, expanded queries improve levels of novelty and coverage compared to the original query (without expansion), i.e. expanded queries allow the user to retrieve relevant objects, which might not be obtained without expansion. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000284344800014 SN 0950-7051 DI 10.1016/j.knosys.2010.07.012 ER PT J TI Learning case adaptation for problem-oriented e-learning on mathematics teaching for students with mild disabilities AU Chu, HC Liao, MJ Chen, TY Lin, CJ Chen, YM SO EXPERT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATIONS VL 38 IS 3 BP 1269 EP 1281 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Both problem-oriented learning and case-based learning are effective methods for practical knowledge development. However, an automatic development of learning cases for adaptive learning is still an open issue. To support adaptive case-based learning in a proposed problem-oriented e-learning (POeL) environment and to address the complexity and diversity of the learning problems of students with mild disabilities, this study presents a learning case adaptation framework to support problem-oriented e-learning. This framework provides mechanisms to search and match similar learning cases according to encountered teaching problems by information retrieval techniques and to develop an adaptive learning case by adaptation techniques. Adaptation techniques include a substitution technique, a removal technique, and a composition technique, and utilize cosine-measure and genetic algorithm. In this research, adaptive learning cases were developed for teaching students with mild disabilities so as to assist regular and special education teachers to develop practical knowledge of teaching more effectively. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved, UT WOS:000284863200001 SN 0957-4174 DI 10.1016/j.eswa.2010.06.037 ER PT J TI The automatic assessment of free text answers using a modified BLEU algorithm AU Noorbehbahani, F Kardan, AA SO COMPUTERS & EDUCATION VL 56 IS 2 BP 337 EP 345 PY 2011 TC 0 AB e-Learning plays an undoubtedly important role in today's education and assessment is one of the most essential parts of any instruction-based learning process. Assessment is a common way to evaluate a student's knowledge regarding the concepts related to learning objectives. In this paper, a new method for assessing the free text answers of students based on the BLEU algorithm is presented. We modify the BLEU algorithm so that it is suitable for assessing free text answers and call the new algorithm the modified BLEU (M-BLEU). To perform an assessment, it is necessary to establish a repository of reference answers written by course instructors or related experts. Several reference answers are included for each question. The M-BLEU algorithm is used to identify the most similar reference answer to a student answer; a similarity score is calculated and applied to score the answers provided by students. Evaluation results show that the proposed method achieves the highest correlation with human expert scores compared to other assessment methods such as latent semantic analysis (LSA) and n-gram co-occurrence. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000284819800002 SN 0360-1315 DI 10.1016/j.compedu.2010.07.013 ER PT J TI e-Learning continuance intention: Moderating effects of user e-learning experience AU Lin, KM SO COMPUTERS & EDUCATION VL 56 IS 2 BP 515 EP 526 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This study explores the determinants of the e-learning continuance intention of users with different levels of e-learning experience and examines the moderating effects of e-learning experience on the relationships among the determinants. The research hypotheses are empirically validated using the responses received from a survey of 256 users. The results reveal that negative critical incidents and attitude are the main determinants of the users' intention to continue using the e-learning, irrespective of their level of e-learning experience. In addition, the findings show that the user's experience of the e-learning service plays a moderating role. The impact of negative critical incidents on perceived ease of use is greater for less experienced users. By contrast, the impact of negative critical incidents on perceived usefulness is greater for more experienced users. Perceived ease of use has a more critical effect on the attitude and continuance intention of less experienced users, whereas perceived usefulness is found to be a stronger determinant of the attitude and behavioral intention of more experienced users. Moreover, the relationship between satisfaction and continuance intention is stronger for less experienced users than for more experienced users. The implications of the present findings for research and managerial practice are analyzed and discussed. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000284819800018 SN 0360-1315 DI 10.1016/j.compedu.2010.09.017 ER PT J TI Visual object-action recognition: Inferring object affordances from human demonstration AU Kjellstrom, H Romero, J Kragic, D SO COMPUTER VISION AND IMAGE UNDERSTANDING VL 115 IS 1 BP 81 EP 90 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This paper investigates object categorization according to function, i.e., learning the affordances of objects from human demonstration. Object affordances (functionality) are inferred from observations of humans using the objects in different types of actions. The intended application is learning from demonstration, in which a robot learns to employ objects in household tasks, from observing a human performing the same tasks with the objects. We present a method for categorizing manipulated objects and human manipulation actions in context of each other. The method is able to simultaneously segment and classify human hand actions, and detect and classify the objects involved in the action. This can serve as an initial step in a learning from demonstration method. Experiments show that the contextual information improves the classification of both objects and actions. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000285275200008 SN 1077-3142 DI 10.1016/j.cviu.2010.08.002 ER PT J TI Domain Ontology of the VirDenT System AU Bogdan, CM SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTERS COMMUNICATIONS & CONTROL VL 6 IS 1 BP 45 EP 52 PY 2011 TC 0 AB The goal of using virtual and augmented reality technologies in therapeutic interventions simulation, in the fixed prosthodontics (VirDenT) project, is to increase the quality of the educational process in dental faculties, by assisting students in learning how to prepare teeth for all-ceramic restorations. Its main component is an e-learning virtual reality-based software system that will be used for the developing skills in grinding teeth, needed in all-ceramic restorations. This paper presents a domain ontology that formally describes the knowledge of the domain problem that the VirDenT e-learning system dealt with. The ontology was developed based on the UML models of the VirDenT information system, making sure in this way the ontology captures knowledge identified and described in the analysis of the information system. At first, we constructed the taxonomy of these concepts, using the DOLCE ontology and its modules. Then, we defined the conceptual relations between the concepts. We also added SWRL rules that formally describe the business rules and knowledge previously identified. Finally, with the assistance of the Pellet reasoner system, we checked the ontology consistency. UT WOS:000285329000004 SN 1841-9836 ER PT J TI From copying to learning: using exemplars to engage students with assessment criteria and feedback AU Handley, K Williams, L SO ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION VL 36 IS 1 BP 95 EP 108 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Feedback is central to pedagogic theory, and if feedback is to be effective, students need to engage with it and apply it at some point in the future. However, student dissatisfaction with feedback - as evidenced in the National Student Survey - suggests that there are problems which limit student engagement with feedback, such as their perception that much of their feedback is irrelevant to future assignments. This article reports on a study which sought to enhance engagement by giving students exemplar assignments annotated with feedback before submission of their final assignments. This was done by providing an online facility where students could view exemplars and post comments or questions to tutors and peers on a discussion board. The exemplar facility was highly valued by students, although there were no quantitative effects such as an increase in students' assignment marks when compared with the previous cohort. The article reflects on possible reasons for this result and discusses ways to improve the exemplar facility, for example by facilitating dialogue between tutors and students. The article concludes with lessons learned about how to construct exemplars, and considers how exemplars might also be used within marking teams to improve consistency of marking. UT WOS:000285355100007 SN 0260-2938 DI 10.1080/02602930903201669 ER PT J TI An optimal test design to evaluate the ability of an examinee by using the stress-strength model AU Hirose, H SO JOURNAL OF STATISTICAL COMPUTATION AND SIMULATION VL 81 IS 1 BP 79 EP 87 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Although the item response theory (IRT) has been widely used to test systems such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), it is not well known to teachers of mathematics in universities and colleges. The superiority of the IRT over the classical test method is also valid in mathematics in universities and high schools. Since the number of problems in mathematics to be tested in a short time period is strictly limited, particularly in universities, an accurate and efficient method to evaluate the abilities of students is strongly required. In this paper, we propose to use the stress-strength model to estimate the students' abilities. To perform the optimal test, the up-and-down method by Dixon and Mood [W.J. Dixon and A.M. Mood, A method for obtaining and analyzing sensitivity data, J. Am. Statist. Assoc. 54 (1948), pp. 109-126] is incorporated. Then, the proposed model becomes a generalized test model that includes the stratified adaptive test method by Weiss and the up-and-down method [D.J. Weiss, The stratified adaptive computerized ability test, Research Report 73-3, Psychometric Methods Program, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 1973]. UT WOS:000285347900005 SN 0094-9655 DI 10.1080/00949650903185979 ER PT J TI Do trainees want e-learning in plastic surgery? AU Stevens, RJG SO JOURNAL OF PLASTIC RECONSTRUCTIVE AND AESTHETIC SURGERY VL 64 IS 2 BP E47 EP E49 PY 2011 TC 0 UT WOS:000285716800004 SN 1748-6815 DI 10.1016/j.bjps.2010.08.021 ER PT J TI Do consultants want e-learning in plastic surgery for continuing professional development and revalidation? AU Stevens, RJG SO JOURNAL OF PLASTIC RECONSTRUCTIVE AND AESTHETIC SURGERY VL 64 IS 2 BP E50 EP E52 PY 2011 TC 1 UT WOS:000285716800005 SN 1748-6815 DI 10.1016/j.bjps.2010.09.012 ER PT J TI Private cloud for collaboration and e-Learning services: from IaaS to SaaS AU Doelitzscher, F Sulistio, A Reich, C Kuijs, H Wolf, D SO COMPUTING VL 91 IS 1 BP 23 EP 42 PY 2011 TC 0 AB The idea behind cloud computing is to deliver Infrastructure-, Platform- and Software-as-a-Service (IaaS, PaaS and SaaS) over the Internet on an easy pay-per-use business model. The Hochschule Furtwangen University (HFU) is running their own private cloud infrastructure, called Cloud Infrastructure and Application CloudIA. The targeted users of the CloudIA project are HFU staff and students running e-Learning applications, and external people for collaboration purposes. Therefore, in this paper, we introduce our work in building a private cloud. More specifically, this paper shows how our cloud offerings in each of the cloud service models, i.e. IaaS, PaaS and SaaS, address the requirements and needs of e-Learning and collaboration in an university environment. UT WOS:000286205100003 SN 0010-485X DI 10.1007/s00607-010-0106-z ER PT P TI Distance learning system e.g. electronic learning (e-learning) system delivers estimated learner's physical and mental situations based on combination of detected physical phenomenon and stored rule information PN JP2011007963-A AE UNIV TOKYO DENKI AU TSURUTA S SAKURAI Y AU [Anon] PY 2011 TC 0 AB NOVELTY - A memory stores rule information defining the correlation of physical and mental situations of learner, and the combination of physical phenomenon of learner and the learner periphery. The learner's physical and mental situations are estimated based on the combination of the detected physical phenomenon, and the stored rule information. The estimated learner's physical and mental situations are delivered to the learner terminal (20A). The inquiry information accelerated to the learner's reaction is delivered. USE - Distance learning system e.g. electronic learning (e-learning) system. ADVANTAGE - The physical and mental situations of learner can be detected in real time. The lecture can be executed according to the learner's mental and physical situations, so that the hearing failure and oversight of learner can be prevented reliably and effectively. DETAILED DESCRIPTION - An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is included for distance learning method. UT DIIDW:2011A66067 ER PT J TI Conceptions of e-learning and professional development for e-learning held by tertiary educators in New Zealand AU Stein, SJ Shephard, K Harris, I SO BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY VL 42 IS 1 BP 145 EP 165 PY 2011 TC 0 AB The conceptions an individual holds about a phenomenon can influence and determine associated behaviours and perspectives. Consequently, they have a bearing upon how learning about a phenomenon is undertaken and how that phenomenon is experienced and applied in context. A phenomenographic research approach was used to gather the expressed experiences of e-learning and professional development for e-learning held by teachers and support staff from institutions across New Zealand. Five conceptions of e-learning (as tool and equipment; as a facilitator of interaction; as learning; as a reduction in distance; and as a collaborative enterprise) and four conceptions of professional development for e-learning (as training; as opening up possibilities; as collaboration; and as relevant and purposeful) were discovered. In this report, we discuss the conceptions, and show how they are interrelated through outcome space. Implications for the professional development of tertiary teachers and teaching support staff are outlined. The study provides some insights for individuals, institutions and those responsible for planning and implementing professional development programmes to help them to support the development and progress of e-learning in appropriate and rewarding directions. UT WOS:000286431100027 SN 0007-1013 DI 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.00997.x ER PT J TI A guide to authentic e-learning AU Hawkridge, D SO BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY VL 42 IS 1 BP E11 EP E12 PY 2011 TC 0 UT WOS:000286431100006 SN 0007-1013 ER PT J TI Multigranularity Reuse of Learning Resources AU Meyer, M Rensing, C Steinmetz, R SO ACM TRANSACTIONS ON MULTIMEDIA COMPUTING COMMUNICATIONS AND APPLICATIONS VL 7 IS 1 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This article investigates a scenario of reuse in which existing learning resources serve as preliminary products for the creation of new learning resources. Authors should be able to reuse learning resources and also parts of them at different levels of granularity in a modular way. The requirements of multigranularity reuse are analyzed and compared to existing solutions. A concept for modular, multigranularity reuse is presented in this article. It is also shown how this kind of reuse can be achieved in practise. UT WOS:000286653800001 SN 1551-6857 DI 10.1145/1870121.1870122 ER PT J TI The double-edged effects of explanation prompts AU Berthold, K Roder, H Knorzer, D Kessler, W Renkl, A SO COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR VL 27 IS 1 BP 69 EP 75 PY 2011 TC 2 AB Explanation prompts usually foster conceptual understanding. However, it has been claimed within cognitive load theory that prompts can take cognitive load to the upper limit when learning complex contents. Under such circumstances, prompts focusing the learners' attention on specific aspects (e.g., conceptual aspects such as elaborations on domain principles) might have some costs: Other important aspects (e.g., procedural aspects such as how to calculate) cannot be processed deeply. Thus, we expected that conceptually-oriented explanation prompts would foster the detailedness of explanations, the number of elaborations on domain principles, and conceptual knowledge. In addition, we tested the influence of such prompts on the number of calculations performed during learning and procedural knowledge. We conducted an experiment in which we employed conceptually-oriented explanation prompts in a complex e-learning module on tax law. Tax law university students (N = 40) worked on this e-learning module under two conditions: (a) conceptually-oriented explanation prompts, (b) no prompts. The prompts led to double-edged effects: positive effects on the detailedness of explanations and on the number of elaborations on domain principles, as well as on conceptual knowledge and simultaneously negative effects on the number of calculations performed during learning as well as on procedural knowledge. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000285368400013 SN 0747-5632 DI 10.1016/j.chb.2010.05.025 ER PT J TI What comes with technological convenience? Exploring the behaviors and performances of learning with computer-mediated dictionaries AU Liu, TC Lin, PH SO COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR VL 27 IS 1 BP 373 EP 383 PY 2011 TC 0 AB As technology develops, the prevalence of conventional book dictionaries has slowly declined due to advancements in computer-mediated aids, such as online type-in dictionaries and program-installed pop-up aids. The goal of this study was to examine how technology "may" have changed the long-standing pedagogical practice of book dictionary usage by identifying the learning processes associated with various dictionaries and verifying how these processes are related to learning. Cognitive load theory was applied to generate predictions about learning performance and, therefore, to determine the nature of these processes. Information contained in each dictionary was specifically controlled, and thus we focused on the effect of the learning process alone. In the experiment, students first read a simulated online text in one of four conditions: pop-up, type-in, book dictionaries or no aid. They were later tested for reading comprehension and vocabulary learning. Results indicated that all dictionaries enhanced vocabulary learning but not comprehension. Close examination revealed that vocabulary-learning efficiency was significantly higher for the pop-up dictionary than the other two aids. In addition, a complex relationship existed between reading comprehension and vocabulary learning. This study has important implications for future dictionary design and pedagogical advice regarding dictionary usage. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000285368400047 SN 0747-5632 DI 10.1016/j.chb.2010.08.016 ER PT J TI Assessing e-moderation behavior from synchronous discussion protocols with a multi-dimensional methodology AU Asterhan, CSC SO COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR VL 27 IS 1 BP 449 EP 458 PY 2011 TC 0 AB The role of the human instructor in online learning has received increasingly more attention in the e-learning literature. In the present paper we focus on the particular case of human moderation of peer-to-peer debates in educational settings. A multi-dimensional methodology is proposed to identify and characterize different moderation styles in such settings. The method triangulates superficial and qualitative features of both moderation actions as well as the discussion as a whole. The application of this methodology to a sample of synchronous group discussions moderated by assigned peer moderators yielded five distinctively different moderation styles: A scaffolding, an orchestrating, an authoritative, an observing and a participative style. Implications and limitations of the coding methodology are discussed, as well as future directions for research and methodology development. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000285368400055 SN 0747-5632 DI 10.1016/j.chb.2010.09.008 ER PT J TI Introduction of e-learning in dental radiology reveals significantly improved results in final examination AU Meckfessel, S Stuhmer, C Bormann, KH Kupka, T Behrends, M Matthies, H Vaske, B Stiesch, M Gellrich, NC Rucker, M SO JOURNAL OF CRANIO-MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY VL 39 IS 1 BP 40 EP 48 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Purpose: Because a traditionally instructed dental radiology lecture course is very time-consuming and labour-intensive, online courseware, including an interactive-learning module, was implemented to support the lectures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perceptions of students who have worked with web-based courseware as well as the effect on their results in final examinations. Materials and methods: Users (n(3+4) = 138) had access to the e-program from any networked computer at any time. Two groups (n(3) = 71, n(4) = 67) had to pass a final exam after using the e-course. Results were compared with two groups (n(1) = 42, n(2) = 48) who had studied the same content by attending traditional lectures. In addition a survey of the students was statistically evaluated. Results: Most of the respondents reported a positive attitude towards e-learning and would have appreciated more access to computer-assisted instruction. Two years after initiating the e-course the failure rate in the final examination dropped significantly, from 40% to less than 2%. Conclusions: The very positive response to the e-program and improved test scores demonstrated the effectiveness of our e-course as a learning aid. Interactive modules in step with clinical practice provided learning that is not achieved by traditional teaching methods alone. To what extent staff savings are possible is part of a further study. (C) 2010 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. UT WOS:000286687200009 SN 1010-5182 DI 10.1016/j.jcms.2010.03.008 ER PT J TI Analysis of effectiveness and benefits of collaboration modes with information- and knowledge-sharing AU Yoon, SW Matsui, M Yamada, T Nof, SY SO JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT MANUFACTURING VL 22 IS 1 BP 101 EP 112 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This study addresses an empirical analysis of information- and knowledge-sharing among collaborative decision makers. In this research, each decision maker represents one of three distributed centers in ERP systems: Sales, Production, and Procurement Centers. Their respective objectives and decision policies are defined to design collaborative decision-making environments. MICSS-LAN, an ERP simulation tool, was applied for the experiments, generating explicit numerical results that enable the measurement of the effectiveness and benefits by collaborative decision making. The experimental results indicate that total profit and due date performance have been improved by information- and knowledge-sharing. It implies that better design and utilization of ERP structures can be achieved by a certain level of information- and knowledge-sharing. UT WOS:000286115600010 SN 0956-5515 DI 10.1007/s10845-009-0282-x ER PT J TI (PCPSO)-P-2: personalized e-course composition based on Particle Swarm Optimization AU Chu, CP Chang, YC Tsai, CC SO APPLIED INTELLIGENCE VL 34 IS 1 BP 141 EP 154 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This paper proposes a Personalized e-Course Composition approach based on Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm, called (PCPSO)-P-2, to compose appropriate e-learning materials into personalized e-courses for individual learners. The (PCPSO)-P-2 composes a personalized e-course according to (1) whether or not the covered learning concepts of the personalized e-course meets the expected learning target of a learner, (2) whether or not the difficulty of the e-learning material matches a learner's ability, (3) the limitation of learning time for individual learners, and (4) the balance of the weight of learning concepts that are covered in a personalized e-course. (PCPSO)-P-2 can provide a truly personalized learning environment when used in conjunction with an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS). When an e-course authoring tool is based on the proposed approach, the (PCPSO)-P-2 can facilitate instructors in selecting appropriate e-learning materials from a mass of candidate e-learning materials, and then saves time and effort in the e-course editing process. UT WOS:000286599700011 SN 0924-669X DI 10.1007/s10489-009-0186-7 ER PT P TI Method for evaluating user attentiveness of interactive application e.g. online game, involves generating ongoing indication of user attentiveness and accommodating by modifying subsequent operation of interactive application PN WO2011013117-A1 AE EDREI Y AU EDREI Y AU [Anon] PY 2011 TC 0 AB NOVELTY - The method involves modifying (12) the pre-defined initial correspondence to define modified correspondence between user application behaviors and user inputs. An ongoing indication of user attentiveness including measuring aspect of users compensation for differences between modified and initial correspondence is generated (14). The indication of user attentiveness is accommodated (16) by modifying subsequent operation of interactive application. USE - Method for evaluating user attentiveness of interactive application such as training simulator e.g. flight simulator, control center e.g. airport and telecommunication companies, computerized game environment e.g. online gaming platform, e-learning/courseware environment e.g. brain training program, website, website developer's environment (all claimed). ADVANTAGE - The user level of attentiveness referring to interactive application is evaluated reliably, while the user is unaware of the application. The user's up-to-date adaptation characteristics are computed continuously in real time and the overall data storage is reduced. DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for the following: (1) system for evaluating user attentiveness of interactive application; and (2) computer program product for evaluating user attentiveness of interactive application. UT DIIDW:2011B36639 ER PT J TI Project-Based Learning and Rubrics in the Teaching of Power Supplies and Photovoltaic Electricity AU Martinez, F Herrero, LC de Pablo, S SO IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION VL 54 IS 1 BP 87 EP 96 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Project-based learning (PBL) and cooperative learning are, in various aspects, very superior education methodologies compared to other traditional ones. They are highly appropriate methodologies for elective courses, as they exert a strong attraction on the students, quite apart from their educational advantages. This paper describes how PBL and cooperative learning have been used to teach the topics of power supplies and photovoltaic electricity within two elective undergraduate courses. A project is carried out for each of the two topics. Moodle is used as the e-learning platform to provide the course materials and the wiki resource and to allow the submission of assignments. The simulation is done by means of Simulink. Work has been done to develop skills for project planning, group management of the work, technical document writing and presentations in public. The methodology has been seen to be successful, as all the students who have followed it over the last few years have passed the courses in which it was included, Design of Industrial Applications and Industrial Electronics. Examples of the rubrics for assessing the projects and examples of the projects themselves are also included. UT WOS:000286930400011 SN 0018-9359 DI 10.1109/TE.2010.2044506 ER PT J TI Enhancement of Student Learning Through the Use of a Hinting Computer e-Learning System and Comparison With Human Teachers AU Munoz-Merino, PJ Kloos, CD Munoz-Organero, M SO IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION VL 54 IS 1 BP 164 EP 167 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This paper reports the results of an experiment in a Computer Architecture Laboratory course classroom session, in which students were divided into two groups for interaction both with a hinting e-learning system and with human teachers generating hints. The results show that there were high learning gains for both groups, demonstrating the effectiveness of the human teachers as well as of the computer-based hinting e-learning system even without the use of adaptive and personalization capabilities. In addition, in the worst case, the difference in favor of human teachers (with a low student-to-teacher ratio of 13.5 students per teacher) would not be significant with respect to the e-learning system, so the computer-based system can replace teachers without a significant loss of effectiveness. UT WOS:000286930400020 SN 0018-9359 DI 10.1109/TE.2010.2045001 ER PT J TI Remote Multivariable Control Design Using a Competition Game AU Atanasijevic-Kunc, M Logar, V Karba, R Papic, M Kos, A SO IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION VL 54 IS 1 BP 97 EP 103 PY 2011 TC 0 AB In this paper, some approaches to teaching multivariable control design are discussed, with special attention being devoted to a step-by-step transition to e-learning. The approach put into practice and presented here is developed through design projects, from which one is chosen as a competition game and is realized using the E-CHO system, Matlab, and a laboratory pilot plant. All the preparations for the game can be completed using a remote virtual and actual laboratory device, while the final competition evaluation takes place in the laboratory in order to preserve personal contacts between the students and the staff. The methods described, comprising all the important e-education elements, were found to stimulate the students' interest and speed up the learning process, and are directly extendable to different forms of courses suitable for new forms of study and education promotion, including lifelong education. UT WOS:000286930400012 SN 0018-9359 DI 10.1109/TE.2010.2046489 ER PT J TI Integration of Recommendations and Adaptive Hypermedia into Java Tutoring System AU Klasnja-Milicevic, A Vesin, B Ivanovic, M Budimac, Z SO COMPUTER SCIENCE AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS VL 8 IS 1 BP 211 EP 224 PY 2011 TC 1 AB A way to improve the effectiveness in e-learning is to offer the personalized approach to the learner. Adaptive e-learning system needs to use different strategies and technologies to predict and recommend the most likely preferred options for further learning material. This can be achieved by recommending and adapting the appearance of hyperlinks or simply by recommending actions and resources. This paper presents an idea for integration of such recommender system into existing web-based Java tutoring system in order to provide various adaptive programming courses. UT WOS:000287418000011 SN 1820-0214 DI 10.2298/CSIS090608021K ER PT J TI Flexible Engineering Degree Programs With Remote Access Laboratories in an Australian Regional University Known for Its Excellence in e-Learning AU Ku, H Goh, S Ahfock, A SO COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION VL 19 IS 1 BP 18 EP 25 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Flexible delivery of education is the starting point for discussion in this article. The e-learning history of the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) was used to contextualize the article. USQOnline was mentioned next. The article then describes the Distance and e-Learning Centre (DeC) in USQ. It then focused on the innovative delivery of USQ engineering degree programs, where the course flexibility was then highlighted together with their innovative residential schools and future remote access laboratories at USQ; an example of a remotely accessible laboratory was also mentioned. A large number of international and domestic students enrolled in USQ Bachelor of Engineering programs since their inception by external mode only. Finally, the article discussed distance education and e-learning in USQ and Australia. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 19: 18-25, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com; DOI 10.1002/cae.20284 UT WOS:000287900100003 SN 1061-3773 DI 10.1002/cae.20284 ER PT J TI Using Computer Software Packages to Enhance the Teaching of Engineering Management Science: Part 1-Critical Path Networks AU Ku, H Fulcher, R Xiang, W SO COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION VL 19 IS 1 BP 26 EP 39 PY 2011 TC 0 AB The aim of this article is to share the experience of using different software packages in the delivery of critical path networks in Engineering Management Science coded as ENG4004, in the Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Engineering Technology programs offered by the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), a regional Australian University with excellence in developing e-learning (Good University Guides, 2001). The article describes how the authors use different software packages to solve the critical path network problems of the course. At times, more than one package will be required for the effective delivery of a topic or module of the course. The needs for the usage were also explained. The assessments of the course were also studied and reviewed. How the software packages met the objectives of the module was also discussed together with the desired learning outcomes of students. The preferred software was Production and Operations Management (POM-QM) for Windows 3. It was finally concluded that the actual costs to the university and students are not too much but students learning experience and satisfaction will be greatly improved. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 19: 26-39, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com; DOI 10.1002/cae.20286 UT WOS:000287900100004 SN 1061-3773 DI 10.1002/cae.20286 ER PT J TI A Distance e-Learning Platform for Signal Analysis and Measurement Using FFT AU Chen, CH Lin, HC SO COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION VL 19 IS 1 BP 71 EP 80 PY 2011 TC 0 AB The fast Fourier transform (FFT) and the power spectrum are still powerful tools for analyzing and measuring both stationary and transient signals in power systems. However, the misapplications of FFT can lead to incorrect results caused by some problems such as aliasing effect, spectral leakage, and picket-fence effect. Measurement errors can be efficiently reduced by understanding fundamentals of FFT as well as loading proper windows. This article develops a distance e-learning environment using a graphical programming tool to help electrical students and engineers for enhancing their signal analysis capability via the Internet Explorer (IE). Critical issues pertaining to engineering education, such as programming design of signal analysis. Internet connection, expected learning outcomes, and course evaluation, are discussed in detail. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 19: 71-80, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com; DOI 10.1002/cae.20292 UT WOS:000287900100009 SN 1061-3773 DI 10.1002/cae.20292 ER PT J TI The Advantages of Using Mind Map for Learning Web Dynpro AU Cristea, AD Berdie, AD Osaci, M Chirtoc, D SO COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION VL 19 IS 1 BP 201 EP 207 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This article presents an easy study technique, based on a complex and modern informational technology, the Web programming on integrated systems, in particular Web Dynpro lava. The project developed for this learning technique is realised in Mind Map and combines an assembly of utilities, from the transparent presentation of complex concepts to comparative studies and tests used to verify the knowledge, all these being based on a rich collection of applications. Using this learning technique, it is possible to receive either an assembly image on the technology, or to deeply get into the subtlest details. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 19: 201-207, 2011; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com; DOI 10.1002/cae.20285 UT WOS:000287900100022 SN 1061-3773 DI 10.1002/cae.20285 ER PT J TI Web-based learning in musculoskeletal ultrasound AU Tamborrini, G Krebs, A Michel, M Michel, BA Ciurea, A SO ZEITSCHRIFT FUR RHEUMATOLOGIE VL 70 IS 2 BP 154 EP + PY 2011 TC 0 AB Education and training in musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) comprises attendance at theoretical and practical courses and independent study. Web-based learning as a novel teaching method has previously been described. The present study summarizes normal and pathological findings in a web-based approach using widely accepted guidelines. In a prospective study over a period of 3 years normal and pathological images of the musculoskeletal system have been documented and catalogued. Overall 1240 ultrasound images and 183 ultrasound videos were collected. A total of 14.4% were normal and 85.6% were pathological MSUS findings; 61% concerned the upper extremity, while 39% were images and videos of the lower limbs. The most captured conditions included synovitis (33.3%), pathologies of the tendons e.g., tenosynovitis or tendinosis (19.6%) and normal findings (14.4%). The most represented diseases were rheumatoid arthritis (20%), calcium deposition disease (8.2%), gout (7.1%) and osteoarthritis (6.9%). The images and videos were edited and integrated in a web-based tool. UT WOS:000287243600010 SN 0340-1855 DI 10.1007/s00393-010-0740-z ER PT J TI The Use of Plastinated Prosections for Teaching Anatomy-The View of Medical Students on the Value of This Learning Resource AU Fruhstorfer, BH Palmer, J Brydges, S Abrahams, PH SO CLINICAL ANATOMY VL 24 IS 2 BP 246 EP 252 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Over the past decade, the role of anatomical teaching in the undergraduate medical curriculum has changed considerably. At some medical schools, active dissection of cadaveric specimens is gradually being replaced by prosection-based methods and other resources such as e-learning. Warwick Medical School has recently obtained a large collection of plastinated prosections, which replace wet cadaveric specimens in undergraduate anatomy teaching. The aim of this study was to examine students' views on the use of plastinated prosections for their anatomical learning. A mixed method approach was employed using a questionnaire and focus group for data collection. The questionnaire was completed by 125 first-year medical students (response rate 68%). The majority of students (94%) rated plastinated prosections as a valuable resource for their anatomical learning. Various features of the specimens were highlighted, such as the detailed view of relevant anatomy, appreciation of relations between structures, and visualization of anatomy in real life. However, learning on plastinated prosections was perceived to be compromised because of limitations in terms of tactile and emotional experience. We conclude that plastinated prosections are an adequate resource for the early stages of undergraduate training, but that the learning experience may be further enhanced by providing opportunity for the study of wet cadaveric material. Clin. Anat. 24:246-252, 2011. (C) 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc. UT WOS:000287456200017 SN 0897-3806 DI 10.1002/ca.21107 ER PT J TI Undergraduate Education in Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery - a Nationwide Survey in Germany AU Ruesseler, M Obertacke, U Dreinhofer, KE Waydhas, C Marzi, I Walcher, F SO ZEITSCHRIFT FUR ORTHOPADIE UND UNFALLCHIRURGIE VL 149 IS 1 BP 27 EP 32 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Aim: Musculoskeletal conditions consume enormous resources and costs, and their incidence is increasing worldwide. Therefore, an appropriate education of medical students about these conditions is required. This study examines the extent of medical education in orthopaedic and trauma surgery in Germany. Material and Methods: A questionnaire comprising 7 topics (curriculum design, lecture, practical training, e-learning, examination, evaluation, resources) with a total of 44 items was sent to all assistant lecturers in orthopaedic and trauma surgery at the 37 medical schools in Germany. Results: The survey attained a return rate of 76% for orthopaedic surgery and 81% for trauma surgery, respectively. Medical training in musculoskeletal conditions represents with an average of 38.4 hours of lectures and further 55.9 hours of practical training less than 6% of the entire undergraduate medical education. This study demonstrates a high inhomogeneity regarding the curriculum design when comparing the different German medical schools not only in total training time but also regarding its contents. E-learning as additional teaching method is only offered in 39% of orthopaedic training and in 47% of the trauma surgery training. Practical examinations like the OSCE are offered at 8 medical schools for orthopaedic training and 15 schools for trauma surgical training, respectively. Conclusion: Medical training in musculoskeletal conditions is very inhomogeneous and requires further improvement and standardisation regarding quantity and implementation. UT WOS:000287450100004 SN 1864-6697 DI 10.1055/s-0030-1250594 ER PT J TI An integrated decision framework for evaluating and selecting e-learning products AU Alptekin, SE Karsak, EE SO APPLIED SOFT COMPUTING VL 11 IS 3 BP 2990 EP 2998 PY 2011 TC 0 AB A sound decision methodology for evaluating and selecting e-learning products should consider multiple and conflicting criteria and the interactions among them. In this paper, a decision framework which employs quality function deployment (QFD), fuzzy linear regression and optimization is presented for e-learning product selection. First, a methodology for determining the target values for e-learning product characteristics that maximize overall customer satisfaction is presented. The QFD framework is employed to allocate resources and to coordinate skills and functions based on customer needs. Differing from earlier QFD applications, the proposed methodology employs fuzzy regression to determine the parameters of functional relationships between customer needs and e-learning product characteristics, and among e-learning product characteristics themselves. Finally, the e-learning product alternatives are evaluated and ranked with respect to deviations from the target product characteristic values. The potential use of the proposed decision framework is illustrated through an application on e-learning products provided by the universities in Turkey. (C) 2010 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000287479200005 SN 1568-4946 DI 10.1016/j.asoc.2010.11.023 ER PT J TI Dyslexia: Advances in clinical and imaging studies AU Koeda, T Seki, A Uchiyama, H Sadato, N SO BRAIN & DEVELOPMENT VL 33 IS 3 BP 268 EP 275 PY 2011 TC 0 AB The aim of this report is to describe the characteristics of Japanese dyslexia, and to demonstrate several of our studies about the extraction of these characteristic and their neurophysiological and neuroimaging abnormalities, as well as advanced studies of phonological awareness and the underlying neural substrate. Based on these results, we have proposed a 2-step approach for remedial education (e-learning web site: http://www.dyslexia-koeda.jp/). The first step is decoding, which decreases reading errors, and the second is vocabulary learning, which improves reading fluency. This 2-step approach is designed to serve first grade children. In addition, we propose the RTI (response to intervention) model as a desirable system for remedial education. (C) 2010 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000287623100012 SN 0387-7604 DI 10.1016/j.braindev.2010.11.006 ER PT J TI A graphical simulation software for instruction in cardiovascular mechanics physiology AU Wildhaber, RA Verrey, F Wenger, RH SO BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING ONLINE VL 10 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Background: Computer supported, interactive e-learning systems are widely used in the teaching of physiology. However, the currently available complimentary software tools in the field of the physiology of cardiovascular mechanics have not yet been adapted to the latest systems software. Therefore, a simple-to-use replacement for undergraduate and graduate students' education was needed, including an up-to-date graphical software that is validated and field-tested. Methods: Software compatible to Windows, based on modified versions of existing mathematical algorithms, has been newly developed. Testing was performed during a full term of physiological lecturing to medical and biology students. Results: The newly developed CLabUZH software models a reduced human cardiovascular loop containing all basic compartments: an isolated heart including an artificial electrical stimulator, main vessels and the peripheral resistive components. Students can alter several physiological parameters interactively. The resulting output variables are printed in x-y diagrams and in addition shown in an animated, graphical model. CLabUZH offers insight into the relations of volume, pressure and time dependency in the circulation and their correlation to the electrocardiogram (ECG). Established mechanisms such as the Frank-Starling Law or the Windkessel Effect are considered in this model. The CLabUZH software is self-contained with no extra installation required and runs on most of today's personal computer systems. Conclusions: CLabUZH is a user-friendly interactive computer programme that has proved to be useful in teaching the basic physiological principles of heart mechanics. UT WOS:000287473900001 SN 1475-925X DI 10.1186/1475-925X-10-8 ER PT J TI e-Learning Systems in Virtual Environment AU Abdul-Kader, H SO INTERNATIONAL ARAB JOURNAL OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY VL 8 IS 1 BP 23 EP 29 PY 2011 TC 0 AB E-learnitig is one of the emerging needs of the information age. Therefore a lot of potential is seen in distance learning development. Virtual environment interface to e-learning systems have recently appeared on the Internet. Using virtual reality environment, the applications appear to be promising to e-learning tasks more nature and interactive. Also using this technology, it is possible to get a sense of three dimensional environments and level of user immersion. Extensible 3D (X3D) is the most common tool for building 3D viewing and browsing of e-learning systems. In this paper the benefits of virtual reality environment using X3D in e-learning applications are demonstrated. Those will be shown via implementing two web enabled virtual environment e-learning systems. The first one is an on-line virtual chemistry lab system. This application gives the student the ability to perform all experiments in a certain crucial. The second application is an on-line English language education system. This application gives the students the ability to learn the language audile and visual via on line interactive system. X3D is used as the main implementation tool which gives the systems users the full visualization and interactivity of all learning steps. UT WOS:000287064900005 SN 1683-3198 ER PT J TI A multi-strategy knowledge interoperability framework for heterogeneous learning objects AU Lee, MC Tsai, KH Hsieh, TC SO EXPERT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATIONS VL 38 IS 5 BP 4945 EP 4956 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This paper presents a knowledge exchange framework that can leverage the interoperability among semantically heterogeneous learning objects. With the release of various e-Learning standards, learning contents and digital courses are easy to achieve cross-platform sharing, exchanging, and even reorganizing. However, knowledge sharing in semantic level is still a challenge due to that the learning materials can be presented in any form, such as audios, videos, web pages, and even flash files. The proposed knowledge exchange framework allows users to share their learning materials (also called "learning objects") in semantic level automatically. This framework contains two methodologies: the first is a semantic mapping between knowledge bases (i.e. ontologies) which have essentially similar concepts, and the second is an ontology-based classification algorithm for sharable learning objects. The proposed algorithm adopts the IMS DRI standard and classifies the sharable learning objects from heterogeneous repositories into a local knowledge base by their inner meaning instead of keyword matching. Significance of this research lies in the semantic inferring rules for ontology mapping and learning objects classification as well as the full automatic processing and self-optimizing capability. Focused on digital learning materials and contrasted to other traditional technologies, the proposed approach has experimentally demonstrated significantly improvement in performance. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000287419900032 SN 0957-4174 DI 10.1016/j.eswa.2010.09.157 ER PT J TI A DISTRIBUTED MEASUREMENT LABORATORY CAPABLE OF ON-LINE MONITORING OF INSTRUMENTS BASED ON AN OBJECT-ORIENTED APPROACH AU Lin, JW Lai, YC SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE COMPUTING INFORMATION AND CONTROL VL 7 IS 2 BP 571 EP 586 PY 2011 TC 0 AB A distributed measurement laboratory (DML) having instruments scattered in different geographic areas is proposed in this paper. Such a system allows users to practice any distributed instrumentation and simultaneously monitor it via real-time video. The system is characterized by use of object-oriented technique to integrate the scattered electronic instruments and video capture devices to form the DML, leading to a flexible and extendable architecture. Finally, evaluations of the DML have been conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed system. UT WOS:000287278100006 SN 1349-4198 ER PT J TI Preliminary benchmarking of appropriate sanctions for lapses in undergraduate professionalism in the health professions AU Roff, S Chandratilake, M Mcaleer, S Gibson, J SO MEDICAL TEACHER VL 33 IS 3 BP 234 EP 238 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Objective: To investigate the extent of consensus between faculty and students in order to benchmark appropriate sanctions for first-time offences with no mitigating factors in the area of Academic Probity by quota sampling in one cohort of medical, nursing and dental students in a Scottish university. Methods: This study reports administration of a web-based preliminary inventory derived from the international research literature to a target population of health professions staff and students. This study was conducted at Scottish University College of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing and Midwifery. Subjects: 57 faculty and 689 students in the College in first quarter of 2009 participated in this study. Results: 50%% of medical students, 26%% of dental students, 22%% of nursing students and 27%% of midwifery students responded; 22%% of faculty responded. Administration of a preliminary 41-item inventory to 57 faculty and 689 students from a Scottish College of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing and Midwifery has allowed us to preliminarily rank the sanctions that are broadly agreed between the two cohorts as well as to identify a small cluster of behaviours which are viewed less severely by students than by faculty. Conclusions: These data will give guidance to undergraduate Fitness to Practice committees but also guidance to curriculum planners about the areas in which students may need more teaching. The results informed the reduction of the inventory and its refinement in to a 30-item e-learning tool that is being field tested for generalisability within and beyond the UK. The researchers have also been invited to adapt the proposed teaching and learning tools beyond the health professions. UT WOS:000287663300016 SN 0142-159X DI 10.3109/0142159X.2010.535866 ER PT J TI Development of inventory for polyprofessionalism lapses at the proto-professional stage of health professions education together with recommended responses AU Roff, S Dherwani, K SO MEDICAL TEACHER VL 33 IS 3 BP 239 EP 243 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Aim: To identify behaviours and attitudes that exhibit poor professionalism at the proto-professional stage of undergraduate health professions education, and investigate the extent and nature of agreement by faculty on appropriate responses by undergraduate students in the UK. Methods: aEuro integral A preliminary inventory of 69 items of behaviour and attitude was derived from literature review and 1-month observation at a UK teaching site. Reference Groups were formed by e-mail solicitation of senior medical educators in the UK and the Dundee Medical School to identify consensus on the relevant items and the appropriate responses. Results: aEuro integral The multi-stage study generated a preliminary inventory with 42 items and identified clear areas of consensus among faculty on appropriate responses by students to lapses in professionalism. Conclusions: aEuro integral There is a broad range of consensus on the relevance of more than 40 forms of poor professionalism at the proto-professional undergraduate level and the appropriate responses that students should feel empowered to make to observed lapses. These data will give guidance in the development of e-learning programmes for UK students and to undergraduate Fitness to Practise Committees as they seek consistency in responding to lapses in professionalism by students and teachers at the undergraduate level. UT WOS:000287663300017 SN 0142-159X DI 10.3109/0142159X.2010.535867 ER PT J TI Do patterns help novice evaluators? A comparative study AU Lanzilotti, R Ardito, C Costabile, MF De Angeli, A SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN-COMPUTER STUDIES VL 69 IS 1-2 BP 52 EP 69 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Evaluating e learning systems is a complex activity which requires considerations of several criteria addressing quality in use as well as educational quality Heuristic evaluation is a widespread method for usability evaluation, yet its output is often prone to subjective variability, primarily due to the generality of many heuristics This paper presents the pattern based (PB) inspection, which aims at reducing this drawback by exploiting a set of evaluation patterns to systematically drive inspectors in their evaluation activities The application of PB inspection to the evaluation of e learning systems is reported in this paper together with a study that compares this method to heuristic evaluation and user testing The study involved 73 novice evaluators and 25 end users, who evaluated an e learning application using one of the three techniques The comparison metric was defined along six major dimensions covering concepts of classical test theory and pragmatic aspects of usability evaluation The study showed that evaluation patterns capitalizing on the reuse of expert evaluators know how, provide a systematic framework which reduces reliance on individual skills, increases inter rater reliability and output standardization, permits the discovery of a larger set of different problems and decreases evaluation cost Results also indicated that evaluation in general is strongly dependent on the methodological apparatus as well as on judgement bias and individual preferences of evaluators, providing support to the conceptualisation of interactive quality as a subjective judgement, recently brought forward by the UX research agenda (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved UT WOS:000285955200006 SN 1071-5819 DI 10.1016/j.ijhcs.2010.07.005 ER PT J TI Education of medical students in urology in Germany. Present status AU Strunk, T Mueller, SC SO UROLOGE VL 50 IS 2 BP 180 EP + PY 2011 TC 0 AB Background. There is a growing demand for doctors in Germany and diseases of the genitourinary tract have become more prevalent in recent years. Politicians plan to increase the number of students in an already heavily overloaded system but data on quality and structure of medical education in Urology are lacking. The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent and quality of undergraduate medical education in urology. Material and methods. Departments of Urology at German University Hospitals were surveyed using a questionnaire. Questions covered four different fields of medical education and answers were analyzed by descriptive statistics. Results. Of the teachers involved in medical education 97% are physicians and 4% of these have special didactic qualifications. On average 1 teacher is responsible for 13 students and 44% of departments also have to carry out medical duties during teaching lessons. More than half of the departments offer modern learning forms, such as e-learning, problem-oriented learning or skills laboratory training. Conclusions. Urology departments at German University Hospitals spend much time on medical education. Nearly all physicians are involved in medical education, whether they are experienced or not and in many cases teaching is carried out in parallel to patient care. In more than half of the cases modern education tools were employed which implies a good standard of quality but there are no data on outcome. UT WOS:000287792500004 SN 1433-0563 DI 10.1007/s00120-010-2493-3 ER PT J TI To evaluate interface usability of an e-course platform: User perspective AU Lin, CH Lin, IC Roan, JS SO AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT VL 5 IS 1 BP 196 EP 202 PY 2011 TC 0 AB As a core term in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), the analysis of system usability continues to be one of priority focuses of HCI researchers. Through users' evaluation, a system's inherent problems can be learned and its design be improved. This research was conducted to obtain the overall evaluation from the participants over the e-Course platform based on the data gathered from questionnaires, interviews and scenario simulations. This study recruited five participants, three of whom were professors and the rest were teacher's assistant. We used nine constructs to evaluate interface usability of the system. The research results showed that the average scores of three scenarios from high to low were S1a, S1b and S2. In terms of usability goals, efficiency, learn ability, utility, effectiveness, their average score is high than 3. In terms of user's experiences goals, the average score is less then 3, but near to 3. Overall, the interface of e-Course platform is ease to use and acceptable. Finally, we organized interview results and provided nine suggestions for a director of computer department and system designer. These suggestions can let them to know about the priority of system improvement, and provide a useful reference for practice. UT WOS:000286724700023 SN 1993-8233 ER PT J TI The organization of an educational program for specialists in Clinical Chemistry by the Greek Society of Clinical Chemistry-Clinical Biochemistry AU Rizos, D Karababa, P Sarandakou, A Panagiotakis, O Haliassos, A Makris, K Psarra, K Bairaktari, E Spyropoulou, P Nikolou, C Galiatsatos, N Trakas, N Ferderigou, A Seferiadis, K Greek Nalt Clinical Chem Registrat SO BIOCHEMIA MEDICA VL 21 IS 1 BP 30 EP 37 PY 2011 TC 0 AB In Greece, there is no officially organized training in clinical chemistry for scientists. The Greek Society of Clinical Chemistry-Clinical Biochemistry decided to organize an intensive educational program of 18 seminars on clinical chemistry content as it is described in the EC4 Syllabus. The duration of each seminar was about 6 hours and consisted of 6 to 9 lectures. At the end of each seminar there was a voluntary written examination, comprised of 24 multiple choice questions. Successful completion of the Educational program was leading to a Certificate of Competence. Two cycles of the 18 seminars were performed: 1st cycle from October 2003 to December 2005 and 2nd cycle from March 2005 to October 2007. One hundred eighty nine colleagues was the mean attendance per seminar for the seminars of the 1st cycle and 38 colleagues for the seminars of the 2nd cycle. The mean participation to the examination for each seminar was almost 80% for the 1st cycle and 68% for the 2nd cycle. More than 80% of the participants performed Good or Very good in the examination in both cycles. It is estimated that more than 40% of the scientists who practice Clinical Chemistry in Greece, participated to this educational activity. This program is now provided as an e-learning application, and it is open for all scientists who want to follow the discipline of clinical chemistry. UT WOS:000287652400007 SN 1330-0962 ER PT J TI Use e-learning technology and cybernetic methodology for modern education in the area of prevention of environmental health hazard based on sustainable development AU Tadeusiewicz, R Dobrowolski, JW SO TRACE ELEMENTS AND ELECTROLYTES VL 28 IS 1 BP 74 EP 82 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Prevention of environmental health hazard as a top priority of sustainable development requires common action of experts and knowledge-based society. Modern e-learning is a necessary tool for adequate life-long learning about innovative methods of early detection e.g. deficiency or excess of some trace elements in the human environment, diet and body, as well as for dissemination innovative technologies for more effective primary prevention. The principles of modern distance education-including cybernetic methodology, modeling, learning, relation between knowledge sources, learning environment and knowledge representation in language, notion and structure and are the basic subject of this report. UT WOS:000286082900012 SN 0946-2104 DI 10.5414/TEP28074 ER PT J TI Impacts and preferences study for e-HO as a holistic learning environment complementary to e-Learning AU Lee, CY Pan, PJD Liao, CJ SO COMPUTERS & EDUCATION VL 56 IS 3 BP 747 EP 759 PY 2011 TC 0 AB We present in this study the significance and impacts of an innovative e-HO as a holistic and horizontal platform complementary to e-Learning to help realize transdisciplinary learning and foster integration of knowledge in higher education. A comprehensive investigation of a survey conducted among 647 university students for e-HO is presented with detailed studies on students' preferences toward e-HO with respect to various demographic variables including gender, access frequency, grade level, discipline and access route concerning the five scales extracted in this particular survey. No significant gender difference surfaced, whereas access frequency turned out to be the most influential and decisive variable that has resulted in significant differences on all the scales involved, especially the characteristic 'Leisure climate'. Further significant differences appeared on different scales with distinct natures for different demographic variables other than gender and access frequency, indicating the multidimensional characteristics of the whole endeavor and that care must be taken whenever a learning environment like this is constructed in higher education. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000286682700021 SN 0360-1315 DI 10.1016/j.compedu.2010.10.017 ER PT J TI E-Learning personalization based on hybrid recommendation strategy and learning style identification AU Klasnja-Milicevic, A Vesin, B Ivanovic, M Budimac, Z SO COMPUTERS & EDUCATION VL 56 IS 3 BP 885 EP 899 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Personalized learning occurs when e-learning systems make deliberate efforts to design educational experiences that fit the needs, goals, talents, and interests of their learners. Researchers had recently begun to investigate various techniques to help teachers improve e-learning systems. In this paper, we describe a recommendation module of a programming tutoring system - Protus, which can automatically adapt to the interests and knowledge levels of learners. This system recognizes different patterns of learning style and learners' habits through testing the learning styles of learners and mining their server logs. Firstly, it processes the clusters based on different learning styles. Next, it analyzes the habits and the interests of the learners through mining the frequent sequences by the AprioriAll algorithm. Finally, this system completes personalized recommendation of the learning content according to the ratings of these frequent sequences, provided by the Protus system. Some experiments were carried out with two real groups of learners: the experimental and the control group. Learners of the control group learned in a normal way and did not receive any recommendation or guidance through the course, while the students of the experimental group were required to use the Protus system. The results show suitability of using this recommendation model, in order to suggest online learning activities to learners based on their learning style, knowledge and preferences. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000286682700033 SN 0360-1315 DI 10.1016/j.compedu.2010.11.001 ER PT J TI An eclectic model for assessing e-learning readiness in the Iranian universities AU Darab, B Montazer, GA SO COMPUTERS & EDUCATION VL 56 IS 3 BP 900 EP 910 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Information technologies have caused the accumulation and interaction of knowledge to be increasingly reshaped with significant ramifications affecting the processes of acquisition, communication and dissemination of knowledge in almost all societies. In the meantime, assessing the capabilities of the educational system for the successful introduction and implementation of e-learning programs - namely, e-learning readiness - is of paramount importance for the goals of the national higher education to be achieved. To serve the above purpose, this survey attempts to propose a proper framework for strengthening the existing capabilities and identifying possible deficits. As such, the first part of the paper elaborates on an appropriate model developed for assessing e-learning readiness of the Iranian higher education institutions based on comparative studies as well as the national experts' views. It is noteworthy that the proposed model has been objectively tailored in accordance with particular features and local characteristics of the country, and has eventually been applied and tested against real situation in one of the most prestigious national universities for complementary studies. Thus, it is assumed flexibly adaptable and safely advisable to be practically applied for assessing e-learning readiness in all of the universities country wide. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000286682700034 SN 0360-1315 DI 10.1016/j.compedu.2010.11.002 ER PT J TI Specialty induction for junior doctors in genitourinary/HIV medicine using an e-learning tool AU Day, S Rayment, N Mohabeer, M SO SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS VL 87 IS 2 BP 93 EP 93 PY 2011 TC 0 UT WOS:000287516500003 SN 1368-4973 DI 10.1136/sti.2010.048124 ER PT J TI AGORA Meeting Place. Literature Teaching and Research with the integrated e-Learning and e-Science Platform of the Hamburg Humanities AU Kock, K Lahn, S Meister, JC SO ZEITSCHRIFT FUR GERMANISTIK VL 21 IS 1 BP 91 EP 103 PY 2011 TC 0 UT WOS:000286690300006 SN 0323-7982 ER PT P TI Method for web-based training on instrument or equipment, involves providing e-training module on system via web-based portal, module is accessible by trainees to take training courses directed at attaining competency on instrument PN WO2011017608-A1 AE SIEMENS HEALTHCARE DIAGNOSTICS INC AU PAYNE N MAGAGNA W BELLAFIORE S CHRISTOPHER G W AU [Anon] PY 2011 TC 0 AB NOVELTY - The method involves providing web-based portal operable on server system. An e-training module (202) is provided on system via web-based portal, e-training module is accessible by trainees (210) to take available e-training courses directed at attaining competency on instrument. The e-training courses are selected from courses to generate e-learning plan. The learning is engaged with selected e-training courses. A status report of e-learning plan, certificate of completion for course from e-learning plan, and transcript of e-training courses from plan are generated. USE - Method for web-based training on instrument or equipment. ADVANTAGE - Since the method provides training module on system via web-based portal, e-training module is accessible by trainees to take available e-training courses directed at attaining competency on instrument, thus the cost and time consuming for training are reduced. DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for the following: (1) system for web-based training on instrument or equipment; and (2) non-transitory computer readable medium storing program for web-based training on instrument or equipment. UT DIIDW:2011B51538 ER PT J TI An e-portfolio Design Supporting Ownership, Social Learning, and Ease of Use AU Garrett, N SO EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY VL 14 IS 1 BP 187 EP 202 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This project attempts to improve electronic portfolio software through the creation of a design model using ownership, ease of use, and social learning variables to predict user adoption. The pilot software attempts to encourage student learning by enhancing peer interaction. The software was used by two groups of students. The first group used it to submit course portfolios as a department-wide assessment program. The second group used it to complete a MBA course. Usage logs shows that students heavily used the social learning features. Survey results validate the design model; ease of use, social learning, and ownership proved to be critical variables in predicting user satisfaction. Interview results triangulate survey results. Future work shows promise in promoting higher standards by showcasing top content, as well as in helping students become intellectually engaged with their peers. UT WOS:000287796900017 SN 1436-4522 ER PT J TI Chronic Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain: An e-Learning Program to Develop Shared Decision-making and Communication Skills AU Clark, MR SO CURRENT PAIN AND HEADACHE REPORTS VL 15 IS 2 BP 88 EP 90 PY 2011 TC 0 UT WOS:000287926600002 SN 1531-3433 DI 10.1007/s11916-011-0175-5 ER PT J TI A model of organizational employees' e-learning systems acceptance AU Lee, YH Hsieh, YC Ma, CY SO KNOWLEDGE-BASED SYSTEMS VL 24 IS 3 BP 355 EP 366 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This study examines the factors that influence employees' adoption and use of e-learning systems and tests the applicability of the technology acceptance model (TAM) in the organizational context. We examined the relationship of employees' perceptions of their behavioral intention to use e-learning systems in terms of four determinants (individual, organizational, task characteristics, and subjective norm), to further explore the effects of management and organizational support on the subjective norm. Data were 357 valid questionnaires from four industries in Taiwan. The findings indicate that organizational support and management support significantly affected perceived usefulness and intention to use. Individuals' experience with computers and computer self-efficacy had significantly positive effects on perceived ease of use. Task equivocality significantly influenced perceived usefulness. Organizational and management supports significantly impacted the subjective norm, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and intention to use. Additionally, the results suggest that external variables that affect perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and intention to use, need to be considered as important factors in the process of designing, implementing, and operating e-learning systems. The results provided a more comprehensive insight of individual, organizational, and task characteristics in predicting e-learning acceptance behavior in the organizational contexts, rarely tested in previous studies. By considering these identified factors, practitioners can take corresponding measures to predict or promote organizational employees' e-learning systems acceptance more effectively and efficiently. Furthermore, by explaining employees' acceptance behavior, the findings of this research help to develop more user-friendly e-learning systems and provide insight into the best way to promote e-learning systems for employees. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000288039600001 SN 0950-7051 DI 10.1016/j.knosys.2010.09.005 ER PT J TI When bad stress goes good: increased threat reactivity predicts improved category learning performance AU Ell, SW Cosley, B McCoy, SK SO PSYCHONOMIC BULLETIN & REVIEW VL 18 IS 1 BP 96 EP 102 PY 2011 TC 0 AB The way in which we respond to everyday stressors can have a profound impact on cognitive functioning. Maladaptive stress responses in particular are generally associated with impaired cognitive performance. We argue, however, that the cognitive system mediating task performance is also a critical determinant of the stress-cognition relationship. Consistent with this prediction, we observed that stress reactivity consistent with a maladaptive, threat response differentially predicted performance on two categorization tasks. Increased threat reactivity predicted enhanced performance on an information-integration task (i.e., learning is thought to depend upon a procedural-based memory system), and a (nonsignificant) trend for impaired performance on a rule-based task (i.e., learning is thought to depend upon a hypothesis-testing system). These data suggest that it is critical to consider both variability in the stress response and variability in the cognitive system mediating task performance in order to fully understand the stress-cognition relationship. UT WOS:000287499000009 SN 1069-9384 DI 10.3758/s13423-010-0018-0 ER PT J TI Development of an e-learning tool and patient card to improve pregnancy and contraceptive care of women with prosthetic heart valves AU Atha, J Mackley, P English, K Simpson, N CT 4th International Symposium on Womens Health Issues in Thrombosis and Haemostasis CY FEB 04-06, 2011 CL Berlin, GERMANY SO THROMBOSIS RESEARCH VL 127 BP S148 EP S148 PY 2011 TC 0 UT WOS:000286461800135 SN 0049-3848 ER PT J TI E-learning vs lecture: which is the best approach to surgical teaching? AU Bhatti, I Jones, K Richardson, L Foreman, D Lund, J Tierney, G SO COLORECTAL DISEASE VL 13 IS 4 BP 459 EP 462 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Aim Most medical teaching is still delivered by traditional face-to-face interaction. E-learning has the potential benefit of instilling deeper learning of topics by virtue of repeated and convenient access to content presented in a range of media. We aimed to evaluate objectively the benefit of educating medical students on a common surgical topic (haemorrhoids), through a website and podcast package vs a traditional lecture. Method Baseline knowledge was established by a questionnaire given to two different groups of third-year medical students starting their first clinical attachment. Group A (n = 73) was given a lecture and group B (n = 75) was asked to use a website containing text and pictures augmented by a podcast. Students were reassessed using the same preintervention questionnaire, and satisfaction was acquired from details given in a feedback Results There was no difference in knowledge between the two groups at baseline. Both groups demonstrated significant gains in knowledge after intervention (P < 0.0001). Group B (Web / podcast) showed a significantly greater increase in knowledge (P < 0.05) than group A (lecture). Preintervention subjective assessment of knowledge rated by the students showed no difference between the groups. Both groups of students were equally satisfied with the educational method. Conclusion E-learning supplemented with a podcast results in greater knowledge acquisition when compared with a traditional lecture, without a loss of satisfaction with teaching. Using augmented Web-based educational tools reduces demands on teaching time with no decrease in quality for selected parts of the curriculum. UT WOS:000288126600026 SN 1462-8910 DI 10.1111/j.1463-1318.2009.02173.x ER PT J TI Perceived Impact of Asynchronous E-Learning After Long-Term Use: Implications for Design and Development AU Koutsabasis, P Stavrakis, M Spyrou, T Darzentas, J SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION VL 27 IS 2 BP 191 EP 213 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This article presents an evaluation of web-based, asynchronous e-learning in academic education, reflecting on its adoption and use in conjunction to teaching in the classroom. The principal aim of the study was to identify the implications of asynchronous e-learning to (a) students' and teachers' overall satisfaction and perceived performance, (b) the organization and management of learning, and (c) social interaction and collaboration between/among students and teachers. The results provide insights for important interaction design and development issues in e-learning such as note-taking and annotations on e-learning content, student comprehension and satisfaction, skipping courses, cost-effective educational and time management, social awareness, collaboration, oflaming,o and oborder-crossing.o The study reports on issues that need to be considered by human-computer interaction researchers, interaction design practitioners, and usability professionals and are complementary to usability and accessibility work in e-learning evaluation studies. UT WOS:000286820100004 SN 1044-7318 DI 10.1080/10447318.2011.537206 ER PT J TI Using Online Program Development to Foster Curricular Change and Innovation AU Gwozdek, AE Springfield, EC Peet, MR Kerschbaum, WE SO JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION VL 75 IS 3 BP 339 EP 350 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Distance education offers an opportunity to catalyze sweeping curricular change. Faculty members of the University of Michigan Dental Hygiene Program spent eighteen months researching best practices, planning outcomes and courses, and implementing an e-learning (online) dental hygiene degree completion program. The result is a collaborative and portfolio-integrated program that focuses on the development of reflective practitioners and leaders in the profession. A team-based, systems-oriented model for production, implementation, and evaluation has been critical to the program's success. The models and best practices on which this program was founded are described. Also provided is a framework of strategies for development, including the utilization of backward course design, which can be used in many areas of professional education. UT WOS:000288112700007 SN 0022-0337 ER PT J TI A Method for Scenario Recommendation in Intelligent E-Learning Systems AU Kozierkiewicz-Hetmanska, A SO CYBERNETICS AND SYSTEMS VL 42 IS 2 BP 82 EP 99 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Intelligent E-learning systems attract attention because they facilitate personalized learning to the particular characteristics of the users. In this article the overall architecture and structure of an intelligent E-learning system is presented. The intelligent E-learning system described has a typical architecture for this kind of system and consists of three modules: the student module, the domain module, and the pedagogical module. Each part of the system is responsible for different functions and activities. Methods and algorithms applied in the modules are also presented. In addition, a proof of the statement that a personalized learning scenario should provide better effects than a randomized scenario is included. It has been pointed out that the probability of passing all lessons from the learning scenario is greater if the opening learning scenario is determined using a worked-out method than if the opening learning scenario is chosen randomly. The obtained results have significant implications for development of an intelligent E-learning system. UT WOS:000288242600003 SN 0196-9722 DI 10.1080/01969722.2011.541208 ER PT J TI Knowledge Mobilization Through E-Learning Systems: Understanding the Mediating Roles of Self-Efficacy and Anxiety on Perceptions of Ease of Use AU Jashapara, A Tai, WC SO INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT VL 28 IS 1 BP 71 EP 83 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Knowledge mobilization is about translating new knowledge into practice. Virtual learning processes play an important role in diffusing knowledge. This study addresses the personal and cognitive dimensions of virtual learning. A survey (n = 403) was conducted to understand how individual characteritics influence perceptions of ease of use of e-learning systems. Our findings show that e-learning system self-efficacy and computer anxiety mediate the effects of personal innovativeness with IT and computer playfulness on perceived ease of use. UT WOS:000286826600008 SN 1058-0530 DI 10.1080/10580530.2011.536115 ER PT J TI Traces of self: online reflective practices and performances in higher education AU Ross, J SO TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION VL 16 IS 1 BP 113 EP 126 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This paper explores issues emerging from the question of how students and teachers negotiate issues of identity, authenticity, ownership, privacy and performativity in high-stakes online reflection in higher education. I examine in particular the notion of traces as both inscriptions and archives. Working online amplifies the destabilising and disturbing effects of compulsory reflection, and the combination greatly complicates the humanist notions that legitimise their use: that there is a 'true self' which can be revealed, understood, recorded, improved or liberated through the process of writing about thoughts and experiences. Online reflective practices are implemented without acknowledgement of the difference being online makes, and issues of power in high-stakes reflection are disguised or ignored. These practices normalise surveillance of students' emotional and developmental expression, and produce rituals of confession and compliance. UT WOS:000286824100009 SN 1356-2517 DI 10.1080/13562517.2011.530753 ER PT J TI A problem-solving approach to management of instructional systems design AU Tennyson, RD Sisk, MF SO BEHAVIOUR & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY VL 30 IS 1 BP 3 EP 12 PY 2011 TC 0 AB In this article, we present a dynamic systems approach to instructional systems design (ISD). The fourth generation of ISD represents the attempt to establish a system that can adapt to individual learning and performance problems/needs while also being able to continuously update itself. It is learning-theory-neutral and takes into account the expertise of the instructional designer, while presenting the instructional designer an opportunity to utilise different domains of the system to address instructional problems or needs. UT WOS:000287026000002 SN 0144-929X DI 10.1080/0144929X.2010.490958 ER PT J TI Understanding e-learning continuance intention: a negative critical incidents perspective AU Lin, KM Chen, NS Fang, KT SO BEHAVIOUR & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY VL 30 IS 1 BP 77 EP 89 PY 2011 TC 1 AB This study develops a model to examine the key drivers of users' continuance intention of e-learning, based on negative critical incidents (NCIs) standpoints. The developed research model is tested empirically using a field survey of 230 users. This study finds that users' past service encounters (NCIs), belief (perceived ease of use and usefulness), satisfaction (quality attributes cumulative satisfaction and overall satisfaction) and attitude are key antecedents of continued usage intention. Four dimensions of both NCIs and quality attributes in e-learning (administration procedures, e-learning system functionality, instructional process and human interaction) are explored in this study. Results indicate that NCIs in teaching and administration are comparatively more important in determining user satisfaction and continuance intention. Further analysis finds that the recorded lecture content and the response time to users are the most critical problems in teaching and administration. In practice, this model can identify the key problems of satisfaction and continuance intention to help managers and teachers react promptly or make right decisions about how to better achieve higher user retention rates. UT WOS:000287026000007 SN 0144-929X DI 10.1080/01449291003752948 ER PT J TI E-portfolios and Personalized Learning: Research in Practice with Two Dyslexic Learners in UK Higher Education AU Hughes, J Herrington, M McDonald, T Rhodes, A SO DYSLEXIA VL 17 IS 1 BP 48 EP 64 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This paper analyses the use of an e-portfolio system in contributing to the personalized learning of two dyslexic learners at the University of Wolverhampton, UK. The rationale for this research rests at the intersection of generic findings from e-portfolio (and wider e-learning) research and the still challenging project in higher education (HE) of creating inclusive curricula. A qualitative, ethnographic approach was employed in a piece of collaborative research between academic staff and dyslexic learners. Two retrospective learner narratives were constructed and then reviewed by all co-authors in terms of the 'personalized fit' which they allowed with dyslexic thinking, learning and writing experience. The findings suggest a potential refinement of the general pedagogical claims about e-portfolio-based learning when considering dyslexic learners and thence the value of an enhanced prioritization of e-portfolio learning practices within inclusive HE curricula. The review and analysis also allow a 'critical' discussion of the practical and theoretical issues arising within this work. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. UT WOS:000287104800004 SN 1076-9242 DI 10.1002/dys.418 ER PT J TI A context-aware adaptive learning system using agents AU Yaghmaie, M Bahreininejad, A SO EXPERT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATIONS VL 38 IS 4 BP 3280 EP 3286 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Evolution of Web technologies has made e-learning a popular common way of education and training. As an outcome, learning content adaptation has been the subject of many research projects lately. This paper suggests a framework for building an adaptive Learning Management System (LMS). The proposed architecture is based upon multi-agent systems and uses both Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) 2004 and semantic Web ontology for learning content storage, sequencing and adaptation. This system has been implemented upon a well known open-source LMS and its functionalities are demonstrated through the simulation of a scenario mimicing the real life conditions. The result reveals the system effectiveness for which it appears that the proposed approach may be very promising. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000286904600040 SN 0957-4174 DI 10.1016/j.eswa.2010.08.113 ER PT J TI Design of a performance-oriented workplace e-learning system using ontology AU Jia, HY Wang, MH Ran, WJ Yang, SJH Liao, JA Chiu, DKW SO EXPERT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATIONS VL 38 IS 4 BP 3372 EP 3382 PY 2011 TC 0 AB E-learning is emerging as a popular learning approach utilized by many organizations. Despite the ever increasing practices of e-learning in the workplace, most e-learning applications fail to meet learners' needs or serve organization's quests for success. Significant gaps exist between organizational interests and individual needs when they come to e-learning, which make e-learning applications less goal-effective. To solve this problem, a performance-oriented approach is presented in this study. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are set up to clarify organizational training needs, and help learners establish rational learning objectives. In addition, ontology is used for constructing formal and machine-understandable conceptualization of the performance-oriented learning environment. Using this approach, a KPI-oriented learning ontology and prototype system have been developed and evaluated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000286904600049 SN 0957-4174 DI 10.1016/j.eswa.2010.08.122 ER PT J TI EduMiner: Using text mining for automatic formative assessment AU Hsu, JL Chou, HW Chang, HH SO EXPERT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATIONS VL 38 IS 4 BP 3431 EP 3439 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Formative assessment and summative assessment are two widely accepted approaches of assessment. While summative assessment is a typically formal assessment used at the end of a lesson or course, formative assessment is an ongoing process of monitoring learners' progresses of knowledge construction. Although empirical evidence has acknowledged that formal assessment is indeed superior to summative assessment, current e-learning assessment systems however seldom provide plausible solutions for conducting formative assessment. The major bottleneck of putting formative assessment into practice lies in its labor-intensive and time-consuming nature, which makes it hardly a feasible way of achievement evaluation especially when there are usually a large number of learners in e-learning environment. In this regard, this study developed EduMiner to relieve the burdens imposed on instructors and learners by capitalizing a series of text mining techniques. An empirical study was held to examine effectiveness and to explore outcomes of the features that EduMiner supported. In this study 56 participants enrolling in a "Human Resource Management" course were randomly divided into either experimental groups or control groups. Results of this study indicated that the algorithms introduced in this study serve as a feasible approach for conducting formative assessment in e-learning environment. In addition, learners in experimental groups were highly motivated to phrase the contents with higher-order level of cognition. Therefore a timely feedback of visualized representations is beneficial to facilitate online learners to express more in-depth ideas in discourses. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000286904600056 SN 0957-4174 DI 10.1016/j.eswa.2010.08.129 ER PT J TI Improving learning management through semantic web and social networks in e-learning environments AU Cuellar, MP Delgado, M Pegalajar, MC SO EXPERT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATIONS VL 38 IS 4 BP 4181 EP 4189 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Internet social networks have arisen in the last years as powerful tools where people exchange knowledge and multimedia content. They help to share interests between groups of people with common features. Undoubtedly, there is an inherent social network in any e-learning system, where the main actors are teachers, learners and learning resources. Most e-learning software are mainly focused in content dissemination and group work, but the possibilities that Internet LMSs could offer go further. Recently, there has been research work focused on Web Communities for learning and their formulation as Social Networks. Thus, social network analysis may be applied to infer group structures and to make intelligent recommendation systems and data mining. This paper proposes a method for the formulation and interpretation of learning management platforms as social networks. In order to achieve a major generalization, we develop an ontology to integrate the information from different Learning Management Systems. After that, a personalized social network is extracted from the ontology. This change in the point of view of a LMS could be a challenge to make further studies about learners, teachers and learning resources to obtain a better understanding of their social structure, and therefore to make or improve decisions about the learning process. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000286904600136 SN 0957-4174 DI 10.1016/j.eswa.2010.09.080 ER PT J TI E-nabled for E-Learning? The Moderating Role of Personality in Determining the Optimal Degree of Learner Control in an E-Learning Environment AU Orvis, KA Brusso, RC Wasserman, ME Fisher, SL SO HUMAN PERFORMANCE VL 24 IS 1 BP 60 EP 78 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This paper investigates the moderating role of specific Big Five personality traits on the relationship between learner control and training performance in an e-learning environment. Specifically, we examined the role of openness to experience, conscientiousness, and extraversion. Participants completed a video-based e-learning program with either a high or low level of learner control. Results demonstrated that the personality traits of openness to experience and extraversion moderated the relationship between learner control and training performance. Specifically, training performance was higher for trainees higher in openness and extraversion when they were in an environment with high learner control versus low learner control. Conversely, for trainees lower in these traits, performance was higher with low learner control versus high learner control. Future research and practical applications are discussed. UT WOS:000287085800004 SN 0895-9285 DI 10.1080/08959285.2010.530633 ER PT J TI Simulation in Surgery. Where Are We Now and Where to From Here? AU Jakimowicz, JJ Jakimowicz, CM SO CIRUGIA Y CIRUJANOS VL 79 IS 1 BP 41 EP 45 PY 2011 TC 0 AB With the introduction of new techniques and technologies, operative skills became a crucial part of surgical competence, deserving more attention. Implementation of validated simulation modalities into the training curriculum is emphasized. It became obvious that operative skills should be brought to an adequate level of proficiency using different available approaches. At the dawn of the 21st century it became apparent that the use of simulation to train and to assess technical surgical skills provided a good solution to offset the curtailed apprenticeship system. The current state and future perspectives of simulation in surgical training are discussed. Development and use of multimodality simulation supported by e-learning, video-learning in web-based modules, is needed to support the apprenticeship system in order to achieve the necessary competences to become an expert surgeon. UT WOS:000288121200007 SN 0009-7411 ER PT J TI Assessing information quality of e-learning systems: a web mining approach AU Alkhattabi, M Neagu, D Cullen, A SO COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR VL 27 IS 2 BP 862 EP 873 PY 2011 TC 0 AB E-learning systems provide a promising solution as an information exchanging channel. Improved technologies could mean faster and easier access to information but do not necessarily ensure the quality of this information; for this reason it is essential to develop valid and reliable methods of quality measurement and carry out careful information quality evaluations. This paper proposes an assessment model for information quality in e-learning systems based on the quality framework we proposed previously: the proposed framework consists of 14 quality dimensions grouped in three quality factors: intrinsic, contextual representation and accessibility. We use the relative importance as a parameter in a linear equation for the measurement scheme. Formerly, we implemented a goal-question-metrics approach to develop a set of quality metrics for the identified quality attributes within the proposed framework. In this paper, the proposed metrics were computed to produce a numerical rating indicating the overall information quality published in a particular e-learning system. The data collection and evaluation processes were automated using a web data extraction technique and results on a case study are discussed. This assessment model could be useful to e-learning systems designers, providers and users as it provides a comprehensive indication of the quality of information in such systems. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000287622000028 SN 0747-5632 DI 10.1016/j.chb.2010.11.011 ER PT J TI Data mining for adaptive learning in a TESL-based e-learning system AU Wang, YH Liao, HC SO EXPERT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATIONS VL 38 IS 6 BP 6480 EP 6485 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This study proposes an Adaptive Learning in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) for e-learning system (AL-TESL-e-learning system) that considers various student characteristics. This study explores the learning performance of various students using a data mining technique, an artificial neural network (ANN), as the core of AL-TESL-e-learning system. Three different levels of teaching content for vocabulary, grammar, and reading were set for adaptive learning in the AL-TESL-e-learning system. Finally, this study explores the feasibility of the proposed AL-TESL-e-learning system by comparing the results of the regular online course control group with the AL-TESL-e-learning system adaptive learning experiment group. Statistical results show that the experiment group had better learning performance than the control group; that is, the AL-TESL-e-learning system was better than a regular online course in improving student learning performance. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000288343900011 SN 0957-4174 DI 10.1016/j.eswa.2010.11.098 ER PT J TI A Web-Based E-Learning Tool for Database Design Courses AU Soler, J Boada, I Prados, F Poch, J Fabregat, R SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION VL 27 IS 1 BP 61 EP 69 PY 2011 TC 0 AB ACME-DB is a web-based e-learning platform designed for giving support to the teaching and learning of main database course topics. The platform is composed of a set of correction modules capable of automatically correcting different types of database problems such as entity-relationship diagrams, relational database schemas, normalization, relational algebra and SQL. The capabilities of ACME-DB provide us with a powerful tool for skills training and automatic assessment of main database course topics. In this paper we describe how ACME-DB has been used in different database courses at our university and how it has influenced academic results in a positive manner. UT WOS:000288399600009 SN 0949-149X ER PT J TI Web-Based Distance Learning System with Adaptive Testing Module AU Markovic, S Jovanovic, N Popovic, R SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION VL 27 IS 1 BP 155 EP 166 PY 2011 TC 0 AB User models are essential to e-learning systems, giving students learning continuity, tutors the evidence of students' progress, and both a way to personalize students' learning materials according to their abilities and preferences. Personalizing information has long been the motivation behind developing e-learning systems. Adaptive educational systems attempt to maintain a learning style profile for each student and use this profile to adapt the presentation and navigation of instructional content to each student. This kind of system adapts the learning process on the basis of the student's learning preferences, knowledge, and availability. One such Web-based tool is built at the Business School of Professional Studies in Blace (the system of intelligent evaluation using tests), which infers student knowledge using adaptive testing. The knowledge will not be evaluated according to fixed standards, but it will depend on individual characteristics of each student. This system will enable the aforementioned school to modernize education. UT WOS:000288399600018 SN 0949-149X ER PT J TI Successful e-learning programme on the detection of child abuse in Emergency Departments: a randomised controlled trial AU Smeekens, AEFN Broekhuijsen-van Henten, DM Sittig, JS Russel, IMB ten Cate, OTJ Turner, NM van de Putte, EM SO ARCHIVES OF DISEASE IN CHILDHOOD VL 96 IS 4 BP 330 EP 334 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of an electronic learning (e-learning) programme on the performance of nurses in the recognition of child abuse in a simulated case in the Emergency Department (ED). Design Blinded, randomised controlled trial using pre-and postintervention design. Setting The ED of a University Medical Center in the Netherlands. Participants 38 ED nurses were included, 25 nurses were analysed. Intervention Half of the participants followed a 2-h e-learning programme focused on the recognition of child abuse, the others acted as a control group. Main outcome measurements Individual performance during a case-simulated parent interview to detect child abuse and self-reported self-efficacy for the detection of child abuse. Performance on the simulation was scored by an expert panel using a standardised assessment form which was designed to score quantity and quality of the questions posed by the nurse (minimum score 0; maximum score 114). Results During post-test, nurses in the intervention group performed significantly better during the simulation than the control group, (89 vs 71, 95% CI 2.9 to 33.3), and reported higher self-efficacy (502 vs 447, 95% CI -25.4 to 134.7). Performance in detecting child abuse correlated positively with the self-efficacy score (Spearman correlation 0.387, p value 0.056). Comparing post-and pretest results separately for the intervention and the control group showed a significant increase in performance in the intervention group. Conclusion E-learning improved the performance in case simulations and the self-efficacy of the nurses in the ED in the detection of child abuse. Wider implementation of the e-learning programme to improve the first step in the detection of child abuse is recommended. Trial registration Protocol registration system of clini-caltrials.gov: NCT00844571 UT WOS:000288315700004 SN 0003-9888 DI 10.1136/adc.2010.190801 ER PT J TI Effectiveness of multimedia-supported education in practical sports courses AU Leser, R Baca, A Uhlig, J SO JOURNAL OF SPORTS SCIENCE AND MEDICINE VL 10 IS 1 BP 184 EP 192 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Multimedia-assisted teaching and learning have become standard forms of education. In sports, multimedia material has been used to teach practical aspects of courses, such as motor skills. The main goal of this study is to examine if multimedia technology impacts learning in the field of sport motor skill acquisition. This question was investigated during a practical sports education course involving 35 students who participated in a university soccer class. The whole course was split into two groups: Group A was taught traditionally with no assistance of multimedia and Group B was prepared with multimedia-assisted instructional units. To quantify selected skills of soccer technique and tactic, the test subjects performed a specific passing test and a tactical assessment. Furthermore, a questionnaire was used to assess the subjective impressions of the test subjects. All testing instruments were applied before and after a six-week-long teaching period. A comparison of the gathered data between the two groups resulted in no significant differences, neither concerning the results of the technique test nor concerning the tactic test. However, the results of the questionnaire showed a positive agreement among the participants in the usability and assistance of multimedia for the sports practical course. Considering the reviewed conditions, it can be concluded that the use of multimedia content doesn't affect the learning effects. UT WOS:000288680500025 SN 1303-2968 ER PT P TI Knowledge management system integrates with e-learning platform - combining different modules and an integrated management process to support learning process needs, integrate planning, learning counseling, and management decision PN TW201007589-A AE ALL CHINESE INTERNET CO LTD AU ZHANG Z YANG X HONG C GAO S AU [Anon] PY 2011 TC 0 AB NOVELTY - This invention is a knowledge management system that integrates with an e-learning platform. It comprises: a text-mining and aggregator module that aggregates different data formats so as to facilitate analysis processes of a full-text search engine and an automatic classification engine; a search engine, which allows a user to utilize a keyword or a keyword combination to perform a search, wherein a returned data source is a data source aggregated through the text-mining and aggregator module; a synonym module that makes a recommendation of synonymous keywords according to an initial input keyword when the user performs a keyword search; a related-word module that automatically generates a related-word thesaurus based on aggregated technical analysis; a document automatic classification module that utilizes an aggregated technique to analyze the content of an article (document) such that the system can automatically recommend its classification; a knowledge map module that provides a management tool to enable an administrator to build a tree-type or a nested-type classification catalog, wherein each classification can assign a manager to manage, besides automatic classification recommendations based on content analysis, the administrator can also set up special rules to help filtering data content. Combining the aforementioned modules, integrated management process, and through the use of knowledge management technology, it can effectively support learning process needs, integrate planning, learning counseling, and management decision. As a result, resources can be efficiently invested on a planned target to achieve increasing of learning outcomes, quality, and subject competitiveness. UT DIIDW:2011C41711 ER PT J TI Teaching Skills in Virtual and Blended Learning Environments AU Imbernon, F Silva, P Guzman, C SO COMUNICAR VL 36 BP 107 EP 114 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Universities are currently immersed in what is known as the process of European convergence to create the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The aim is to establish a standardized, compatible and flexible European university system that enables graduates and undergraduates to move easily from one institution to another within Europe. As a result of evaluation mechanisms, the system will be transparent and of high quality, which will make it attractive and competitive internationally in a globalized world. In this paper, we focus on two distance learning modes that will become more important as a result of this change in universities: e-learning and b-learning. These basically involve the virtualization of learning processes through the use of computer equipment. We carried out a qualitative study using the case study method. The results indicate that teaching staff use information and communication technology (ICT) to improve student learning. Similarly, a high percentage (78%) of lecturers use some form of digital platform as a support for teaching. In conclusion, training policies should strengthen university teachers' skills in the use of ICT equipment, tools and resources related to blended and virtual learning. UT WOS:000286992400013 SN 1134-3478 DI 10.3916/C36-2011-03-01 ER PT J TI Results of the Self-efficacy Stimulative Scale used for e-learning by Physical Therapy Vocational School Students-Examination by Exploratory Factor Analysis- AU Onuki, M Maruyama, H SO JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL THERAPY SCIENCE VL 23 IS 1 BP 81 EP 84 PY 2011 TC 0 AB [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to prepare a scale for promoting sense of self-efficacy in physical therapy students in e-learning and to examine the scale items with factor analysis. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty-seven physical therapy students were asked to participate in e-learning and we measured the effect of e-learning using a Self-efficacy Stimulative Scale which we developed for this research. [Results] Factor analysis identified 3 factors, which were named "sense of accomplishment", "accumulation of experience" and "inquisitive mind". Coefficients of reliability were 0.89, 0.81 and 0.86, respectively, for each of the three factors. Furthermore, among the subscales, a significant correlation was found between "sense of accomplishment" and "accumulation of experience". [Conclusion] The results indicate that the Self-efficacy Stimulative Scale is structurally stable and has high factorial validity. UT WOS:000288586800019 SN 0915-5287 ER PT J TI Exploring the Creation of Learner-Centered E-Training Environments Among Retail Workers: A Model Development Perspective AU Byun, S Mills, JE SO CYBERPSYCHOLOGY BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL NETWORKING VL 14 IS 1-2 BP 65 EP 69 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Current business leaders continue to adopt e-learning technology despite concerns regarding its value. Positing that the effectiveness of e-training depends on how its environment is managed, we argue that a learner-centric approach is necessary in order to achieve workplace training goals. We subsequently develop a theoretical model that is aimed at identifying the key components of learner-centered e-training environments, which serve the function of providing a benchmarked approach for evaluating e-training success. The model was empirically tested using data from an Internet survey of retail industry employees and partial least squares techniques were used for analysis. Based on the findings, this study clarifies what is needed for successful e-training in terms of instructional design, system design, and organizational support. UT WOS:000287475400010 SN 2152-2715 DI 10.1089/cyber.2009.0066 ER PT J TI Understanding e-learning service quality of a commercial bank by using Kano's model AU Chen, LH Kuo, YF SO TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT & BUSINESS EXCELLENCE VL 22 IS 1 BP 99 EP 116 PY 2011 TC 0 AB To identify user requirements regarding e-learning services, this study applied Kano's model to sort the e-learning service quality elements into various quality categories and calculate customer satisfaction index including the Better/Worse values, and also considered the importance weighting of each quality element for identifying the key elements for maximising learner satisfaction and minimising learner dissatisfaction based on investigation of a sample of 126 employees in a commercial bank. The analytical results of this study indicate that good user interface design is the basic requirement of e-learning system service and that useful content can attract users to use e-learning services. Moreover, users in different departments of the bank have different quality features for e-learning services. These findings enable improved interpretation of e-learner satisfaction, help firms better understand user requirements and provide effective guidelines for enhancing e-learning service quality. UT WOS:000287487500006 SN 1478-3363 DI 10.1080/14783363.2010.532345 ER PT J TI ICTs usage tendencies of public extension workers in Turkey AU Boyaci, M Yildiz, O SO JOURNAL OF FOOD AGRICULTURE & ENVIRONMENT VL 9 IS 1 BP 618 EP 623 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Taking advantage of international economic opportunities a country must create and utilize information and communication technologies (ICTs) in all sectors of its economy. Establishing an ICT infrastructure that supports practice and training is an imperative since e-learning has become an integral to the internal business process in many large organizations ranging from industry to universities. In this study, the ICT capacity of the public extension service in Turkey was analyzed using data collected from 538 extension workers in nine agricultural zones. Frequency, cross-tabulation, chi-square, Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test, were employed for interpreting the data in the study. Some personal characteristics of extension workers, such as age groups, gender groups and education groups, were used for comparing the extension workers. According to the research findings, cyber/digital extension techniques, mainly Internet and e-mail, have found only limited application in Turkish extension services. In Turkey, just 40% of extensionists regularly use ICT in their work. ICTs usage levels vary according to age, education and gender. The varieties of web pages visited and actors contacted via e-mails during extension activities help to establish a more participatory and interactive structure in agricultural knowledge systems. The Internet is often used by 40.7% of extensionists in Turkey. They spend about 50.3 hours per month on the Internet. The topics accessed on the Internet were agricultural content and information needed for self-directed learning etc. In the last year, 26.8% of extensionists used information from the Internet in preparing some advice for farmers. An average of 18 of extension advice to farmers is based on information from the Internet. In the case of frequent internet users, 38% of their advice to farmers is based on information from the Internet. The most significant factors restricting the use of ICTs in extension were language proficiency of extensionists, the costs of Internet computer hardware and connection and limited knowledge about ICTs. UT WOS:000288779300121 SN 1459-0255 ER PT J TI Re-thinking pain educational strategies: Pain a new model using e-learning and PBL AU Keyte, D Richardson, C SO NURSE EDUCATION TODAY VL 31 IS 2 BP 117 EP 121 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Despite some high profile reorganisation including the introduction of acute pain teams, many patients still experience unnecessary pain. Traditional teaching and learning strategies seem to have made little impact in clinical practice. This paper explores the possible reasons for this and identifies the need to help postregistration students transfer (re-contextualise) what they are learning to practice. A new, more flexible pain management module utilising a blended face to face/e-learning approach within a problem-based learning philosophy was introduced to increase knowledge in pain management whilst also attempting to overcome the barriers to knowledge transfer into practice. This is done by challenging attitudes and encouraging students to explore their clinical practice alongside theoretical concepts. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000287684900003 SN 0260-6917 DI 10.1016/j.nedt.2010.05.001 ER PT J TI Aberrant Learning Achievement Detection Based on Person-fit Statistics in Personalized e-Learning Systems AU Liu, MT Yu, PT SO EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY VL 14 IS 1 BP 107 EP 120 PY 2011 TC 0 AB A personalized e-learning service provides learning content to fit learners' individual differences. Learning achievements are influenced by cognitive as well as non-cognitive factors such as mood, motivation, interest, and personal styles. This paper proposes the Learning Caution Indexes (LCI) to detect aberrant learning patterns. The philosophy behind the LCI is that if any non-cognitive factor influences a learner, the effect will eventually be reflected in his/her learning achievement. Therefore, it's our explicit attempt to build a prototype system aimed at assessing aspects of learning other than cognitive factors. This study proposes a personalized e-learning system based on Item Response Theory which considers both course difficulty and learner's ability to provide adaptive learning paths. The LCI, which originates from the person-fit statistics in psychometric theory, statistically judges whether the observed learning achievement is significantly different from the achievement predicted by the Item Response Theory (IRT) models. If such an aberrant learning pattern is detected, a computer tutoring agent appears to notify and encourage that learner. Furthermore, human tutors may get involved periodically to offer further guidance to support learners with aberrant patterns. Experimental results show that such diagnostics could enhance the learning efficiency and smooth the learning experience. UT WOS:000287796900010 SN 1436-4522 ER PT J TI The development and evaluation of Chinese digital science and technology museum AU Dong, SC Wang, XQ Xu, SJ Wu, GS Yin, HW SO JOURNAL OF CULTURAL HERITAGE VL 12 IS 1 BP 111 EP 115 PY 2011 TC 0 AB There has been a considerable increase in the needs for implementation of multimedia representation technology into the museum field to develop online exhibitions and enhance museum educational functions. China Digital Science and Technology Museum (CDSTM) is such an emerging effort in this field. The purpose of CDSTM is to provide solutions to issues of unbalanced museum distribution, exhibition space limitation in China and seeking more ways to offer diverse and multimedia-rich exhibitions. This paper addresses the application of incorporating innovative and rapid digital technology in digital science and technology oriented museum development in China. Three modes of online exhibitions have been developed to emphasize user experiences through extensive application of animation and virtual reality technologies. CDSTM's e-learning functionality in promotion of scientific literacy in the public and enhancement of formal school science curriculum is also discussed. In addition, evaluation on users' expectation and satisfaction is conducted to identify perception based on questionnaire and web logs. The feedbacks indicate that CDSTM has positive impacts on mitigating traditional science and technology museum challenges, and has the potential to promote science education and science literacy in public as well. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000287474500014 SN 1296-2074 DI 10.1016/j.culher.2010.10.003 ER PT J TI Activity sequence modelling and dynamic clustering for personalized e-learning AU Kock, M Paramythis, A SO USER MODELING AND USER-ADAPTED INTERACTION VL 21 IS 1-2 BP 51 EP 97 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Monitoring and interpreting sequential learner activities has the potential to improve adaptivity and personalization within educational environments. We present an approach based on the modeling of learners' problem solving activity sequences, and on the use of the models in targeted, and ultimately automated clustering, resulting in the discovery of new, semantically meaningful information about the learners. The approach is applicable at different levels: to detect pre-defined, well-established problem solving styles, to identify problem solving styles by analyzing learner behaviour along known learning dimensions, and to semi-automatically discover learning dimensions and concrete problem solving patterns. This article describes the approach itself, demonstrates the feasibility of applying it on real-world data, and discusses aspects of the approach that can be adjusted for different learning contexts. Finally, we address the incorporation of the proposed approach in the adaptation cycle, from data acquisition to adaptive system interventions in the interaction process. UT WOS:000288799600003 SN 0924-1868 DI 10.1007/s11257-010-9087-z ER PT J TI Empirically evaluating the application of reinforcement learning to the induction of effective and adaptive pedagogical strategies AU Chi, M VanLehn, K Litman, D Jordan, P SO USER MODELING AND USER-ADAPTED INTERACTION VL 21 IS 1-2 BP 137 EP 180 PY 2011 TC 0 AB For many forms of e-learning environments, the system's behavior can be viewed as a sequential decision process wherein, at each discrete step, the system is responsible for selecting the next action to take. Pedagogical strategies are policies to decide the next system action when there are multiple ones available. In this project we present a Reinforcement Learning (RL) approach for inducing effective pedagogical strategies and empirical evaluations of the induced strategies. This paper addresses the technical challenges in applying RL to Cordillera, a Natural Language Tutoring System teaching students introductory college physics. The algorithm chosen for this project is a model-based RL approach, Policy Iteration, and the training corpus for the RL approach is an exploratory corpus, which was collected by letting the system make random decisions when interacting with real students. Overall, our results show that by using a rather small training corpus, the RL-induced strategies indeed measurably improved the effectiveness of Cordillera in that the RL-induced policies improved students' learning gains significantly. UT WOS:000288799600005 SN 0924-1868 DI 10.1007/s11257-010-9093-1 ER PT J TI Content-free collaborative learning modeling using data mining AU Anaya, AR Boticario, JG SO USER MODELING AND USER-ADAPTED INTERACTION VL 21 IS 1-2 BP 181 EP 216 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Modeling user behavior (user modeling) via data mining faces a critical unresolved issue: how to build a collaboration model based on frequent analysis of students in order to ascertain whether collaboration has taken place. Numerous human-based and knowledge-based solutions to this problem have been proposed, but they are time-consuming or domain-dependent. The diversity of these solutions and their lack of common characteristics are an indication of how unresolved this issue remains. Bearing this in mind, our research has made progress on several fronts. First, we have found supportive evidence, based on a collaborative learning experience with hundreds of students over three consecutive years, that an approach using domain independent learning that is transferable to current e-learning platforms helps both students and teachers to manage student collaboration better. Second, the approach draws on a domain-independent modeling method of collaborative learning based on data mining that helps clarify which user-modeling issues are to be considered. We propose two data mining methods that were found to be useful for evaluating student collaboration, and discuss their respective advantages and disadvantages. Three data sources to generate and evaluate the collaboration model were identified. Third, the features being modeled were made accessible to students in several meta-cognitive tools. Their usage of these tools showed that the best approach to encourage student collaboration is to show only the most relevant inferred information, simply displayed. Moreover, these tools also provide teachers with valuable modeling information to improve their management of the collaboration. Fourth, an ontology, domain independent features and a process that can be applied to current e-learning platforms make the approach transferable and reusable. Fifth, several open research issues of particular interest were identified. We intend to address these open issues through research in the near future. UT WOS:000288799600006 SN 0924-1868 DI 10.1007/s11257-010-9095-z ER PT J TI The Case of Web-Based Course on Taxation: Current Status, Problems and Future Improvement AU Qin, Z ED Chen, R CT International Conference on Intelligent Computing and Information Science CY JAN 08-09, 2011 CL Chongqing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO INTELLIGENT COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SCIENCE, PT I VL 134 IS I BP 354 EP 359 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This paper mainly introduces the case of the web-based course on taxation developed by Xiamen University. We analyze the current status, problems and future improvement of the web-based course. The web-based course has the basic contents and modules, but it has several problems including unclear object, lacking interaction, lacking examination module, lacking study management module, and the learning materials and the navigation are too simple. According to its problems, we put forward the measures to improve it. UT WOS:000288518000056 SN 1865-0929 ER PT J TI Perceptions Among Occupational and Physical Therapy Students of a Nontraditional Methodology for Teaching Laboratory Gross Anatomy AU Thomas, KJ Denham, BE Dinolfo, JD SO ANATOMICAL SCIENCES EDUCATION VL 4 IS 2 BP 71 EP 77 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This pilot study was designed to assess the perceptions of physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) students regarding the use of computer-assisted pedagogy and prosection-oriented communications in the laboratory component of a human anatomy course at a comprehensive health sciences university in the southeastern United States. The goal was to determine whether student perceptions changed over the course of a summer session regarding verbal, visual, tactile, and web-based teaching methodologies. Pretest and post-test surveys were distributed online to students who volunteered to participate in the pilot study. Despite the relatively small sample size, statistically significant results indicated that PT and OT students who participated in this study perceived an improved ability to name major anatomical structures from memory, to draw major anatomical structures from memory, and to explain major anatomical relationships from memory. Students differed in their preferred learning styles. This study demonstrates that the combination of small group learning and digital web-based learning seems to increase PT and OT students' confidence in their anatomical knowledge. Further research is needed to determine which forms of integrated instruction lead to improved student performance in the human gross anatomy laboratory. Anat Sci Educ 4:71-77. (C) 2011 American Association of Anatomists. UT WOS:000288794500003 SN 1935-9772 DI 10.1002/ase.208 ER PT J TI A METHOD FOR LEARNING SCENARIO DETERMINATION AND MODIFICATION IN INTELLIGENT TUTORING SYSTEMS AU Kozierkiewicz-Hetmanska, A Nguyen, NT SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTER SCIENCE VL 21 IS 1 BP 69 EP 82 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Computers have been employed in education for years. They help to provide educational aids using multimedia forms such as films, pictures, interactive tasks in the learning process, automated testing, etc. In this paper, a concept of an intelligent e-learning system will be proposed. The main purpose of this system is to teach effectively by providing an optimal learning path in each step of the educational process. The determination of a suitable learning path depends on the student's preferences, learning styles, personal features, interests and knowledge state. Therefore, the system has to collect information about the student, which is done during the registration process. A user is classified into a group of students who are similar to him/her. Using information about final successful scenarios of students who belong to the same class as the new student, the system determines an opening learning scenario. The opening learning scenario is the first learning scenario proposed to a student after registering in an intelligent e-learning system. After each lesson, the system tries to evaluate the student's knowledge. If the student has a problem with achieving an assumed score in a test, this means that the opening learning scenario is not adequate for this user. In our concept, for this case an intelligent e-learning system offers a modification of the opening learning scenario using data gathered during the functioning of the system and based on a Bayesian network. In this paper, an algorithm of scenario determination (named ADOLS) and a procedure for modifying the learning scenario AMLS with auxiliary definitions are presented. Preliminary results of an experiment conducted in a prototype of the described system are also described. UT WOS:000288763300005 SN 1641-876X DI 10.2478/v10006-011-0005-2 ER PT J TI Pharmacology e-learning in an integrated undergraduate curriculum of human medicine AU Griesbacher, T Holzer, U Smolle, J Heinemann, A Peskar, BA CT 77th Annual Meeting on German-Society-for-Experimental-and-Clinical-Pharmacology-and-Toxicology CY MAR 30-APR 01, 2011 CL Frankfurt, GERMANY SO NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERGS ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY VL 383 BP 81 EP 81 PY 2011 TC 0 UT WOS:000288573100404 SN 0028-1298 ER PT J TI Creating Teaching Objects A Case Study of Delivering Recorded Narrations in Nursing Education AU Lim, AG Doherty, I Honey, MLL SO CIN-COMPUTERS INFORMATICS NURSING VL 29 IS 2 BP 115 EP 120 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This article evaluates the use of PowerPoint presentations and recorded narrations (developed and saved as Flash content using software called Articulate Presenter) as a tool to help postgraduate nursing students taking a pharmacology course to learn key pharmacological and pharmacotherapeutic concepts. Students found that the teaching objects, provided as additional resources to assist students in learning about difficult concepts, supported them in their learning. Additionally, students reported that while they appreciated the provision of the teaching objects, the objects lacked an interactive component and did not replace interaction with the teacher. Articulate Presenter, as a tool to create a recorded narration, was easy for the teacher to use and promoted teacher independence in the creation of teaching objects. UT WOS:000288533600008 SN 1538-2931 DI 10.1097/NCN.0b013e3181f9dc2f ER PT J TI To Design an Effective E-learning System in the Civil Servants' Job-training AU Zhang, FL ED Xu, ZH Shen, G Lin, S CT International Conference on Engineering Materials, Energy, Management and Control CY JAN 22-23, 2011 CL Beijing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO ACHIEVEMENTS IN ENGINEERING MATERIALS, ENERGY, MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL BASED ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, PTS 1 AND 2 VL 171-172 BP 523 EP 526 PY 2011 TC 0 AB The Chinese government is pursuing e-learning policies which makes job-training with a knowledge-based society. To explain more fully the important role of the e-learning environment, this article undertakes some typical examples of the governments' job-training under e-learning environment. The main problems in servants' job-training in China are the low quantity in the servants' training, short of restriction, the uniform manner in the training and less fairness and availability of opportunities for educational training. In order to develop the e-learning system, the civil servant's job training policies are provided and the measures of the effective e-learning system are designed. UT WOS:000288692700114 SN 1022-6680 DI 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.171-172.523 ER PT J TI Realization of Adaptive Learning Content Based on Learning Object and Domain Ontology AU Wei, X ED Xu, ZH Shen, G Lin, S CT International Conference on Engineering Materials, Energy, Management and Control CY JAN 22-23, 2011 CL Beijing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO ACHIEVEMENTS IN ENGINEERING MATERIALS, ENERGY, MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL BASED ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, PTS 1 AND 2 VL 171-172 BP 527 EP 530 PY 2011 TC 0 AB With the evolution of information technology, E-learning has spread rapidly. Traditional E-learning has proved not fit requirement of modern education, new trend of developing the adaptive and customized E-learning system draws more and more attentions from researchers and practitioners. In this paper, we proposed an E-learning system which can provide adaptive content according to different situations of user. To achieve the adaptive E-learning system, two new technologies have been adopted by the system: learning object and domain ontology. Using these two technologies the system can provide intelligent learning content based on the user's context, knowledge's context. The paper also presents a scenario to demonstrate the step of production of adaptive learning content. UT WOS:000288692700115 SN 1022-6680 DI 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.171-172.527 ER PT J TI IS18 e-Learning for Oncology AU Tan, LT SO CLINICAL ONCOLOGY VL 23 IS 3 BP S26 EP S27 PY 2011 TC 0 UT WOS:000288818800060 SN 0936-6555 ER PT J TI the 'IR model': a schema for pedagogic design and development in international relations distance learning programmes AU Rofe, JS SO EUROPEAN POLITICAL SCIENCE VL 10 IS 1 BP 103 EP 117 PY 2011 TC 0 AB This article looks at the design, development and delivery of the IR Model. The IR Model brings together best-practice in learning design and appreciation of e-learning in producing a distance learning programme in International Relations delivered 100 per cent online via a Virtual Learning Environment (Blackboard). The results of the IR Model are notable increases in student attainment over campus-based counterparts and an enhanced student experience, as well as being stimulating for academic teachers. UT WOS:000288363700013 SN 1680-4333 DI 10.1057/eps.2010.25 ER PT J TI TELS: A Voice-Response Internet-Based Learning System AU Kolias, V Kolias, C Anagnostopoulos, IE Kambourakis, G Kayafas, E SO JOURNAL OF INTERNET TECHNOLOGY VL 12 IS 2 BP 217 EP 235 PY 2011 TC 0 AB During the last decade the academic world is continuously capitalizing on the use of Internet and web-based learning solutions, because of the simplicity and immediacy in creating, organizing and managing educational material and student data. However, the delivery of educational content to the end-user is characterized by visual presentation and the requirement of some sort of access either wired or wireless to the Internet, which blocks visually impaired individuals or people who don't have access to the Internet in one way or another from accessing educational content. In this paper we describe the design and implementation of the Internet Telephony Learning System (TELS). Besides all other, TELS exploits mature Internet/web standards and the most popular communication mean in the world, the telephone, to provide audio interactivity between an otherwise traditional web application and the end-user. Unlike other similar applications, TELS does not need any special software or hardware to be accessed and since it is an open source traditional web application it can be custom-tailored to the individual needs of each institution. Since it is accessible to almost every communication device, we argue that it is useful for visually impaired, technologically uneducated, and underprivileged people for accessing information originally intended to be accessed visually via a Personal Computer. UT WOS:000289038500004 SN 1607-9264 ER PT J TI Produsage in a/synchronous learner-led e-learning AU Kazmer, MM SO NEW REVIEW OF HYPERMEDIA AND MULTIMEDIA VL 17 IS 1 BP 121 EP 139 PY 2011 TC 0 AB Creating a successful produsage environment for a required course taught via e-learning requires analyzing various factors: the learning context, learner-led education in required classes, the structure of the class, and reflections and evaluations of each semester's iteration of the course. Taking a produsage perspective, this paper analyzes the long-term development of a required graduate-level course in information organization. The course is examined closely to show how its materials, assignments, technology, instruction, and culture contribute to a learner-led produsage environment and lasting knowledge creation. The analysis leads to implications for course design and working with learners to create knowledge that may be applied in multiple settings. UT WOS:000288962900008 SN 1361-4568 DI 10.1080/13614568.2011.552644 ER PT J TI Combining Web Services and DAISY for the Production and Delivery of Audio Tactile Diagrams AU McMullen, D Fitzpatrick, D ED Miesenberger, K Klaus, J Zagler, W Karshmer, A CT 12th International Conference, ICCHP 2010 CY JUL 14-16, 2010 CL Vienna, AUSTRIA SO COMPUTERS HELPING PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, PROCEEDINGS, PT 1 VL 6179 BP 12 EP 19 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In recent years audio tactile diagrams have emerged as a viable method of providing blind learners with access to diagrammatical material. It has proven beneficial, but obstacles remain to its widespread adoption, especially in situations where a teacher may not be skilled in tactile production. Current approaches to audio tactile production contain limitations in various areas namely reusability, producer support and interoperability. This paper discusses the Audio Tactile Construction and Delivery Framework (ATCDF), which is a service based approach for the production and delivery of audio tactile diagrams. The approach separates audio tactile diagrams into their component parts, which are then stored independently of one another in repositories. The content in the repositories can be searched for, retrieved and reused independently of one another. Completed audio tactiles can be exported for delivery using the DAISY 3 standard, forming a DAISY based audio tactile. The approach has benefits in areas of reusability, interoperability and producer support. UT WOS:000284033800003 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Collaboratively Generated Content on the Audio-Tactile Map AU Wagner, AB ED Miesenberger, K Klaus, J Zagler, W Karshmer, A CT 12th International Conference, ICCHP 2010 CY JUL 14-16, 2010 CL Vienna, AUSTRIA SO COMPUTERS HELPING PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, PROCEEDINGS, PT 1 VL 6179 BP 78 EP 80 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The objective of the present study was to investigate the usage of audio-tactile maps in an educational context with visually impaired users, to pinpoint problem areas and to enhance or re-design a suitable system correspondingly. The gained insights led to the design of a modular e-learning tool, based on playful exploration, expression and participation. This is accomplished by harnessing recent advancements in collaborative content generation and geo-localized data available online. UT WOS:000284033800014 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Annotating and Describing Pictures - Applications in E-Learning and Accessibility of Graphics AU Kopecek, I Oslejsek, R ED Miesenberger, K Klaus, J Zagler, W Karshmer, A CT 12th International Conference, ICCHP 2010 CY JUL 14-16, 2010 CL Vienna, AUSTRIA SO COMPUTERS HELPING PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, PROCEEDINGS, PT 1 VL 6179 BP 124 EP 130 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The paper describes the ontology based approach to the annotation of graphical objects in relation to the accessibility of graphics. Some applications in e-leaning are also discussed. The problem concerning the optimality of graphical ontologies in relation with the annotation process is addressed and an optimality measure enabling algorithmic solution of this problem is proposed. Finally, an approach to generating picture description is presented. UT WOS:000284033800021 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Understanding and Supporting the Needs of Educational Professionals Working with Students with Disabilities and Mature Age Students AU Swallow, D Petrie, H Power, C ED Miesenberger, K Klaus, J Zagler, W Karshmer, A CT 12th International Conference, ICCHP 2010 CY JUL 14-16, 2010 CL Vienna, AUSTRIA SO COMPUTERS HELPING PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, PROCEEDINGS, PT 1 VL 6179 BP 486 EP 491 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This study investigated the knowledge of educational professionals on the needs and preferences of disabled and mature age students in further and higher education. 102 Interviews and 6 focus groups were conducted in 4 European countries (Austria, Italy, Spain, and the UK) as well as in New Zealand and the USA. An online survey was publicised worldwide and 343 educational professionals from 21 countries responded. The results indicated a lack of standardisation in training and gaps in the knowledge and attitudes of educational professionals regarding how to appropriately support disabled and mature age in higher and further education. The use of e-leanning technologies to address these issues is highlighted, as well as what is needed in future to better support not only disabled and mature age students but also the educational professionals who support them. UT WOS:000284033800078 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Virtual Learning Environments: Another Barrier to Blended and E-Learning AU Power, C Petrie, H Sakharov, V Swallow, D ED Miesenberger, K Klaus, J Zagler, W Karshmer, A CT 12th International Conference, ICCHP 2010 CY JUL 14-16, 2010 CL Vienna, AUSTRIA SO COMPUTERS HELPING PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, PROCEEDINGS, PT 1 VL 6179 BP 519 EP 526 PY 2010 TC 0 AB With online and blended learning now commonplace, it is surprising that the research regarding the accessibility of virtual learning environments and other collaborative learning management systems is relatively sparse. This paper provides an initial empirical investigation into the accessibility problems that are present in 3 different virtual learning environments. This investigation demonstrates that there are a number of places where virtual learning environments can present barriers to learning for students with disabilities. UT WOS:000284033800083 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Evaluating the Users' Satisfaction Using Inclusive Initiatives in Two Different Environments: The University and a Research Conference AU Iglesias, A Moreno, L Jimenez, J Revuelta, P ED Miesenberger, K Klaus, J Zagler, W Karshmer, A CT 12th International Conference, ICCHP 2010 CY JUL 14-16, 2010 CL Vienna, AUSTRIA SO COMPUTERS HELPING PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, PROCEEDINGS, PT 1 VL 6179 BP 591 EP 594 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper presents evaluation results of the user's satisfaction using the APEINTA project which main aim is to provide accessibility in education, in and out of the classroom. APEINTA is the Spanish acronym for "Aiming for an Inclusive Education based on Assistive Technology". The APEINTA project is focused in two main inclusive proposals: first, it deals with eliminating hard of hearing students' communication barriers in the classroom, providing them automatic real-time captioning and other mechanisms for making easy the communication with the teacher and others students; and second, it deals also in providing an accessible Web learning platform with accessible digital resources, so every student can access them in and out of the classroom. UT WOS:000284033800095 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI In-Folio: An Open Source Portfolio for Students with Learning Disabilities AU Ball, S Chandler, A Millard, E Sewell, J ED Miesenberger, K Klaus, J Zagler, W Karshmer, A CT 12th International Conference, ICCHP 2010 CY JUL 14-16, 2010 CL Vienna, AUSTRIA SO COMPUTERS HELPING PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, PROCEEDINGS, PT 1 VL 6179 BP 665 EP 668 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In-Folio is an Open Source e-Portfolio application developed to address the specific needs of the Independent Specialist Colleges sector. This sector caters for students with wide ranging learning difficulties and disabilities, often profound and multiple, and while currently available applications do address accessibility well they were not felt to be suitable for this group of learners. An e-Portfolio application that would meet the specifications of this sector was developed, with further modifications in process. UT WOS:000284033800106 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Involving Users in the Design of ICT Aimed to Improve Education, Work, and Leisure for Users with Intellectual Disabilities AU Mazzone, E Restrepo, EGY Barrera, C Finat, C Santos, OC Boticario, JG Moranchel, J Roldan, JR Casas, R ED Miesenberger, K Klaus, J Zagler, W Karshmer, A CT 12th International Conference, ICCHP 2010 CY JUL 14-16, 2010 CL Vienna, AUSTRIA SO COMPUTERS HELPING PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, PROCEEDINGS, PT 2 VL 6180 BP 5 EP 12 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In this paper we describe different research projects involving users with intellectual disabilities. All these projects aim to enhance daily life activities and make their social integration possible, as the use of interactive technologies plays a significant role in supporting their independence. The users' participation throughout the design process was essential for achieving a usable and accessible product. We conclude by underlying the importance of adopting a user centred design methodology for the specific user group and the potential of an adaptive system to improve their learning experience. UT WOS:000284032900002 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Teaching English to Deaf Adults: "SignOnOne" - An Online Course for Beginners AU Hilzensauer, M ED Miesenberger, K Klaus, J Zagler, W Karshmer, A CT 12th International Conference, ICCHP 2010 CY JUL 14-16, 2010 CL Vienna, AUSTRIA SO COMPUTERS HELPING PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, PROCEEDINGS, PT 2 VL 6180 BP 185 EP 192 PY 2010 TC 0 AB A basic knowledge of English is indispensable nowadays. While there are many courses for hearing people, there are few aimed at deaf people who use a national sign language as their first or preferred language. This paper describes "SignOnOne", a two-year Grundtvig project which is a follow-up to "SignOn!" (Internet English for the Deaf). "SignOnOne" teaches English for beginners with sign language as language of instruction. This allows the deaf users to access the course directly (the written language of their country is often a first foreign language). The target group are deaf adults, who can use the course in class but also explore English on their own. This online course will be accessible free-of-charge via the Internet homepage of the project without any log-in or download. UT WOS:000284032900028 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI A Flexible Rule-Based Method for Interlinking, Integrating, and Enriching User Data AU Leonardi, E Abel, F Heckmann, D Herder, E Hidders, J Houben, GJ ED Benatallah, B Casati, F Kappel, G Rossi, G CT 10th International Conference on Web Engineering CY JUL 05-09, 2010 CL Vienna, AUSTRIA SO WEB ENGINEERING VL 6189 BP 322 EP 336 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Many Web applications provide personalized and adapted services and contents to their users. As these Web applications are becoming increasingly connected, a new interesting challenge in their engineering is to allow the Web applications to exchange, reuse, integrate, interlink, and enrich their data and user models, hence, to allow for user modeling and personalization across application boundaries. In this paper, we present the Grapple User Modeling Framework (GUMF) that facilitates the brokerage of user profile information and user model representations. We show how the existing GUMF is extended with a new method that is based on configurable derivation rules that guide a new knowledge deduction process. Using our method, it is possible not only to integrate data from GUMF dataspaces, but also to incorporate and reuse RDF data published as Linked Data on the Web. Therefore, we introduce the so-called Grapple Derivation Rule (GDR) language as well as the corresponding GDR Engine. Further, we showcase the extended GUMF in the context of a concrete project in the e-learning domain. UT WOS:000286408900022 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI How to educate health care professionals in developing countries? A Brazilian experience AU Guerra, CM Ramos, MP Penna, VZ Goto, JM Santi, LQ Stempliuk, VD Sallas, J Medeiros, EAS SO AMERICAN JOURNAL OF INFECTION CONTROL VL 38 IS 6 BP 491 EP 493 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-learning is an important tool to bring health care professionals updated information, especially in a large, developing country like Brazil, where teaching resources are limited. It allows the exchange of experiences between professionals, promotes simultaneous knowledge acquisition by a large number of participants, and reaches some remote areas. UT WOS:000280231600016 SN 0196-6553 DI 10.1016/j.ajic.2009.09.015 ER PT J TI e-SRH e-Learning AU Tapley, M SO JOURNAL OF FAMILY PLANNING AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE VL 36 IS 3 BP 180 EP 181 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000280157700036 SN 1471-1893 ER PT J TI Simulation of LTE Signaling AU Sandu, F Cserey, S Mile-Ciobanu, E SO ADVANCES IN ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING VL 10 IS 2 BP 108 EP 114 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This article aims to present a simulation and emulation software that was developed to simulate the call flows of a LTE (Long Term Evolution) network. LTE is the latest Mobile Telecommunications technology being currently in development and testing phase. The simulator can be used as an e-Learning software, for teaching the procedures and phases of different LTE scenarios. Call flows can be visualized trough the simulation panel, where signaling messages can be run continuously or step-by-step, for the purpose of detailed analysis. The simulator has the capability to generate real signaling packets that are being sent to a virtual loopback adapter and captured / dissected using the Wireshark software. In this way a whole simulation environment is created that is very useful for teaching the latest mobile telecommunications technology, the LTE (Long Term Evolution) system. UT WOS:000280312600019 SN 1582-7445 DI 10.4316/AECE.2010.02019 ER PT J TI USAGE OF E-MATERIAL IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING - THE CASE OF PHRASEOLOGY AU Jesensek, V Kralj, N SO DIDACTICA SLOVENICA-PEDAGOSKA OBZORJA VL 25 IS 2 BP 67 EP 84 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Phraseology is rather neglected in foreign language learning and teaching. One of the reasons is that there is not enough emphasis in this area within the teaching and learning material available to students and teachers. Even though phraseological units, fixed word-groups with figurative meaning, are an important part of everyday communication (EPHRAS). For this purpose EPHRAS, a phraseology database in four languages (German, Slovenian, Slovak and Hungarian) with more than 4,000 idioms and interactive exercises, was created within the Socrates programme. The article presents analyses of how pupils with different proficiency levels of the German language have used the prepared material and evaluated it. They highlighted the following attributes as especially positive: the graded learning of German idioms with access to their Slovenian equivalents, the e-learning environment, and the variety of different types of interactive exercises. UT WOS:000280128400005 SN 0353-1392 ER PT J TI The effects of government SMS in Taiwan AU Ho, LH Chung, CW Chen, HT Lee, AHI SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT VL 51 IS 1 BP 22 EP 38 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Short message services (SMS) technology, because of its high personalisation, instantaneity and convenience, can surpass traditional methods for communication. This research was carried out using the questionnaire method, and the sampling was done by the snowball method, which ensured that the respondents did receive SMS message from the public sector. It was found that the attitude of people has a significant impact on the effects of communication, especially in terms of enhancing the positive impression of the public towards the digitalisation efforts of government departments. Among the SMS receivers, 93.5% of people who successfully received the SMS opened and read the message, while 7.3% of people forwarded it. This shows that using SMS for sending information has the effect of informing the public. However, the public sector must find ways to further encourage people to forward the information. In addition, this research found that sending policy announcements through SMS at 10am yielded the best results, while 3pm proved to be the best time to send tourism-related information. Therefore, we conclude that sending the right kind of information at the right time can contribute to raising the public's satisfaction towards government departments. UT WOS:000280415000003 SN 0267-5730 ER PT J TI Influence of the ICDAS E-Learning Program for Occlusal Caries Detection on Dental Students AU Diniz, MB Lima, LM Santos-Pinto, L Eckert, GJ Zandona, AGF Cordeiro, RDL SO JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION VL 74 IS 8 BP 862 EP 868 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of ICDAS training in a group of dental students for occlusal caries detection in permanent teeth. Premolars and molars (N=104) with occlusal surfaces varying from ICDAS scores 0 to 6 were cleaned, one occlusal site per tooth was selected, and a photograph taken to identify the site. Eight senior dental students examined the teeth twice with a one-week interval between examinations during each of two phases: before and after the ICDAS e-learning program. Teeth were histologically assessed for caries extension. Intraclass correlation coefficients for intra- and interexaminer repeatability were high, both before (0.75 and 0.72, respectively) and after e-learning (0.82 and 0.78, respectively). The ICDAS scores decreased significantly from before to after e-learning (p=0.0001). Correlation between ICDAS scores and histology scores was moderate (0.57 before e-learning and 0.61 after). Although the ROC curve shows an improvement in the use of the ICDAS scoring after e-learning, the difference was not significant (p=0.10). Specificity of the ICDAS scores significantly improved after e-learning (77 percent vs. 36 percent), and sensitivity was reduced slightly after e-learning (87 percent vs. 92 percent). The ICDAS e-learning program improved the performance of the diagnostic skills of the investigated students for the detection of occlusal caries lesions. UT WOS:000280756200006 SN 0022-0337 ER PT J TI E-learning in nuclear medicine AU Freudenberg, LS Nattland, A Jonas, G Beyer, T Bockisch, A SO NUKLEARMEDIZIN-NUCLEAR MEDICINE VL 49 IS 4 BP 161 EP 166 PY 2010 TC 1 AB Aim: To assess available e-learning concepts and programmes for nuclear medicine at university hospitals in Germany. Methods: All (34) departments of nuclear medicine at German university hospitals were asked to participate in an anonymized online survey. Questions were categorized into four topics: 1.) clinic and education; 2.) on-site strategies for e-learning; 3.) available e-learning offers and 4.) free text comments on experiences and expectations. All input was reviewed descriptively; free text was analyzed analytically. Results: The response rate was 56% (19/34). 13/19 responses indicated well-defined e-learning strategies, mainly to support frontal teaching courses. Future e-learning perspectives focus on clinical case studies with sufficient imaging materials. Only 7/19 university hospitals operate a centralized e-learning platform (e. g. Moodle). The acceptance of the available e-learning options by the students is considered relatively poor. Conclusions: Today e-learning concepts for nuclear medicine are available at selected university hospitals only. All responders wish to expand on e-learning but many report the lack of administrative support to do so. These data could be regarded as a basis for discussions of inter-university teaching scenarios. UT WOS:000281241400006 SN 0029-5566 DI 10.3413/nukmed-0305 ER PT J TI Automatic generation of temporal planning domains for e-learning problems AU Castillo, L Morales, L Gonzalez-Ferrer, A Fdez-Olivares, J Borrajo, D Onaindia, E SO JOURNAL OF SCHEDULING VL 13 IS 4 BP 347 EP 362 PY 2010 TC 0 AB AI Planning & Scheduling techniques are being widely used to adapt learning paths to the special features and needs of students both in distance learning and lifelong learning environments. However, instructors strongly rely on Planning & Scheduling experts to encode and review the domains for the planner/scheduler to work. This paper presents an approach to automatically extract a fully operational HTN planning domain and problem from a learning objects repository without requiring the intervention of any planning expert, and thus enabling an easier adoption of this technology in practice. The results of a real experiment with a small group of students within an e-Learning private company in Spain are also shown. UT WOS:000280572700004 SN 1094-6136 DI 10.1007/s10951-009-0140-x ER PT J TI Evaluating effectiveness and usability of an e-learning portal: The e-MedEdu site AU Kim, KJ Han, J Park, IB Kee, C SO MEDICAL TEACHER VL 32 IS 8 BP 702 EP 703 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000280515900016 SN 0142-159X ER PT J TI Ontology-Based Personal Annotation Management on Semantic Peer Network to Facilitating Collaborations AU Yeh, CL Chang, CF Lin, PS Wang, YP Tsai, YC ED Bellavista, P Chang, RS Chao, HC Lin, SF Sloot, PMA CT 5th International Conference on Grid and Pervasive Computing CY MAY 10-13, 2010 CL Hualien, TAIWAN SO ADVANCES IN GRID AND PERVASIVE COMPUTING, PROCEEDINGS VL 6104 BP 441 EP 450 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The trend of services on the web is making the use of resources on the web collaborative. The Semantic Web technology is used to build an integrated infrastructure for the new services. In this paper, we develop a distributed knowledge based system using the RDF/OWL technology on peer-to-peer network to provide the basis of building personal social collaboration services for e-Learning. We extend the current tools accompanied with lecture content to become annotation sharable using the distributed knowledge base. UT WOS:000280488900042 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Automated and Flexible Comparison of Course Sequencing Algorithms in the LS-Lab Framework AU Limongelli, C Sciarrone, F Temperini, M Vaste, G ED Aleven, V Kay, J Mostow, J CT 10th International Conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems CY JUN 14-18, 2010 CL Pittsburgh, PA SO INTELLIGENT TUTORING SYSTEMS, PART II VL 6095 BP 371 EP 373 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Curriculum Sequencing is one of the most interesting challenges in learning environments, such as Intelligent, Tutoring Systems and e-learning The goal is to automatically produce personalized sequences of didactic materials or activities; on the basis of each individual student's model In this paper we present, the extension of the LS-LAB framework; supportings an automated and flexible comparison of the outputs coining from a variety of Curriculum Sequencing algorithms over the same student models The main aim of LS-LAB is to provide researchers or teachers with a ready-to-use and possibly extensible environment, supporting a reasonably low-cost, experimentation of several sequencing algorithms The system accepts a student, model as input; together with the selection of the algorithms to be used and a given learning material, then the algorithms ate applied; the resulting courses are shown to the user, and some metrics computed over the selected characteristics are presented, for the user's appraisal UT WOS:000280420200074 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI A Performance Study of Learning Content Retrieval on Hadoop Cloud Environments AU Shih, WC Tseng, SS Yang, CT ED Han, Z Liang, MG Cen, YG CT Cross-Strait Conference on Information Science and Technology CY JUL 09-11, 2010 CL Yanshan Univ, Qinhuangdao, PEOPLES R CHINA SO PROCEEDINGS OF 2010 CROSS-STRAIT CONFERENCE ON INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BP 485 EP 488 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Content retrieval is important for the development of e-learning applications. However, existing information retrieval techniques focus on keyword-level processing, rarely considering metadata, structural information and semantics of contents. In fact, content retrieval can increase learning performance by supporting pedagogical theories and models, such as instructional strategies, learning styles, etc. Recently, cloud computing attracts a lot of attention from stakeholders of e-learning. It is promising to share learning content on cloud environments. Therefore, the architecture of a learning content retrieval system is proposed to use cloud computing technologies to store learning content and to support efficient content retrieval. To evaluate the performance of index creation, a cloud test-bed is built using Hadoop, which is an open source implementation of cloud-related technologies. The results of evaluation show that the execution time of index creation is scalable to the size of databases. UT WOS:000280141100110 ER PT J TI Design and Implementation of Ubiquitous Learning Framework in a Vehicular Environment AU Kuo, YC Tai, HC Kao, CY Shih, CW ED Han, Z Liang, MG Cen, YG CT Cross-Strait Conference on Information Science and Technology CY JUL 09-11, 2010 CL Yanshan Univ, Qinhuangdao, PEOPLES R CHINA SO PROCEEDINGS OF 2010 CROSS-STRAIT CONFERENCE ON INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BP 564 EP 568 PY 2010 TC 0 AB With the advance of information technology and network technology, traditional learning differs considerably from communication methods. In light of current wireless communication technology, traditional learning approaches have made another breakthrough, which transform e-learning to m-learning, and furthermore integrate with Ubiquitous Computing, and establish users' highly-interactive Ubiquitous Learning Environment. Traditional researches on Ubiquitous Learning Environment primarily focus on teaching-aid, with learning environment coverage restricted and with learning materials ready-made and motionless. This study aims to apply current information technology equipment and network technology to design and implement a Ubiquitous Learning Environment system framework on a "Vehicular Environment". This system framework integrates the information-collecting and information-compiling functions of Cloud Learning as well as apply to "Bluetooth and WiFi Media Independent Handover" to break the limitation of traditional learning material sources. Furthermore, it not only expands learning environment coverage effectively but also enhances varieties of users' accessibility to information, and in the meantime is applicable to promote everyone's Ubiquitous life. UT WOS:000280141100127 ER PT J TI Scratch-Based Interactive Storytelling Assessment AU Kuo, HL Tseng, SS Weng, JF ED Han, Z Liang, MG Cen, YG CT Cross-Strait Conference on Information Science and Technology CY JUL 09-11, 2010 CL Yanshan Univ, Qinhuangdao, PEOPLES R CHINA SO PROCEEDINGS OF 2010 CROSS-STRAIT CONFERENCE ON INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BP 672 EP 676 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The disaster precautions education is an important extended learning resource for fifth grade students in Nature Science course. There are e-learning websites and educational games trying to let students engage subject. However, traditional learning activity usually lacks the deep knowledge of cause and effects for students to think and thus does not interest students. In this paper, the Scratch-based Interactive Storytelling Assessment is proposed. The assessment framework for the cause and effect of the students' storytelling creations is designed and implemented on the Scratch digital multimedia creation platform. The experiment evaluation is conducted to 10 fifth grade students. The experiment results show that students are very interested in the storytelling creations. The assessment results also show the contribution of improvement for the training of students' knowledge and reasoning capabilities of the domain. UT WOS:000280141100150 ER PT J TI The Development of Project-Based Learning Strategy Integrated into Mobile Learning AU Chang, CS Wong, WT Chang, CY Chen, YC ED Han, Z Liang, MG Cen, YG CT Cross-Strait Conference on Information Science and Technology CY JUL 09-11, 2010 CL Yanshan Univ, Qinhuangdao, PEOPLES R CHINA SO PROCEEDINGS OF 2010 CROSS-STRAIT CONFERENCE ON INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BP 729 EP 733 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In order to enhance the quality of the ecological environment learning projects, we tried to develop e-learning platform integrated Project-Based Learning strategy, and help students explore their outdoor learning tasks with mobile learning technology. The main idea about the design and development of e-learning platform integrated PBL design, and how to use mobile learning technology in the PBL learning, tasks are discussed in this study. UT WOS:000280141100162 ER PT J TI Implementation and Application of an Augmented Reality Based Ecology E-learning Platform AU Chen, SN Chang, RC Lin, HJ ED Han, Z Liang, MG Cen, YG CT Cross-Strait Conference on Information Science and Technology CY JUL 09-11, 2010 CL Yanshan Univ, Qinhuangdao, PEOPLES R CHINA SO PROCEEDINGS OF 2010 CROSS-STRAIT CONFERENCE ON INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BP 784 EP 787 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Scientific inquiry is an important subject in science education. Most of science education teaching materials were compiled in "one-way" and "preach" approach. This could not motivate the learners' learning intention. Augmented Reality supports users to manipulate virtual objects in real environments, and thus can be used for science education with far less costs than doing real exercises. Therefore, learners can then be immersed in the simulated environment. In this study, we propose an Augmented Reality Based Ecology E-learning Platform and use the Arduino Microcontroller to achieve the interactive purpose between learner and virtual objects. The proposed approach has the advantage of more fun and immersion for science education. UT WOS:000280141100173 ER PT J TI Students' Awareness and Requirements of Mobile Learning Services among Malaysian Students in the Higher Education Environment AU Alzaza, NS Yaakub, AR ED Baharom, F Mahmuddin, M Yusof, Y Ishak, WHW Saip, MA CT 5th International Conference on Knowledge Management CY MAY 25-27, 2010 CL Kuala Terengganu, MALAYSIA SO PROCEEDINGS OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT 5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2010 BP 113 EP 118 PY 2010 TC 0 AB M-learning is considered as the next generation of e-learning using mobile technologies. It has been a viable alternative for online learning. Students' awareness of such technology is one of the most focus for success adoption. This study aims to investigate students' awareness and requirements of mobile learning services among Malaysian students in the higher education environment. The study found that the higher education environment now has the necessary mobile technology infrastructure to utilize m-learning. Moreover, the results of the survey show that students have adequate knowledge and good awareness to use such technology in their education environment. Regarding the university mobile applications that students would like to use individually through mobile technologies, the exam result and course registration were the highest in rank, followed by calendar and schedule services. The highest limitations were the cost of transaction and slow data exchange with networks, followed by concerns over confidentiality of personal information. UT WOS:000280416300018 ER PT J TI Student's Mobile Information Prototype (SMIP) for the Higher Education Environment AU Alzaza, NS Yaakub, AR ED Baharom, F Mahmuddin, M Yusof, Y Ishak, WHW Saip, MA CT 5th International Conference on Knowledge Management CY MAY 25-27, 2010 CL Kuala Terengganu, MALAYSIA SO PROCEEDINGS OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT 5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2010 BP 125 EP 130 PY 2010 TC 0 AB M-learning is considered as the next form of e-learning using mobile technologies to facilitate education for teachers and learners. Students need to keep in touch with their education services anytime regardless the place. Engaging the m-learning survices in the Malaysian higher education will improve the availability of education. This paper discusses the development and user's evaluation of Student's Mobile Information Prototype (SMIP). The study aims to utilize mobile learning services to facilitate education for students in the higher education environment. The Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) was adapted to develop the SMIP. Results of user's evaluation on the SMIP indicate that most of the participants highly agreed on Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, Learnability, Functionality, and Didactic Efficiency. UT WOS:000280416300020 ER PT J TI Developing General View of Quality Models for E-learning from Developers Perspective AU Abdellatief, M Sultan, AM Jabar, MA Abdullah, R ED Baharom, F Mahmuddin, M Yusof, Y Ishak, WHW Saip, MA CT 5th International Conference on Knowledge Management CY MAY 25-27, 2010 CL Kuala Terengganu, MALAYSIA SO PROCEEDINGS OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT 5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2010 BP 143 EP 149 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The growth of the Internet and web as a source of information and communication has led companies to use websites as an education tool. E-learning is gaining more acceptance as days pass because it provides learning opportunity any time and in any place. Moreover, e-learning has the potential to benefit learner/student, instructor, manager, administrator, organization and society in many ways. Thus it is important to evaluate e-learning from these various perspectives. The main aim of this work is to propose new technique to evaluate e-learning website qualify from developer's view. Our technique adopts the weights of quality characteristics which are obtained by carefully selected questionnaires' from professional developer. We also present the evaluation process using AHP technique and the result of trial evaluation for validation of our technique. As result, we believe that proposed technique will be useful to effective evaluation, as well as to develop system with high quality. Furthermore, this technique would enhance the relationship between instructors and developers UT WOS:000280416300023 ER PT J TI A Review on E-learning Development and Implementation in Developing Countries (Case Study of Iran) AU Omidinia, S Masrom, M Selamat, H ED Baharom, F Mahmuddin, M Yusof, Y Ishak, WHW Saip, MA CT 5th International Conference on Knowledge Management CY MAY 25-27, 2010 CL Kuala Terengganu, MALAYSIA SO PROCEEDINGS OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT 5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2010 BP 151 EP 155 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-Learning refers to the use of Information and Communications technology to enhance and/or support learning process. Today E-Learning in the context of education is a vital component. The objective of this paper is to review e-learning challenges in developing countries and specially to know what we have achieved in Iran, and what else we need to do make e-Learning as a major success which transforms Iran to knowledge society. Our finding have shown that the following factors can be attributed for hindering the success of e-Learning projects in Iran: process focus, implementation expertise, technology focus, open-source technology and one-time funding. UT WOS:000280416300024 ER PT J TI Implementation of LMS among Private Higher Learning Institutions in Malaysia AU Chee, HM Onn, CW Hwa, SP ED Baharom, F Mahmuddin, M Yusof, Y Ishak, WHW Saip, MA CT 5th International Conference on Knowledge Management CY MAY 25-27, 2010 CL Kuala Terengganu, MALAYSIA SO PROCEEDINGS OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT 5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2010 BP 169 EP 175 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Since the embarked of E-Learning system, education institutions and commercialised organisations adopted this system as tool of training and conveying information and knowledge, in particular, education institutions used E-Learning system facilitate instructors and students in order to foster the teaching and learning process and we called this system as Learning Management System (LMS) and Learning Content Management System (LCMS). Traditional face to face teaching is insufficient for the purpose in development of perpetual learners due to the lack of flexibility compared to E-Learning system where this learning model is an accepted choice for developing an effective educational method due to its flexibility, accessibility and convenience to almost everyone (Rashty, 2010). UT WOS:000280416300027 ER PT J TI Collaboration in Problem-Based E-Learning: Requirements Engineering Activity AU Rahman, NA Sahibuddin, S ED Baharom, F Mahmuddin, M Yusof, Y Ishak, WHW Saip, MA CT 5th International Conference on Knowledge Management CY MAY 25-27, 2010 CL Kuala Terengganu, MALAYSIA SO PROCEEDINGS OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT 5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2010 BP 233 EP 237 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Problem-based Learning (PBL) is a learning technique that is used for stimulating learners with problematic dilemma and encouraging the learners to solve the problem based on learner's capability. It is more to learner-centred approach whereby teacher or instructor plays role in guiding them to succeed. This paper enlightens on collaboration activities in e-learning and what element can be considered during requirements elicitation. This activity is essential to clarify the requirements needed in PBL-based E-learning application that is going to be used among learners especially for higher institution. UT WOS:000280416300036 ER PT J TI E-learning: Design Strategies for Promoting Sustainable Practices in Paddy Farming AU Othman, Z Muhammad, A ED Baharom, F Mahmuddin, M Yusof, Y Ishak, WHW Saip, MA CT 5th International Conference on Knowledge Management CY MAY 25-27, 2010 CL Kuala Terengganu, MALAYSIA SO PROCEEDINGS OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT 5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2010 BP 239 EP 243 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Malaysia aims to transform its current agricultural practices to modern, innovative and sustainable levels. There are many issues highlighted to improve the sustainability of agricultural practices. However, this is not an easy task because there are several problems that the society and farmers will face, especially in enhancing their lifestyles as well as their ecosystems. Introducing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) application like electronic learning (e-learning) is a novel way to educate and promote the young generation to appreciate sustainable agriculture. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to discuss a design of a prototype of persuasive learning in virtual paddy as a tool to promote sustainable practices in paddy farming. Before designing a prototype, the current practices of sustainable agriculture should be collected After that, a pilot test will be conducted with the help of an expert user. UT WOS:000280416300037 ER PT J TI Student Groups Modeling by Integrating Cluster Representation and Association Rules Mining AU Zakrzewska, D ED VanLeeuwen, J Muscholl, A Peleg, D Pokorny, J Rumpe, B CT 36th Conference on Current Trends in Theory and Practice of Computer Science CY JAN 23-29, 2010 CL Spindleruv Mlyn, CZECH REPUBLIC SO SOFSEM 2010: THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COMPUTER SCIENCE, PROCEEDINGS VL 5901 BP 743 EP 754 PY 2010 TC 2 AB Finding groups of students with similar preferences enables to adjust e-learning systems according to their needs. Building models for each group can help in suggesting teaching paths and materials according to member requirements. In the paper, it is proposed to connect a cluster representation, in the form of the likelihood matrix, and frequent patterns, for building models of student groups. Such approach enables to get the detailed knowledge of group members features. The research is focused on individual traits, which are dominant learning style dimensions. The accuracy of the proposed method is validated on the basis of tests done for different clusters of real and artificial data. UT WOS:000280086900062 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Experiences in International Cooperation in Teaching AU Welzer, T Druzovec, M Holbl, M Venuti, MZ SO ELEKTRONIKA IR ELEKTROTECHNIKA IS 6 BP 19 EP 22 PY 2010 TC 0 AB T. Welzer, M. Druzovec, M. Holbl, M. Z. Venuti. Experiences in International Cooperation in Teaching // Electronics and Electrical Engineering. - Kaunas: Technologija, 2010.- No. 6(102). - P. 19-22. International cooperation either in research or teaching is very important already for a vile. In research most of international cooperation is based either on bilateral agreements, either on different international projects and cooperation. Seems that researchers have been earlier involved in international exchange of knowledge and experiences as teachers. In the paper, we will present the experiences with international cooperation in teaching gained when teachers have been involved in mobility programs like Erasmus, transcontinental cooperation or they have taken part in distance and e-learning where the cooperation with international participants (teachers and students) is also possible. Bibl. 10, tabl. 3 (in English; abstracts in English, Russian and Lithuanian). UT WOS:000280221600005 SN 1392-1215 ER PT J TI Possibilities of Developing Study Motivation in E-Learning Products AU Dumciene, A Lapeniene, D SO ELEKTRONIKA IR ELEKTROTECHNIKA IS 6 BP 43 EP 46 PY 2010 TC 0 AB A. Dumciene, D. Lapeniene. Possibilities of Developing Study Motivation in E-Learning Products // Electronics and Electrical Engineering. - Kaunas: Technologija, 2010. - No. 6(102). - P. 43-46. The aim of the paper is to assess the quality of e-learning products developed in colleges for mixed learning in terms of value attitudes and learning motivation development. Regarding the aspect of value development, nine groups of criteria were employed while ARCS Model by J.M.Keller was used for the assessment of educational opportunities. 10 experts and 122 students provided the evaluations. In terms of eleven criteria, the average evaluations of the experts and the students differed statistically significantly (p<0.05) while opinions did not differ regarding the criteria of confidence and satisfaction (p>0.05). III. 2, bibl. 13, tabl. 4 (in English; abstracts in English, Russian and Lithuanian). UT WOS:000280221600011 SN 1392-1215 ER PT J TI A Practice in using E-Portfolio in a Higher Education Course Taught at Distance AU Karaoglan, B Ertaul, L SO ELEKTRONIKA IR ELEKTROTECHNIKA IS 6 BP 115 EP 118 PY 2010 TC 0 AB B. Karaoglan, L. Ertaul. A Practice in using E-Portfolio in a Higher Education Course Taught at Distance // Electronics and Electrical Engineering. - Kaunas: Technologija, 2010. - No. 6(102). - P. 115-118. The aim of this study is to explore recent research and developments on using e-portfolios (EP) in innovative learning and instruction and to transfer an experience in using EP in a higher education course tought at distance. Computer Network Security course will be deliverd online over the Blackboard arhitecture. The course material consists of video lectures, transcripts of the videos, assignments and the syllabus. Interactions among the students and the lecturer are via email, discussion forums and EP comments. EPs will be evaluated from achievement assessment and learning support perspectives. Although creating and using EPs is a built in function in most of educational software, literature related to practices using e-portolios in e-learning in higher education is sparse. III. 1, bibl. 15 (in English; abstracts in English, Russian and Lithuanian). UT WOS:000280221600029 SN 1392-1215 ER PT J TI Manifestation of Axiological and Motivational Aspects in E-Learning Products AU Dumciene, A Sipaviciene, S SO ELEKTRONIKA IR ELEKTROTECHNIKA IS 6 BP 135 EP 138 PY 2010 TC 0 AB A. Dumciene, S. Sipaviciene. Manifestation of Axiological and Motivational Aspects in E-Learning Products // Electronics and Electrical Engineering. - Kaunas: Technologija, 2010. - No. 6(102). - P. 135-138. The objective of the present paper is to explore and evaluate the quality of e-learning courses in terms of their promotion of value attitudes and motivation development. The evaluation was conducted by applying thirteen group criteria. The difference between the evaluations of the experts and students it is not statistically significant (p> 0.05). This result helps to draw together the attitudes of the instructors as well as those preparing the products of e-learning and users, i.e. students; this enables to improve the product quality. III. 6, bibl. 16 (In English; summaries in English, Russian and Lithuanian). UT WOS:000280221600034 SN 1392-1215 ER PT J TI Project-Oriented Approach to Low-Power Topics in Advanced Digital Design Course AU Mihhailov, D Sudnitson, A Kruus, M SO ELEKTRONIKA IR ELEKTROTECHNIKA IS 6 BP 151 EP 154 PY 2010 TC 0 AB D. Mihhailov, A. Sudnitson, M. Kruus. Project-Oriented Approach to Low-Power Topics in Advanced Digital Design Course // Electronics and Electrical Engineering. - Kaunas: Technologija, 2010. - No. 6(102). - P. 151-154. We consider a problem of low-power synthesis of digital systems, which are described as a Finite State Machine (FSM). In this paper, we apply FSM decomposition technique to organize the network as a collection of alternatively working components, thus greatly reducing the switching activity of the circuit (dynamic power management). To make a decision of decomposition task more tractable, corresponding CAD tools were developed at Tallinn University of Technology. Software tools are implemented using Java technology making them compatible with a wide range of operating systems and allowing a possibility for the remote access. Actually, developed system presents interconnection of CAD tools with e-learning methodology. The primary output of this work is the development of laboratory environment that provides students with extensive hands-on opportunities to enhance their knowledge and understanding of advanced concepts and principles in low-power digital design using FPGA technology and FPGA design suits. This can add a certain level of realism to the learning experience and helps to boost student's motivation. Bibl. 6, tabl. 1 (in English; abstracts in English, Russian and Lithuanian). UT WOS:000280221600038 SN 1392-1215 ER PT J TI Evaluation of 5-year Experience with E-learning Techniques at Charles University in Prague. Impact on Quality of Teaching and Students' Achievements AU Feberova, J Dostalova, T Hladikova, M Kasal, P Polasek, J Seydlova, M Janda, A Schwarz, D SO NEW EDUCATIONAL REVIEW VL 21 IS 2 BP 110 EP 120 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Since 2004 implementation of e-learning has been systematically and continuously encouraged and supported at Charles University (CU). Open source system Moodle was chosen as an optimal Learning Management System for creation and management of e-learning courses. Evaluation of the five-year experience with e-learning shows that the continuous support of a suitable environment for the management of e-learning courses leads to the development of spontaneous implementation of this approach into the teaching process. A positive impact of e-learning on teaching outcomes was demonstrated by a course focused on medical informatics. UT WOS:000280429700009 SN 1732-6729 ER PT J TI E-learning strategy in practice AU Sinka, R CT 14th Annual Conference of theEuropean-Societies-Domestic-Animals-Reproduction/22nd Annual Meeting of the EU-AI-Vets CY SEP 15-22, 2010 CL Eger, HUNGARY SO REPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS VL 45 BP 55 EP 55 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000280355200029 SN 0936-6768 ER PT J TI Clinical training at remote sites using mobile technology: an India-USA partnership AU Vyas, R Albright, S Walker, D Zachariah, A Lee, MY SO DISTANCE EDUCATION VL 31 IS 2 BP 211 EP 226 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Christian Medical College (CMC), India, and Tufts University School of Medicine, USA, have developed an 'institutional hub and spokes' model (campus-based e-learning supporting m-learning in the field) to facilitate clinical education and training at remote secondary hospital sites across India. Iterative research, design, development, and testing merged three key elements for effective mobile learning: an underlying learning management system to organize data; mobile access to a knowledge repository using commonly owned phones; and mobile applications that match the learner, learning theory, and mode of learning based on student-articulated needs. CMC is institutionalizing academic and technical support for e-learning and m-learning, ensuring future sustainability. Assessing and sharing best practices for mobile-supported training and resources will leverage strengths and build capacity across the CMC-secondary hospital mobile/e-learning network. This model can advance interdisciplinary health training initiatives in developing countries, improving clinical services and health for underserved populations across the world. UT WOS:000280531200006 SN 0158-7919 DI 10.1080/01587919.2010.498856 ER PT J TI Knowledge versus content in e-learning: A philosophical discussion AU Costa, GJM Silva, NSA SO INFORMATION SYSTEMS FRONTIERS VL 12 IS 4 BP 399 EP 413 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Historically education has been supported by technology; however, during the past three decades electronic technologies for educational purposes have been used to achieve better learning outcomes. There are two propositions regarding the use of computers for educational purposes; that is, people can learn "from" technologies or people can learn "with" technologies. The, e-learning literature reveals that technological and instructional perceptions are diffuse. Furthermore, only recently have the ethical and cultural issues been considered. The philosophical discussion within this paper considers these issues and explores the idea of knowledge or content in e-learning, teasing out the differences between these two concepts. In order to contextualize the debate, the literature is reviewed, and a philosophical debate using an inquiry example is presented. UT WOS:000280647900006 SN 1387-3326 DI 10.1007/s10796-009-9200-1 ER PT J TI Evaluating the Feasibility and the Potential Efficacy of e-Learning-Based Speech Therapy (EST) as a Web Application for Speech Training in Dysarthric Patients with Parkinson's Disease: A Case Study AU Beijer, LJ Rietveld, TCM Hoskam, V Geurts, ACH de Swart, BJM SO TELEMEDICINE JOURNAL AND E-HEALTH VL 16 IS 6 BP 732 EP 738 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Objective: As a Web application for speech training, e-learning-based speech therapy (EST) is assumed to have potential for neurological patients who aim at independent speech training in their home environment. This article reports a case study of a patient with dysarthric speech due to Parkinson's disease (PD) who enrolled in a 4-week intensive speech training through EST. The primary goal was to investigate the feasibility and the potential efficacy of EST as a Web application for speech training in dysarthric patients with PD. Materials and Methods: The participant used EST, following a speech training program containing parts of the pitch limiting voice treatment for patients with PD. The feasibility of EST for independent speech training in the home environment was verified through a questionnaire. The questionnaire addressed the participant's individual experiences with EST as well as the extent of satisfaction with technological features of EST, the content of the speech training, and the suitability of the home training environment. The potential efficacy of EST as a device to improve speech intelligibility was investigated using a repeated measures with randomized blocks design. The proportion of correct orthographic transcriptions of semantically unpredictable sentences as well as ratings of perceived intelligibility on a 10-point scale were used as measures for speech intelligibility. Results: Outcomes of the questionnaire resulted in recommendations to enhance EST feasibility. Speech intelligibility, as measured by transcription scores, improved significantly after EST training. This improvement was maintained for 2 weeks after completing the EST training, whereas considerably lower scores were observed after 11 weeks without training. Subjective ratings of intelligibility did not show significant differences across time. Conclusions: The results of this case study confirm the potential of EST for patients with PD. UT WOS:000280669500050 SN 1530-5627 DI 10.1089/tmj.2009.0183 ER PT J TI Effectiveness of a Multimedia-Based Educational Intervention for Improving Colon Cancer Literacy in Screening Colonoscopy Patients AU Hassinger, JP Holubar, SD Pendlimari, R Dozois, EJ Larson, DW Cima, RR CT 95th Annual Clinical Congress of the American-College-of-Surgeons/64th Annual Sessions of the Owen H Wangensteen Forum on Fundamental Surgical Problems CY OCT 11-15, 2009 CL Chicago, IL SO DISEASES OF THE COLON & RECTUM VL 53 IS 9 BP 1301 EP 1307 PY 2010 TC 0 AB PURPOSE: Limited data exist regarding colon cancer literacy in screening colonoscopy patients. We aimed to prospectively assess baseline colon cancer literacy and to determine whether a multimedia educational intervention was associated with improved colon cancer literacy. METHODS: Colon cancer literacy was assessed in a convenience sample of colonoscopy patients before and after educational intervention. Statistically significant associations with colon cancer literacy scores were assessed by use of multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results are frequency (proportion), mean +/- SD, and odds ratio (OR (95% CI)). RESULTS: Seventy-three subjects participated: mean age, 57 +/- 12 years, 35 (48%) were women, 41 (57%) had a college degree, 43 (59%) had prior colonoscopy, 21 (29%) were accompanying family, and 16 (22%) were health care employees. Multivariate factors associated with a higher baseline colon cancer literacy score included health care employee status (7.9 (95% CI, 1.663); P = .02) and family colon cancer history (5.3 (95% CI, 1.3-25); P +/- .02). After multimedia education, mean scores improved from 53% +/- 23% to 88% +/- 12% (Delta = 35%; P = .0001). On univariate analysis, college-educated subjects had higher final scores (91% vs 83%; P = .007), but this association was not significant on multivariate regression (P = .07). Only baseline score was associated with higher postintervention score (1.7 (95% CI, 1.2-2.6); P = .005). Sixty-two subjects (86%) were very satisfied, and 70 (97%) would recommend the module to friends and family. CONCLUSION: A knowledge deficit of colon cancer-related concepts is frequently observed in patients undergoing screening colonoscopy. Multimedia-based educational intervention was an effective, satisfying strategy for addressing cancer-specific knowledge deficit in laypersons. UT WOS:000281088700011 SN 0012-3706 DI 10.1007/DCR.0b013e3181e291c0 ER PT J TI E-learning module for delivering infection prevention and control training AU Dawson, SJ Bennett, H Ongley, V SO JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL INFECTION VL 76 IS 1 BP 89 EP 90 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000281403700021 SN 0195-6701 DI 10.1016/j.jhin.2010.05.002 ER PT J TI Research on Online Game-based Learning AU Jiao, XH ED Zhou, D Du, ZY CT International Conference on Information Technology and Industrial Engineering CY JUN 06-07, 2010 CL Wuhan, PEOPLES R CHINA SO PROCEEDINGS OF 2010 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING, VOLS I AND II BP 1030 EP 1034 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Online games have swept the world and increasing educational potential is noticed in games. This paper reviews the advantages and application of game-based e-learning and discusses the assessment and limitation of this kind of learning. The combination of e-learning and electronic games can stimulate learning motivation of learners, promote learners to learn more knowledge, develop problem-solving skills of learners and promote collaborative learning. However, as a tool, educational game is more suited as an additional tool in the educational process, and not all of the teaching contents are suitable for integration into the game. The article concludes that simulation gaming is only one of the valuable tools available to the educator, but it should not be overlooked. UT WOS:000280387800248 ER PT J TI Digital Archives Cooperation for Community E-Learning AU Yang, JF Wang, SM Chu, HD ED Zhou, D Du, ZY CT International Conference on Information Technology and Industrial Engineering CY JUN 06-07, 2010 CL Wuhan, PEOPLES R CHINA SO PROCEEDINGS OF 2010 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING, VOLS I AND II BP 1117 EP 1121 PY 2010 TC 0 AB During the past five years, Taiwan government launches National Digital Archives Program for cultural and historical data archive with digitally, the archive subject including, historical building, humanity, language, geography and etc. In this study, researchers apply instructional design model into blending learning course development with cultural and historical digital archive materials, application content include text/description of archive content, archive photography, historical object virtual reality, historical introduction video. Researchers adopt face-to-face instruction, e-learning platform integrate two-way video/audio (JoinNet), rapid e-learning record software, on-line discussion board, chat room, and material display function to conduct course instruction. The research collects learning effectiveness survey (SEEQ) to evaluate learning outcome. The paper discussed and demonstrated course design process, application strategy, and student's learning feedback. The research result will contribute future digital archive application into e-learning and blending e-learning application model. UT WOS:000280387800268 ER PT J TI Marketing Strategies of E-Learning Products in Introductory Stage AU Da, Y ED Shuhua, H Thota, H CT 5th International Conference on Product Innovation Management CY JUL 09-11, 2010 CL Wuhan, PEOPLES R CHINA SO PROCEEDINGS OF THE 5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT, VOLS I AND II BP 1038 EP 1040 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Every kind of product in the world will go through its life-cycle. As the first part of the life-cycle, its marketing strategy plays an important role in the success of the product. This article introduces the concept and features of introductory stage, and the theory of marketing strategy at first. And then, takes E-learning products as study object, and analyzes the feasibility of entering target market, to research the marketing strategy of E-learning products in introductory stage. At last, the paper puts forward some suggestions base on some examples. UT WOS:000280496100207 ER PT J TI A Multi-agent System that Searches for Learning Objects in Heterogeneous Repositories AU De la Prieta, F Gil, AB ED Demazeau, Y Dignum, F Corchado, JM Bajo, J Corchuelo, R Corchado, E Fernandez Riverola, F Julian, VJ Pawlewski, P Campbell, A CT 8th International Conference on Practical Applications of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems CY APR 26-28, 2010 CL Salamanca, SPAIN SO TRENDS IN PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF AGENTS AND MULTIAGENT SYSTEMS VL 71 BP 355 EP 362 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper presents the BRENHET application, which introduces a new concept in searching for educational resources by using a learning object paradigm that describes these resources. The application is composed of a complete agent-based architecture that implements the concept of federated search. It can search different repositories in parallel, and is based on abstraction layers between the repositories and the search clients. UT WOS:000280556800042 SN 1867-5662 ER PT J TI An Ontology-based Framework for Itembank Integration and Knowledge Sharing AU Tseng, SP Chiang, MC Yang, CS Tsai, CW SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FUZZY SYSTEMS VL 12 IS 2 BP 116 EP 124 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The Internet is abounding with information, but there is simply no easy way to find all the information we need in a single place, well organized and easily accessible, let alone share. For this reason, we present a novel framework for resolving these issues. The proposed framework incorporates and unifies techniques from a variety of disciplines such as information extraction, information retrieval, fuzzy clustering, and ontology. To evaluate the performance of the proposed framework, we use it to solve the itembank integration and knowledge sharing problem faced by many e-Learning systems. Our experimental results show that the proposed framework can not only effectively integrate information available in the Internet, but it can also properly organize the information into a unified itembank of an e-Learning system, thus making it possible for the users of such a system to not just find but share all the information. UT WOS:000280616500004 SN 1562-2479 ER PT J TI Building student models in adaptive E-learning systems AU Zakrzewska, D SO PRZEGLAD ELEKTROTECHNICZNY VL 86 IS 8 BP 151 EP 154 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Adaptivity of an e-learning system is one of the most important feature deciding on its performance. Finding student models enables to adjust e-learning systems according to their needs. In the paper, it is proposed to use frequent pattern mining to find learner characteristics and acc to build student groups of similar needs accordingly. The proposed method is compared with the solution, where frequent patterns are found on clusters. Some experimental results for real and artificially generated data are presented. UT WOS:000280614800030 SN 0033-2097 ER PT J TI Web-based automatic evaluation system in practical engineering courses AU Gomez-Estern, F Lopez-Martinez, M de la Pena, DM SO REVISTA IBEROAMERICANA DE AUTOMATICA E INFORMATICA INDUSTRIAL VL 7 IS 3 BP 111 EP + PY 2010 TC 0 AB This work introduces a new web tool for education which allows automating the collection and evaluation of practical exercises from different engineering areas. One of the main characteristics of the proposed tool is that allows to customize the exercises for each student. The system makes a functional comparison of the students' proposals with the correct solutions provided by the professors in order to give automatically a grade to the students. The platform allows the professor to implement innovative teaching techniques to promote the self-learning in mass courses. Results of the use of the evaluation system in two engineering courses are presented, one in systems theory and another in basic c-programming. Copyright (C) 2010 CEA. UT WOS:000280581500010 SN 1697-7912 DI 10.4995/RIAI.2010.03.10 ER PT J TI A prototype Greek text to Greek Sign Language conversion system AU Kouremenos, D Fotinea, SE Efthimiou, E Ntalianis, K SO BEHAVIOUR & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY VL 29 IS 5 BP 467 EP 481 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In this article, a prototype Greek text to Greek Sign Language (GSL) conversion system is presented. The system is integrated into an educational platform that addresses the needs of teaching GSL grammar and was developed within the SYNENNOESE project (Efthimiou et al. 2004a. Developing an e-learning platform for the Greek sign language. In: K. Miesenberger, J. Klaus, and W. Zagler, eds. Computer helping people with special needs, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer-Verlag, vol. 3118, 1107-1113). The detailed implementation of the language-processing component of a Greek text to GSL conversion system is provided, focusing upon the inherent problems of knowledge elicitation of sign language (SL) grammar and its implementation within a parser framework. It is based on an SL dictionary (Efthimiou et al. 2004a) database of coded GSL knowledge. The proposed system has been designed and implemented after considering most state-of-the-art SL machine translation or Conversion systems, such as Vsigns (Papadogiorgaki et al. 2004. VSigns a virtual sign synthesis web tool. In: Proceedings of Sixth COST 276 Workshop on Information and Knowledge Management for Integrated Media Communication, May 2004, Thessaloniki, Greece), ZARDOZ (Veale et al. 1998. The challenges of cross-modal translation: English to sign language translation in the ZARDOZ system. Machine Translation, 13, 81-106) and SignSynth (Angus 2001. SignSynth: a sign language synthesis application using Web3D and Perl. In: Gesture and Sign Lanauage in Human-Computer Interaction. London, UK: International Gesture Workshop), and taking into account their advantages and disadvantages. The overall architecture is innovative since other existing systems either do not consider the GSL or they cannot be effectively applied on sentences but just on single words. The system is demonstrable on any conventional PC. UT WOS:000280767500004 SN 0144-929X DI 10.1080/01449290903420192 ER PT J TI Wiki uses in higher education: exploring barriers to successful implementation AU Karasavvidis, I SO INTERACTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS VL 18 IS 3 BP 219 EP 231 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-learning 2.0 is expected to address some of the problems which characterized the first generation of E-learning implementations. Wikis are among the most promising E-learning 2.0 tools because they require active student engagement which facilitates constructivist learning. The present article focuses on the use of wikis in a university education and examines the student perspectives related to this use. Thirty-eight students participated in a study which aimed to examine students' difficulties with a wiki implementation in an undergraduate course. By drawing on qualitative data, seven major types of problems that the students experienced with the wiki task were identified. It is argued that the reason why the students lacked the knowledge and skills to deal with the wiki assignment is because they were accustomed to traditional practices. The article is concluded with a discussion of how traditional practices and the associated learning epistemologies are incompatible with the wiki requirements which are more constructivist in nature. UT WOS:000280772000003 SN 1049-4820 DI 10.1080/10494820.2010.500514 ER PT J TI Student Behavior and Interaction Patterns With an LMS as Motivation Predictors in E-Learning Settings AU Munoz-Organero, M Munoz-Merino, J Kloos, CD SO IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION VL 53 IS 3 BP 463 EP 470 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Student motivation is an important factor for the successful completion of an e-learning course. Detecting motivational problems for particular students at an early stage of a course opens the door for instructors to be able to provide additional motivating activities for these students. This paper analyzes how the behavior patterns in the interaction of each particular student with the contents and services in a learning management system (LMS) can be used to predict student motivation and if this student motivation can be used to predict the successful completion of an e-learning course. The interactions of 180 students of six different universities taking a course in three consecutive years are analyzed. UT WOS:000284164700015 SN 0018-9359 DI 10.1109/TE.2009.2027433 ER PT J TI Developing an e-pedagogy for interprofessional learning: Lecturers' thinking on curriculum design AU Gordon, F Booth, K Bywater, H SO JOURNAL OF INTERPROFESSIONAL CARE VL 24 IS 5 BP 536 EP 548 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-learning is seen as offering possible solutions to the barriers of large scale interprofessional education. This paper discusses a study that explored the underlying pedagogical thinking employed by lecturers when planning c-learning materials for interprofessional education. The themes uncovered in the data were: "reflective spaces for creativity"; "from logistics to learner autonomy"; "authentic"; "constructivist approaches"; "inter-active learning to promote collaboration" and "bringing the patient/service user into the classroom". Discussions about e-learning can focus on the technological aspects of design and delivery. However the findings of this study revealed that technology was not a consideration for the lecturers who saw e-learning as a vehicle to promote interactive learning. Their prime focus was revealed as the application of learning theory to the design of materials that would support students' acquisition of collaborative skills and the generation of new interprofessional knowledge. UT WOS:000281960600008 SN 1356-1820 DI 10.3109/13561820903520336 ER PT J TI The virtual ISPOG Academy: how E-learning can enrich (our) society AU van de Wiel, H Brand, PLP Schultz, WW Wijma, K SO JOURNAL OF PSYCHOSOMATIC OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY VL 31 IS 3 BP 111 EP 112 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000281771000001 SN 0167-482X DI 10.3109/0167482X.2010.512176 ER PT J TI Anticoagulant therapy: Staff training using e-learning. The West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust experience AU Stearn, VL CT 50th Annual Scientific Meeting of the British-Society-for-Haematology CY APR 19-21, 2010 CL Edinburgh, SCOTLAND SO BRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY VL 149 BP 53 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000276859500053 SN 0007-1048 ER PT J TI Specialty induction for junior doctors in GUM/HIV medicine using an e-learning tool AU Day, S Rayment, M Mohabeer, M Holdaway, K SO HIV MEDICINE VL 11 BP 102 EP 103 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000277084400298 SN 1464-2662 ER PT J TI E-Learning as a Teaching Method to Develop Competencies in the Context of Governance AU Diaz-Moure, L SO REVISTA DEL CLAD REFORMA Y DEMOCRACIA IS 47 BP 167 EP + PY 2010 TC 0 AB The transition from an Industrial Society to a Knowledge Society implies that organizations and citizens can improve their performance and quality of life by using Information and Communication Tecnologies (ICT) in different ways. In the case of public administration, it must begin a process of dynamic and continuous change based on civil servants' training to keep their knowledge, skills and values updated. The purpose of this article is twofold. On the one hand, it shows the key e-competencies required to be an excellent civil servant. On the other hand, the paper evaluates the extent that Latin American public administration officials are using ICT as a tool to promote the development of competencies, to manage knowledge that exists in their organizations, and to carry on strategic planning of training. The main conclusion of this document is that the technology use itself does not guarantee learning and that a combination of actions needs to be considered. Firstly, implementing e-learning programs requires actions to reduce the digital breach and attaining a high level of professionalism in the use and design of Web 2.0 tools. Secondly, designing e-activities to increase learning-to-learn competencies. And, thirdly, transforming the environment of work into learning organizations. UT WOS:000280716800006 SN 1315-2378 ER PT P TI Automated song generating method for e-learning process to target listener i.e. child, involves merging pre-recorded audio segments to defined lyrical segments with musical phrases in melodies according to mapping to generate song PN US2010162879-A1 AE INT BUSINESS MACHINES CORP AU MARCUS J B AU [Anon] PY 2010 TC 0 AB NOVELTY - The method involves selecting a particular melody from a set of melodies (160) stored in a fixed storage specifying a characterization of a target listener (120). Lyrical segments (140) are defined for a process description. The set of melodies stored in the fixed storage is selected. The defined lyrical segments are mapped to musical phrases in the melodies. Pre-recorded audio segments are merged corresponding to the defined lyrical segments with the musical phrases in the melodies according to the mapping to generate a song (180). USE - Method for automated generation of a song for e-learning process to a target listener i.e. child. ADVANTAGE - The pre-recorded audio segments are merged corresponding to the defined lyrical segments with the musical phrases in the melodies according to the mapping to generate the song, thus utilizing pre-recorded audio in concert with the melodies to syllabic compatibility with the lyrical segments, and providing a learning tool for the target listener to learn the process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are also included for the following: (1) a music editor data processing system for automated generation of a song for learning process comprising a host computing platform (2) a computer program product comprising a computer usable medium including a set of instructions for automated generation of a song for learning process. UT DIIDW:2010H51285 ER PT J TI e-Learning programs as loyalty investments for financial corporations AU Arvanitis, S SO BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY VL 41 IS 5 BP E70 EP E74 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Although e-learning has been thoroughly presented and analysed in recent years, this paper aims to present a new concept, about web-based learning used as a tool to provide 'products' education' for customers, and the ways enterprises of the financial sector, may use it in order to promote their brand name and services by affecting crucial factors like customer's trust and loyalty. UT WOS:000280988300002 SN 0007-1013 DI 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.00971.x ER PT J TI Time, space and structure in an e-learning and e-mentoring project AU Loureiro-Koechlin, C Allan, B SO BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY VL 41 IS 5 BP 721 EP 735 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This study focuses on a project, EMPATHY Net-Works, which developed a learning community as a means of encouraging women to progress into employment and management positions in the logistics and supply chain industries (LaSCI). Learning activities were organised in the form of a taught module containing face-to-face and online elements and e-mentoring with successful professional women in the LaSCI. In this particular research, we have used structuration theory, a social theory that concentrates on the relationships between human agency (micro-level) and social structures (macro-level). We used structuration as an analytical tool to help us understand what happened within the project e-learning and e-mentoring processes. Our analysis suggests that there were two factors that influenced the way project participants carried out their learning activities: the first one being the issue of absence and presence in online environments, and the second one the issue of time frame changes for online users. UT WOS:000280988300026 SN 0007-1013 DI 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.00975.x ER PT J TI Calibration of an item bank for the assessment of Basque language knowledge AU Lopez-Cuadrado, J Perez, TA Vadillo, JA Gutierrez, J SO COMPUTERS & EDUCATION VL 55 IS 3 BP 1044 EP 1055 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The main requisite for a functional computerized adaptive testing system is the need of a calibrated item bank. This text presents the tasks carried out during the calibration of an item bank for assessing knowledge of Basque language. It has been done in terms of the 3-parameter logistic model provided by the item response theory. Besides, this work focuses on the most important decisions taken and the algorithms followed during the process. Actually, the most significant novelties introduced to the traditional calibration procedure deal with the adaptation of the algorithm and the putting into practice of both supervised and non-supervised web-based subtest administrations. Once the item bank had been calibrated, it was added to the generator of computerized adaptive admission tests that is expected to be operative in the new version of Hezinet, a multimedia Basque language e-learning management system that is being used since 2000 in more than 60 Basque-adult schools. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000280985600012 SN 0360-1315 DI 10.1016/j.compedu.2010.04.015 ER PT J TI An experiment for improving students performance in secondary and tertiary education by means of m-learning auto-assessment AU de-Marcos, L Hilera, JR Barchino, R Jimenez, L Martinez, JJ Gutierrez, JA Gutierrez, JM Oton, S SO COMPUTERS & EDUCATION VL 55 IS 3 BP 1069 EP 1079 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Mobile learning is considered an evolution of e-learning that embraces the ubiquitous nature of current computational systems in order to improve teaching and learning. Within this context it is possible to develop mobile applications oriented to learning, but it is also important to assess to what extent such applications actually work. In this paper we present a new tool designed to reinforce students' knowledge by means of self-assessment. Improvement in student achievement was evaluated and an attitudinal survey was also carried out to measure student attitudes towards this new tool. Three different experimental groups were selected for this research, with students aged from 14 to 21 years old, including high-school and university students. Results show that this kind of tool improves student achievement, especially amongst younger learners, with a relatively low impact on current teaching activities and methodology. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000280985600015 SN 0360-1315 DI 10.1016/j.compedu.2010.05.003 ER PT J TI E-mentoring for e-learning development AU Thompson, L Jeffries, M Topping, K SO INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION AND TEACHING INTERNATIONAL VL 47 IS 3 BP 305 EP 315 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Creating new distance e-learning modules requires considerable staff expertise. To help develop and expand this, mentoring holds promise. However, in lifelong learning provision, potential module creators are often very distant from potential mentors and asynchronously available. E-mentoring might overcome these logistical constraints. This study explored the viability and effectiveness of e-mentoring for an e-learning module development within arts and humanities. Over two phases of implementation, participants were supported by face-to-face (FtF) training meetings, linked with a Web-based chat room facility. Mentors had eight paid hours per year per mentee, for email, telephone and/or FtF contact. Evaluation was based upon e-questionnaire feedback and FtF interviews with mentors and mentees, with assessment of quality of new modules by programme leaders. It was concluded that e-mentoring offers a promising but not straightforward socio-technical solution for developing new distance e-learning modules. Effective e-mentoring for this purpose should involve systematic induction, mapping all support channels, needs assessment, differentiation and blended forms of communication. UT WOS:000281077900007 SN 1470-3297 DI 10.1080/14703297.2010.498182 ER PT J TI Does Language Matter in Multimedia Learning? Personalization Principle Revisited AU Kartal, G SO JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY VL 102 IS 3 BP 615 EP 624 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This study examines one of the design principles of multimedia learning in a context dissimilar to the one in which it was originally tested. Personalization principle states that the amount of learning increases when the style of language is informal and conversational. In an attempt to uncover the relationship between learning and language styles with varying degrees of personalization and formality, 89 college students were tested with computerized instructional content composed in 1 of the 3 styles: personalized informal, personalized formal, and neutral formal. The materials consisted of a short text on stellar death with illustrative pictures and animation. The visuals and text were identical for all groups except for additional expressions for personalization and minimal structural changes to evoke a conversational style in 2 of the testing conditions. After reading in I of the 3 conditions, the participants were asked retention and transfer questions. The participants also rated the computer program for interest, difficulty of the material, and their motivation for its style. The findings were generally consistent with the predictions of the cognitive theory of multimedia learning except for the effect size for retention. Implications for multimedia design guidelines in varied educational and linguistic contexts are discussed. UT WOS:000281046400007 SN 0022-0663 DI 10.1037/a0019345 ER PT J TI Process Selection, Sequence of Operations and Shape Complexity - Criteria for Process Improvement AU Cosic, P Babic, A Antolic, D SO STROJARSTVO VL 52 IS 1 BP 5 EP 15 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The problem of the workpiece shape recognition, and technological process selection and optimization always includes the possibility of shape complexity assessment, and selection of primary process and sequence of operations. The process plans for mechanical products include selection of manufacturing processes: a primary process, and subsequent processes. In the first part, the objective of our research was to investigate the relation between requirements of the design, production quantity and material on one hand and capability of particular process on the other hand in order to be able to consider only the processes that make sense. Also, production costs, quality, lead-times and ecological aspects had to be considered. Our intention was to research and to give some guidance in classifying these requirements, to find a way how to deal with overlapping capabilities of the processes and to explore methods of dealing with numerous data that would facilitate decisions regarding "best" process selection. In the second part, our research explains the procedure for calculating shape complexity. The possibility to express it as an exact value is useful because it enables distinction on the quantitative level. This is needed for research of shape influence on process planning. In the third part, the focus of our research is creation of learning materials for defining the main criteria for selection of primary processes and types of operations in production. The selection of a primary process is based on material nature, quantity, shape complexity, part size and some other factors. Type and sequence of operations are the result of the influence of different factors such as product shape, surface roughness and tolerance. The application enables users to fully understand the procedure of primary process and operation sequence selection through step by step tutorials. The base programming language of E-Lapp application is Visual Basic.Net, the tools used to create e-learning materials are Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 and iSpring Presenter (Adobe Flash). UT WOS:000281085700002 SN 0562-1887 ER PT J TI A Prospective Evaluation of a Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Management E-Learning Program for Adults with Spinal Cord Injury AU Brace, JA Schubart, JR SO OSTOMY WOUND MANAGEMENT VL 56 IS 8 BP 40 EP 50 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Pressure ulcers are a common complication of spinal cord injury (SCI). Pressure ulcer education programs for spinal cord injured individuals have been found to have a positive effect on care protocol adherence. A prospective study was conducted among hospitalized spinal cord-injured men and women to determine if viewing the Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Management Education for Adults with Spinal Cord Injury: E-Learning Program affects their knowledge scores. A 20-question multiple-choice pre-/post learning test was developed and validated by 12 rehabilitation nurses. Twenty (20) patients (13 men, seven women; mean age 49 years, [SD: 18.26] with injuries to the cervical [seven], thoracic [six], and lumbar [six] regions) volunteered. Most (42%) had completed high school and time since SCI ranged from 2 weeks to 27 years. Eighteen (18) participants completed both the pre- and post test. Of those, 16 showed improvement in pressure ulcer knowledge scores. The median scores improved from 65 (range 25 to 100) pre-program to 92.5 (range 75 to 100) post-program. Descriptive statistics, Student's t-test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data. The results suggest that a single viewing of this e-learning program could improve pressure ulcer knowledge of hospitalized adults with SCI. Research to ascertain the effects of this and other educational programs on pressure ulcer rates is needed. UT WOS:000281348300011 SN 0889-5899 ER PT J TI Continuing medical education in Europe: Towards a harmonised system AU Costa, A Van Hemelryck, F Aparicio, A Gatzemeier, W Leer, JW Maillet, B Hossfeld, DK SO EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER VL 46 IS 13 BP 2340 EP 2343 PY 2010 TC 0 AB One of the first reports on the state of medical education was published in 1910 in North America, with the support of the Carnegie Foundation, showing that the interest for this issue dates back at least a century. Doctors (and nurses) are among the few professionals who managed to avoid for a long time any sort of evaluation of their knowledge and competence after the achievement of their diploma. But concern has been rising in society about the fast obsolescence of medical knowledge, particularly in the last 50 years when the development of research and technology in the field has been so fast. The concept of Continuing Medical Education gained growing interest after the Second World War as a necessity for health professionals, but also as a form of protection of patients, who have the right to be treated by competent and knowledgeable doctors and nurses. The United States (US)-based Josiah Macy Foundation recently sponsored a conference exploring the state of continuing education and the result is 'a picture of a disorganised system of education with obvious foci of excellence (most in universities) but with most commercially supported events shading more towards product promotion and the welfare of doctors than prioritised dedication to enhancing the care of patients'.(1) Despite the fact that there is a lot to be learned from the US experience, Europe has to find its own way. Considerable progress was made since 1995 when UEMS (Union Europeenne des Medecins Specialistes) started to structure CME activities in Europe at translational level. A workshop on the issue was jointly organised by the European School of Oncology (ESO) and the Accreditation Council of Oncology in Europe (ACOE) in Berlin in September 2009. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000281994100005 SN 0959-8049 DI 10.1016/j.ejca.2010.05.029 ER PT J TI Can e-learning improve medical students' knowledge and competence in paediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation? A prospective before and after study AU O'Leary, FM Janson, P SO EMERGENCY MEDICINE AUSTRALASIA VL 22 IS 4 BP 324 EP 329 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Objective: To determine whether the use of an e-learning package was able to improve the knowledge and competence of medical students, in a simulated paediatric resuscitation. Methods: A prospective before and after study was performed with medical students at the Children's Hospital at Westmead, Australia. Participants undertook a simulated paediatric resuscitation before and after completing the e-learning. Primary outcome measures were the ability to perform successful basic life support and advanced life support according to published guidelines. Secondary outcome measures were the individual steps in performing the overall resuscitation, the change in pre- and post-e-learning multiple choice question scores and subjective feedback from participants. Results: A total of 28 students were enrolled in the study, with 26 being retested. There was an improvement of 57.7% from 30.8% to 88.5% (P < 0.001, 95% CI 34.9-80.5%) in basic life support competence and an improvement from 0% to 80.0% (P < 0.001, 95% CI 61.8-99.8%) in advanced life support competence. Significant improvements were seen in all secondary outcomes particularly time to rhythm recognition and time to first defibrillation (P < 0.001). Multiple choice question test scores showed a significant improvement of 27.8% or 6.4 marks (95% CI 5.3-7.5, P < 0.001). Conclusion: E-learning does improve both the knowledge and competence of medical students in paediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation at least in the simulation environment. UT WOS:000280996700010 SN 1742-6731 DI 10.1111/j.1742-6723.2010.01302.x ER PT J TI A CASE-BASED INTERACTIVE E-LEARNING PROGRAM FOR PEDIATRIC NEURO-ONCOLOGY: RATIONALE, DEVELOPMENT AND USER EVALUATION RESULTS AU Ma, V Olson, RA Hukin, J Johnson, D Singhal, A Goddard, K CT 14th International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology CY JUN 20-23, 2010 CL Vienna, AUSTRIA SO NEURO-ONCOLOGY VL 12 IS 6 BP II56 EP II56 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000278817700254 SN 1522-8517 ER PT J TI A Bibliometric Study of E-Learning Literature on SSCI Database AU Chiang, JK Kuo, CW Yang, YH ED Zhang, XP Zhong, SC Pan, ZG Wong, K Yun, RW CT 5th International Conference on E-learning and Games, Edutainment 2010 CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Changchun, PEOPLES R CHINA SO ENTERTAINMENT FOR EDUCATION: DIGITAL TECHNIQUES AND SYSTEMS VL 6249 BP 145 EP 155 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper investigates the publishing trends of e-le it-fling literature catalogued in SSCI database dining 1967 2009 Our findings indicate that (1) the quantity of recent research on e-learning is expanding remarkably (2) the frequency indexes of authors productivity do not appear to abide by Lotca s Law (3) most research papers on c learning are generated by multiple author ship and (4) applications of e learning h we most found in research areas such as Education & Educational Research Information Science & Library Science and Computer Science/Interdisciplinary Applications Finally, future directions of research on e lean-ling are considered Moreover, according to Bradford s Law the three zone ratio comparisons almost equal as 1 8 82 which means the data does match Bradford s Law And the seven core journals in e-learning rue identified and analyzed UT WOS:000284031000015 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Social virtual worlds for technology-enhanced learning on an augmented learning platform AU Jin, L Wen, ZG Gough, N SO LEARNING MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY VL 35 IS 2 BP 139 EP 153 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Virtual worlds have been linked with e-learning applications to create virtual learning environments (VLEs) for the past decade. However, while they can support many educational activities that extend both traditional on-campus teaching and distance learning, they are used primarily for learning content generated and managed by instructors. With the evolution of internet technology, social virtual worlds (SVWs) are now able to facilitate more social interaction, efficient visual communication, integration of rich media and sharing of student-generated content. They offer the prospect of lively interactive virtual communities in which users interact through their emotional avatars in a 3D virtual world. SVWs are being increasingly embedded into e-commerce and e-learning, and challenge our ideas about the next generation of VLEs. This article outlines the impact of emerging social networking technologies on the internet, reveals the convergence between social networking and virtual worlds for technology-enhanced learning (TEL), and examines the way in which SVWs are transforming the nature of learning as a social practice. The design and implementation of an innovative social interactive learning platform is presented, which augments SVWs and other social networking services with conventional learning management and student support systems. Practical experiments are described that have been prototyped on this platform, including e-tutoring and student-led exhibitions. The results demonstrate that an SVW can greatly enhance student-centred active learning experience on the augmented learning platform in comparison to traditional VLEs. It is shown that the platform has the potential to support both formal and informal learning, as well as facilitating social interaction, self-motivation, active engagement and creative thinking in TEL. UT WOS:000281231500004 SN 1743-9892 DI 10.1080/17439884.2010.494424 ER PT J TI E-Learning in Medicine as Example of Nuclear Medicine AU Diessl, S Verburg, FA Luster, M Reiners, C SO NUKLEARMEDIZIN-NUCLEAR MEDICINE VL 49 IS 4 BP 125 EP 127 PY 2010 TC 1 UT WOS:000281241400001 SN 0029-5566 ER PT J TI E-learning course AU Wiwanitkit, V SO JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF MEDICINE VL 103 IS 9 BP 347 EP 347 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000281926600004 SN 0141-0768 DI 10.1258/jrsm.2010.100221 ER PT J TI An efficient networking technique for synchronous e-learning platforms in corporate environments AU Granda, JC Garcia, DF Nuno, P Suarez, FJ SO COMPUTER COMMUNICATIONS VL 33 IS 14 BP 1752 EP 1766 PY 2010 TC 0 AB A synchronous e-learning platform constitutes an effective tool to implement training programs for human resources in large corporations. These organizations are usually widely dispersed in multiple sites, so the delivery of multimedia data over the whole corporation during an e-learning activity is a true challenge. Multimedia data is usually delivered using the RTP protocol. Although an RTP session can involve multiple participants and has no restriction on the underlying network, it is usually restricted to IP multicast scopes. However, IP multicast is rarely available throughout corporate networks. In this paper, an efficient delivery technique based on an overlay multicast network is proposed. The overlay is made up of multiple servers that operate at the RTP level and combine unicast and native multicast transport whenever possible. This technique has proved to be more efficient than a technique based exclusively on unicast delivery. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000281336800017 SN 0140-3664 DI 10.1016/j.comcom.2010.02.020 ER PT J TI Using real-time acceleration data for exercise movement training with a decision tree approach AU Chen, YJ Hung, YC SO EXPERT SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATIONS VL 37 IS 12 BP 7552 EP 7556 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In this paper, a movement-training system aiming to classify motions for physical education is proposed and analyzed. Traditional physical education requires an instructor teaching exercise movement individually. Teaching every student in a big class demands considerable time and efforts. Utilization of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) becomes pervasive in e-learning trend. However, CAI is often confined in literal form course such as mathematics and language courses. It is necessary to develop a motion-training system for physical education. In this paper, we develop a low-cost motion capture with Wii Remote Control (Wiimote) for training movement exercise, such as tennis and baseball. This system applies Wiimotes to capture acceleration of each part of limbs. Each Wiimote is attached to the limb which then sends back the acceleration information to the computer via Bluetooth wireless link. After gathering the acceleration data of multiple limbs' parts, the computer recognizes the motion and classifies the motion to several correct and incorrect categories. As a result, it is able to provide the appropriate advice to the students. The system applies a modified ID3 inductive learning to generate a decision tree with continuous-valued attributes. We develop an easy-to-use GUI interface for coaches. The results show that the average accuracy of classification is 83%. The system reduces the workload of the coach and improves teaching and learning performance. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000281339900015 SN 0957-4174 DI 10.1016/j.eswa.2010.04.089 ER PT J TI LolliPop for learning resources: Information literacy staff training within further education AU Appleton, L SO JOURNAL OF LIBRARIANSHIP AND INFORMATION SCIENCE VL 42 IS 3 BP 191 EP 198 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper looks at how the provision of information literacy training is supported in the further education sector. Using a case study, the results demonstrate how an online information literacy programme can be used as a staff development tool, in order that Learning Resources staff are better equipped to support students in their information literacy needs. The online programme was also used so that staff could become familiar with the institutional virtual learning environment (VLE), again in order that they are able to better support students. UT WOS:000281382300003 SN 0961-0006 DI 10.1177/0961000610368919 ER PT J TI Collaborative Web Learning Tools: Wikis and Blogs AU Rubio, R Martin, S Moran, S SO COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION VL 18 IS 3 BP 502 EP 511 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Over the last few years an evolution has taken place in the way users communicate through the web New web technologies and above all, the new role of the users have led to the appearance of innovative web applications based on collective intelligence or social intelligence In these applications the users play an active part for the first time, the users, as part of a community, give their opinions. create, access edit and participate in the contents Applications of this type form part of 'web 2 0" which can be summed up as a new philosophy or concept of how to use Internet This article gives an overview of web 2 0 and the potential impact of its use in education Our research group considers that, in the future, the use of tools of this type will be a fundamental part of communications with students in both b-learning and in e-learning Thus, we have attempted to develop pedagogic support for web 2 0 tools that enables us, from an educational standpoint, to rely on applications of this type At the same time a survey was made among teachers and students in the University School of Technical Industrial Engineering (EUITI) in Gijon to analyse the current status of their knowledge of these new technologies (c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc Comput Appl Eng Educ 18 502-511, 2010. View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary com, DOI 10 1002/cae 20218 UT WOS:000281503800010 SN 1061-3773 DI 10.1002/cae.20218 ER PT J TI Web-Based Application for Descriptive Geometry Learning AU Rubio, L Munoz-Abella, B Castejon, C Munoz-Sanchez, A SO COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION VL 18 IS 3 BP 574 EP 581 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In the education of basic matters of technical studies, as representation systems it is necessary to introduce new technologies that allow individual learning to students Learning can be traditional face to face or remotely by means of e-learning In this work, a web-based computer specific application to study the Monge Protection is presented The web site is design to have two different parts the theoretical tutorials to remind the most important concepts of the subject, and seine step by step solved exercises with indications, in order to fix the main ideas of the subject in the students mind Likewise, and for a better comprehension, the students have the possibility, once finished the exercise, to visualize the three-dimensional solution of the two-dimensional problem This application is initially thought to support the master classes, but it is also valid for distance learning, where students face alone the learning This type of applications allows bringing basic matters closer to the students by the use of new technologies (c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc Comput Appl Eng Educ 18 574-581, 2010 View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary com. DOI 10 1002/cae 20244 UT WOS:000281503800017 SN 1061-3773 DI 10.1002/cae.20244 ER PT J TI Hybrid Learning Curriculum Development Using the ReProTool - Lessons from Ancient Philosophy AU Pouyioutas, P ED Tsang, P Cheung, SKS Lee, VSK Huang, RH CT 3rd International Conference on Hybrid Learning CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Beijing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO HYBRID LEARNING VL 6248 BP 160 EP 170 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper presents the ReProTool, a tool which provides the means and ensures that academic curriculum design/re-engineering takes place considering various student-centered learning pedagogical methods. Whether delivery of education is carried out through face-to-face or distance learning or combination of conventional and non conventional methods, pedagogical approaches utilizing interactivity, problem-based learning, simulation exercises and any other form of student initiated learning are crucial in the success of the learning process. It is well known that usually e-learning and hybrid learning environments tend to ignore such important methods and are developed without taking into consideration pedagogy theory. The use of ReProTool provides the opportunity to rethink the delivery and assessment methods employed in academic programmes of studies and learning environments. The tool focuses on the Bologna Process and Learning Outcomes (LOs) which provide the basis for setting up a student-centered learning environment. The paper also argues that pedagogical methods have their roots in ancient philosophy (both in the western and Asian civilization) and suggests that studies of philosophers such as Confucius and Socrates and their teaching/learning methods can greatly help educators, especially those engaging in hybrid learning. UT WOS:000286500800016 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI ROAD-MAP for Educational Simulations and Serious Games AU Tashiro, J Hung, PCK Martin, MV ED Tsang, P Cheung, SKS Lee, VSK Huang, RH CT 3rd International Conference on Hybrid Learning CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Beijing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO HYBRID LEARNING VL 6248 BP 186 EP 204 PY 2010 TC 0 AB An international research team from Canada, United States, and Hong Kong developed a novel solution for creating interoperable, scalable learning objects along a gradient from single interactive objects for one learning activity to articulations of thousands of learning objects that become simulations capable of automatically assessing complex conceptual and performance competencies. We call this solution Research Oriented Adaptive Decision Modeling Architecture Platforms for Simulations ROAD-MAP. Our acronym, ROAD-MAP, acknowledges the many pathways that can lead to developing educational simulations and serious games. Such pathways are not well-mapped at this time, especially in the context of how such simulations and games actually improve higher-order reasoning and pattern recognition. ROAD-MAP provides a generalized solution for building simulations and serious games within an evidence-based approach to design, development, and evaluation of new types of coupled research and teaching-learning-assessment environments for different discipline domains. UT WOS:000286500800018 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI A Review of Mobile Learning in the Mobile Age AU Lam, J Yau, J Cheung, SKS ED Tsang, P Cheung, SKS Lee, VSK Huang, RH CT 3rd International Conference on Hybrid Learning CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Beijing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO HYBRID LEARNING VL 6248 BP 306 EP 315 PY 2010 TC 0 AB With the advent of mobile communication technologies, mobile learning (m-learning) is a new type of learning which allows people to learn across context and without restriction of location. This paper attempts to review the evolution of m-learning and to find out the learning trends and readiness of using mobile technologies within the community so that some practices could be encouraged to enhance learning experience. It is found that the latest mobile technologies are mature to support m-learning. As proven in many successful cases, m-learning has the advantages on boosting interaction and collaboration among students and teachers. M-learning is now perceived as the extension of e-learning that really makes learning available anywhere and anytime. When developing m-learning as a new learning option for student, it is necessary to balance between the organisational or student needs and the rapid technological changes. Security and copyright issues should also be carefully considered. UT WOS:000286500800028 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI The Use of Virtual Classroom in Library and Information Management Courses AU Lam, J Cheung, SKS Lau, N Yau, J ED Tsang, P Cheung, SKS Lee, VSK Huang, RH CT 3rd International Conference on Hybrid Learning CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Beijing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO HYBRID LEARNING VL 6248 BP 352 EP 361 PY 2010 TC 0 AB As an effective tool to support blended learning, virtual classroom provides a virtual learning environment that allows instructors and learners to interact with each other anywhere. In this paper, we review the use of virtual classroom in library and information management courses, which are typically informative courses, in our institution. A survey is conducted to investigate the students' general views on virtual classroom and their perception of blended learning. The results show that most of the students supported virtual classroom as it made them feel more connected to the course and helped them to study more efficiently. They generally considered virtual classroom as a crucial extension of the traditional classroom to enhance interaction and participation. The results also show the students welcome the blended mode of learning. UT WOS:000286500800032 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI The Diminishing Influence of Age and Gender on e-Learning Readiness of Teachers in Hong Kong AU So, KKT Swatman, P ED Tsang, P Cheung, SKS Lee, VSK Huang, RH CT 3rd International Conference on Hybrid Learning CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Beijing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO HYBRID LEARNING VL 6248 BP 477 EP 488 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The purpose of this research project is to discover how the factors Gender and Age influence the e-learning readiness of Hong Kong's primary and secondary school in-service and trainee teachers. Using a combination of existing e-learning assessment tools with experiences gained from business field and the conceptual model developed from the literature, two questionnaires were created to survey in-service and trainee teachers in Hong Kong. Findings of this research show that Gender and Age have significant influence on in-service teachers. However, there is no significant influence on trainee teachers in Hong Kong. More importantly, the survey result of this research shows that the general perception which was true in the past thirty years that males are better at using ICT than females does not hold true any more. UT WOS:000286500800043 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Engagement, telepresence and interactivity in online consumer experience: Reconciling scholastic and managerial perspectives AU Mollen, A Wilson, H SO JOURNAL OF BUSINESS RESEARCH VL 63 IS 9-10 BP 919 EP 925 PY 2010 TC 0 AB We propose a conceptual framework that reconciles the practitioners' view of engagement as central to online best practice and the scholarly view that tends to use other constructs to assess consumer experience. Building on research in e-learning as well as online marketing, we characterize the consumer experiential response to website and environmental stimuli as a dynamic, tiered perceptual spectrum which includes interactivity, telepresence and engagement. We construe engagement as a cognitive and affective commitment to an active relationship with the brand as personified by the website, and we propose dimensions of this construct. We discuss how the constructs of interactivity, flow and involvement are related to but distinct from the constructs within our conceptual framework. We offer suggestions for future empirical research into developing a scale for engagement and assessing its importance and utility. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000281413800002 SN 0148-2963 DI 10.1016/j.jbusres.2009.05.014 ER PT J TI Referential learning of French and Czech labels in African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus): Different methods yield contrasting results AU Giret, N Peron, F Lindova, J Tichotova, L Nagle, L Kreutzer, M Tymr, F Bovet, D SO BEHAVIOURAL PROCESSES VL 85 IS 2 BP 90 EP 98 PY 2010 TC 1 AB Some African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus), the most famous being Pepperberg's parrot Alex, are able to imitate human speech and produce labels referentially. In this study, the aim was to teach ten African grey parrots from two laboratories to label items. Training three parrots from the first laboratory for several months with the Model/Rival method, developed by Pepperberg, in which two humans interact in front of the subject to demonstrate the use of a label, led to disappointing results. Similarly, seven parrots from the second laboratory, having been trained with several variants of Model/Rival attained little success. After the informal observation of the efficiency of other methods (i.e. learning to imitate labels either spontaneously or with specific learning methods and use of these labels referentially), four different teaching methods were tested with two birds: the Model/Rival; Repetition/Association which consisted of repeating a label and presenting the item only when the parrot produced the label; Intuitive in which the experimenter handled an item and repeated its name in front of the subject; Diffusion in which labels with either variable or flat intonation were played back daily to parrots. One bird learned three labels, one of which was used referentially, with the Repetition/Association method. He learned one label non-referentially with the Model/Rival but no labels were acquired using the other methods. The second bird did not learn any labels. This study demonstrates that different methods can be efficient to teach labels referentially and it suggests that rearing conditions and interindividual variability are important features when assessing learning ability of African grey parrots. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000282121400002 SN 0376-6357 DI 10.1016/j.beproc.2010.06.010 ER PT J TI "DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT & IMPLEMENTATION OF E-LEARNING TOOLS" AU Bagale, GS Sawankumar, N Deshmukh, AJ Patil, RY ED Sobh, T CT International Joint Conference on Computer, Information, Systems Sciences and Engineering CY DEC 05-13, 2008 CL Bridgeport, CT SO INNOVATIONS AND ADVANCES IN COMPUTER SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING BP 43 EP 48 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The ICT (Information & Communication Technology) can be used as a resource; a resource that provides access point for information as well as real world requirements. This paper shows way how to use ICT for effective & efficient teaching-learning process. The paper throws light on need and use of ICT in Teaching, Learning and Laboratory work, contribution by teachers, students and others to make ICT a reality in technical education. Also paper presents benefits, constraints and steps required to be taken for use effective use of ICT. This paper gives information about some free software which helps to create online courses & helps in teaching-learning process. This paper also explains "BITS Virtual University-A Case Study" UT WOS:000281247700008 DI 10.1007/978-90-481-3658-2_8 ER PT J TI Principles of Ergonomics and Design discussed through systems utilized for e-learning AU Freire, LL Arezes, PM Campos, JC ED Arezes, P Baptista, JS Barroso, MP Carneiro, P Cordeiro, P Costa, N Melo, R Miguel, AS Perestrelo, GP CT 6th International Symposium on Occupational Safety and Hygiene (SHO 2010) CY FEB 11-12, 2010 CL Univ Minho, Sch Engn, Guimaraes, PORTUGAL SO SHO2010: INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HYGIENE BP 256 EP 260 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This article's main goal is to present a review on the principles of ergonomics applied to tools used for e-learning. It is known that the errors in the application of these principles entail cognitive overload on users of these platforms, so the article tries to address the issue comprehensively. Thus, in the first section presents the most notable ergonomic principles as the foundations of Cognitive and Informational Ergonomics and then presents guidelines for the usability of information systems that can serve as support for academic interactions. In the second part, there will be a discussion about some aspects from collaborative learning experiences among teachers and students in research projects and extension. The methodology of this paper points to a research of qualitative nature, where the aim was to understand the interactions virtually experienced by users of systems whose goal is to encourage the construction of the academic knowledge. The results of this research appear as an additional form of analysis of issues related to ergonomics, so that the information systems always prioritize the different profiles of its users. UT WOS:000281444800048 ER PT J TI E-learning and Blended Learning in the Gulf Region AU Biju, SM ED Iskander, M Kapila, V Karim, MA CT International Joint Conference on Computer, Information, Systems Sciences and Engineering CY DEC 05-13, 2008 CL Bridgeport, CT SO TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION AND AUTOMATION BP 7 EP 9 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In today's ultra modern world the traditional face to face (F2F)teaching has been replace by e-leaming or online learning. Companies find this method very effective to train their employees without using up work hours. E-leaming has been implemented by many educational institutions at undergraduate and graduate level in the Gulf region. Blended learning has been adopted by many schools and universities in the Gulf. Blended learning is e-learning along with onsite support. This paper will discuss different modes of e-learning, assignment design techniques and E-learning trends in the Gulf region. UT WOS:000281247800002 DI 10.1007/978-90-481-3656-8_2 ER PT J TI Dimensions of Online Behavior: Implications for Engineering E-Learning AU Johnson, GM Johnson, JA ED Iskander, M Kapila, V Karim, MA CT International Joint Conference on Computer, Information, Systems Sciences and Engineering CY DEC 05-13, 2008 CL Bridgeport, CT SO TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION AND AUTOMATION BP 61 EP 66 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-students vary in terms of online behavior, defined as organized (e.g., web search) and disorganized (e.g., browse) interactions with both human (e.g., chat) and nonhuman (e.g., database) elements in online environments. Online behavior is conceptualized in terms of the dimensions of sociability (human connection motives), utility (efficiency orientation), and reciprocity (the need for cognitive stimulation and active involvement when using the Internet). Individuals from various disciplines completed the Brief Test of Online Behavior and received scores on the three dimensions of online behavior. Although variation was apparent, the professional engineer was not distinguished by his scores on sociability, utility, or reciprocity, suggesting that all three dimensions of online behavior should be considered in e-learning. UT WOS:000281247800013 DI 10.1007/978-90-481-3656-8_13 ER PT J TI Automated Marking of Transfer Function Problems AU Moore, D ED Iskander, M Kapila, V Karim, MA CT International Joint Conference on Computer, Information, Systems Sciences and Engineering CY DEC 05-13, 2008 CL Bridgeport, CT SO TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION AND AUTOMATION BP 139 EP 144 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The increasing significance of e-learning, on-demand lecturing and auto-tutoring systems in tertiary education necessitates automated evaluation systems. Current literature presents a number of applied methods for evaluation, but little specific research on the evaluation of transfer function problems found in control engineering curricula. This paper presents a number of methods for use in the assessment of such mathematical entities, with particular emphasis on its application to problems in system identification. Further, the paper raises a number of concerns that need to be addressed when designing a complete evaluation procedure for dynamic systems. UT WOS:000281247800027 DI 10.1007/978-90-481-3656-8_27 ER PT J TI Euro-QLIO a New Educational Tool for Specialist Training at European Level AU Pop, H Alionte, CG Prisecaru, M Apostol, V Popescu, G Filipoiu, ID Heit, B Gueorguiev, T ED Iskander, M Kapila, V Karim, MA CT International Joint Conference on Computer, Information, Systems Sciences and Engineering CY DEC 05-13, 2008 CL Bridgeport, CT SO TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION AND AUTOMATION BP 149 EP 152 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In the context of constant development of methods for distance learning, or e-learning, the paper presents a project in which the software tools specific to this type of education are being applied, namely, the ERASMUS project called "Filiere Euro Qualite Logistique des Organisations", acronym EURO-QLIO. The c-learning process offers flexibility and affordability "anywhere, anytime", so that it can be used in both hybrid and joint learning. The project EURO-QLIO ensures the preparation and conduct of the partnership for training in the field of Metrology, Quality Control and Organization Logistics. The partnership is ensured by the involvement of three renowned universities from three different countries: "University Henri Poincare" from Nancy, France (which is the project coordinator) "University Politehnica of Bucharest", Romania, and "University Angel Kanchev" from Rousse, Bulgaria. The Romanian partner has co-opted from the industrial area the firm "SC Marco & Alex Instalati Frig SRL". This partner represents the interface between the Euro-QLIO project and the industrial beneficiaries. The educational platform is based on two very important components, namely: establishment of a virtual campus and issuance of a diploma with triple recognition. UT WOS:000281247800029 DI 10.1007/978-90-481-3656-8_29 ER PT J TI Pattern-Based Usability Analysis: Comparison with a Case-Study AU Zub, D Eessaar, E ED Iskander, M Kapila, V Karim, MA CT International Joint Conference on Computer, Information, Systems Sciences and Engineering CY DEC 05-13, 2008 CL Bridgeport, CT SO TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION AND AUTOMATION BP 225 EP 230 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In our previous paper, we presented a method for evaluating the usability of e-learning systems. Also a general method was proposed that could be used to evaluate different aspects of software systems using different kinds of patterns. In this paper, we describe the results of a research, during which we looked through some evaluations of e-learning systems. We did it in order to find a published research (control study) with which we could compare our method of analysis. The paper describes the study we have selected for our re-evaluation. We also present the results of our study and compare these with the results of the control study. UT WOS:000281247800042 DI 10.1007/978-90-481-3656-8_42 ER PT J TI The Learning Process Management in E-learning Environment in the Technology School "Electronic Systems" Associated with the Technical University of Sofia AU Stoyanova, LY ED Iskander, M Kapila, V Karim, MA CT International Joint Conference on Computer, Information, Systems Sciences and Engineering CY DEC 05-13, 2008 CL Bridgeport, CT SO TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION AND AUTOMATION BP 271 EP 274 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The goal of this paper is to analyze the possibilities for learning process management in the c-learning environment of the Technology School "Electronic Systems" associated with the Technical University of Sofia. In the paper interactions between student, lecturer and content are described. On that base the test results received from the system are proposed to be analyzed in two ways in order to help the lecturer taking learning process management decisions, concerning the further students' activities - individual or in group. UT WOS:000281247800050 DI 10.1007/978-90-481-3656-8_50 ER PT J TI The Development of a Lecture Capture System Based on a Tool to Support Hearing Impaired Students AU Stewart, I Allan, M Harrison, D ED Iskander, M Kapila, V Karim, MA CT International Joint Conference on Computer, Information, Systems Sciences and Engineering CY DEC 05-13, 2008 CL Bridgeport, CT SO TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION AND AUTOMATION BP 287 EP 292 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In this paper, we describe the development of a support tool based on voice recognition technology for deaf students in the lecture environment. The successful prototype is then extended in a pilot scheme to provide additional material for the entire student body. Based on the feedback from the pilot scheme a proposal for a framework to support student interaction with captured lecture content is developed. The work is placed in the context of other developments and issues in the fields of deaf studies and e-learning. UT WOS:000281247800053 DI 10.1007/978-90-481-3656-8_53 ER PT J TI Generalized Net Model of E-learning System with Privacy Protection Module AU Orozova, DA Jecheva, VG ED Iskander, M Kapila, V Karim, MA CT International Joint Conference on Computer, Information, Systems Sciences and Engineering CY DEC 05-13, 2008 CL Bridgeport, CT SO TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION AND AUTOMATION BP 309 EP 313 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The present paper introduces a generalized net model of e-learning system, which can satisfy some specific security requirements. The purpose is to analyze the major types of e-learning users and their roles into the distance learning process, as well as their interactions through the system. In addition, some security requirements to the e-learning system are considered and a security monitor is incorporated into the proposed model. UT WOS:000281247800057 DI 10.1007/978-90-481-3656-8_57 ER PT J TI Advanced Knowledge Assessment System - Functional and Conceptual Specification AU Genci, J ED Iskander, M Kapila, V Karim, MA CT International Joint Conference on Computer, Information, Systems Sciences and Engineering CY DEC 05-13, 2008 CL Bridgeport, CT SO TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION AND AUTOMATION BP 315 EP 319 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-learning has become an accepted technology widely used during the last decade. However, main attention was devoted to content development, its presentation and functionality within learning management systems. On the other side, there was not so high interest in the area of knowledge assessment. This contribution deals with the specification of an advanced knowledge assessment system, it includes the functional specification and the conceptual model too. UT WOS:000281247800058 DI 10.1007/978-90-481-3656-8_58 ER PT J TI Knowledge Assessment - Practical Example in Testing AU Genci, J ED Iskander, M Kapila, V Karim, MA CT International Joint Conference on Computer, Information, Systems Sciences and Engineering CY DEC 05-13, 2008 CL Bridgeport, CT SO TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION AND AUTOMATION BP 409 EP 412 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Knowledge assessment is inseparable part of current e-learning technologies. It can be used for self-assessment of students to give them feedback about their progress in a study or for an intermediate or final grading for tutors. However, knowledge tests are not developed with the adequate care. Author's experience in the area of knowledge assessment led to a confidence the "unstructured" testing is usually used in this process. It means, that many of knowledge tests are not designed to reveal the reached level of knowledge. Moreover, testing suites are reviewed very seldom regarding their validity and items correlation. This paper presents experiences gained during the design and implementation of a specific software focused on teaching several principles of the Unix.-like operating systems. The structure of the specific assignment follows the Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives. UT WOS:000281247800074 DI 10.1007/978-90-481-3656-8_74 ER PT J TI A Context-Aware Biometric Security System for e-Learning Applications AU Kumlander, D ED Iskander, M Kapila, V Karim, MA CT International Joint Conference on Computer, Information, Systems Sciences and Engineering CY DEC 05-13, 2008 CL Bridgeport, CT SO TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION AND AUTOMATION BP 467 EP 471 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The paper describes a context-aware security system for identifying users mostly during the exam phase in the e-Learning environment. The system employs soft biometric characteristics of the individual and environments parameters in order to capture patterns and later applies those on reactive base identifying the person participating in the exam including external help that could be offered to him illegally from the teacher point of view. The paper discusses how the system can be built and what methods should be implemented within the system prior to the examination in order to increase reliability of the system. UT WOS:000281247800084 DI 10.1007/978-90-481-3656-8_84 ER PT J TI Creating an Immersive Virtual World through Integration of 213 and 3D Technologies to Implement E-Learning Curricula for Middle School Students AU Coton, C Shegog, R Markham, C Thiel, M Peskin, M Tortolero, S ED Iskander, M Kapila, V Karim, MA CT International Joint Conference on Computer, Information, Systems Sciences and Engineering CY DEC 05-13, 2008 CL Bridgeport, CT SO TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION AND AUTOMATION BP 473 EP 476 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-learning applications are becoming ubiquitous in the classroom. However, they are more commonly implemented within the context of flat, 2D content presentation and testing. In some cases an immersive, 3D learning environment may be more compelling, yet implementation of these systems is often costly and resource-intensive, requiring high-cost development tools and hard to find skill sets. This paper describes a low-cost innovative development and implementation of a successful LAN-based HIV, STD, pregnancy prevention middle school curriculum that featured a 3D gaming interface, 2D tailored activities, and video components. The resulting 3D virtual world containing embedded, pre-existing, 2D activities and video at activity stations met criteria for functionality and usability while meeting educational objectives and cost constraints. UT WOS:000281247800085 DI 10.1007/978-90-481-3656-8_85 ER PT J TI E-learning Tools in Naval Engineering AU Popescu, G ED Iskander, M Kapila, V Karim, MA CT International Joint Conference on Computer, Information, Systems Sciences and Engineering CY DEC 05-13, 2008 CL Bridgeport, CT SO TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN EDUCATION AND AUTOMATION BP 535 EP 538 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The designing tools for an e-learning system in the naval engineering are the argument of this paper. The field particularity, like variety and size of ship structures and piping have defined the methods and techniques for developing the specific components of the c-learning system, based mainly on the generation of animated virtual models. Therefore the creation of the necessary tools for a correct 3D perception of the ship and also the tools for self assessment and assessment are the main components for the present e-learning field. The efficient use of the e-learning tools is provided by the management of a unitary platform as an integrated e-learning system. Testing and validation of the e-learning tools has been an important phase in implementing the educational system in the Naval Architecture Faculty of Galati. UT WOS:000281247800097 DI 10.1007/978-90-481-3656-8_97 ER PT J TI Bridging the distance: the use of blogs as reflective learning tools for placement students AU Wolf, K SO HIGHER EDUCATION RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT VL 29 IS 5 BP 589 EP 602 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper reviews the effectiveness of web logs ('blogs'), or online journals, within the context of a compulsory final-year placement unit for public relations students. The key goal behind the use of Web2.0 technology was to encourage ongoing, reflective practice via an exchange between students thereby limiting feelings of isolation commonly reported during the course of this individual tuition unit. Secondary objectives were to encourage exchange between participating students based at different on- and off-shore campuses, integrating an international perspective and insight into best industry practice. From a Unit Coordinator perspective, an additional aim was to create an opportunity that would aid in the early detection of potential problems and to provide a forum in which additional learning material could be provided in response to arising issues. Online journals have their shortcomings, particularly from an administrative point of view. However, the results indicate that the introduction of the Reflective Blog was a successful, particularly in the context of an individual tuition unit, by effectively shifting the focus away from textbook- and teacher-centric education, to interactive peer-to-peer learning opportunities. UT WOS:000281653700008 SN 0729-4360 DI 10.1080/07294360.2010.502292 ER PT J TI Stroke training and education for health and social care staff: a partnership between the NHS and the voluntary sector AU Reid, L SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE VL 5 IS 5 BP 412 EP 413 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Following the Scottish Stroke Services Audit published in 1999, Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS) commissioned the Scottish Association of Health Councils to undertake a survey of patient and carers' views of Scottish stroke services. Survey results suggested stroke carers perceived that staff caring for stroke survivors often showed a lack of awareness of the specific challenges that stroke presented. The report recommended that Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland should work with professional bodies to develop awareness training for staff working in stroke care. UT WOS:000281556600013 SN 1747-4930 DI 10.1111/j.1747-4949.2010.00469.x ER PT J TI E-learning: Developing a Simple Web-Based Intelligent Tutoring System Using Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment and Adaptive Testing Technology AU Wong, K Leung, K Kwan, R Tsang, P ED Tsang, P Cheung, SKS Lee, VSK Huang, RH CT 3rd International Conference on Hybrid Learning CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Beijing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO HYBRID LEARNING VL 6248 BP 23 EP 34 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Language Studies are challenging for students at all levels. This paper presents the desing of a Web-based Intelligent Tutoring System (WITS) based on "Computerized Adaptive Testing" and "Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment". The system is practical and can be implemented incrementally. It is designed for teaching Chinese business writing in Hong Kong to post-secondary students. The proposed system employs self-directed, self-controlled learning ideas and, to some extent, individually packages "assessment" opportunities for individual students. The proposed ITS can be used to identify and guage the knowledge state and ability levels of each individual student. the estimated knowledge state and ability are useful indicators for teacher and student reference. This paper delineates a prototype. A pilot study will follow in the coming academic year. UT WOS:000286500800004 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Diagram Interpretation and e-Learning Systems AU Smith, N Thomas, P Waugh, K ED Goel, AK Jamnik, M Narayanan, NH CT 6th International Conference on the Theory and Applications of Diagrams CY AUG 09-11, 2010 CL Portland, OR SO DIAGRAMMATIC REPRESENTATION AND INFERENCE VL 6170 BP 331 EP 333 PY 2010 TC 0 AB We describe a system capable of grading free-form diagrammatic answers. Our matches meaningful parts of a diagram with equivalents in a model solution. This is complicated by errors, omissions, and superfluous items in the student answer. The result of matching is used to calculate the grade and generate appropriate feedback; it performs at least as well as a human marker on a variety of diagram types. We describe tools that allow the easy creation of questions, marking schemes, and diagram editors suitable for embedding in a VLE quiz engine. UT WOS:000289110300045 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Identification of Felder-Silverman Learning Styles with a Supervised Neural Network AU Zatarain-Cabada, R Barron-Estrada, ML Angulo, VP Garcia, AJ Garcia, CAR ED Huang, DS Zhang, X Garcia, CAR Zhang, L CT 6th International Conference on Intelligent Computing CY AUG 18-21, 2010 CL Changsha, PEOPLES R CHINA SO ADVANCED INTELLIGENT COMPUTING THEORIES AND APPLICATIONS: WITH ASPECTS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE VL 6216 BP 479 EP 486 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In this paper, we present an intelligent tool implemented as a learning social network. An author can create, display, and share lessons, intelligent tutoring systems and other components among communities of learners in web-based and mobile environments. The tutoring systems are tailored to the student's learning style according to the model of Felder-Silverman. The identification of the student's learning style is performed using self-organizing maps. The main contribution of this paper is the implementation of a learning social network to create, view and manage adaptive and intelligent tutoring systems using a new method for automatic identification of the student's learning style. We present the architecture of the social network, the method for identifying learning styles, and some experiments made to the social network. UT WOS:000286799300060 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Expert Activities Automation through Enhanced Business Services Orchestration AU Krupaviciute, A Fayn, J ED Babar, MA Gorton, I CT 4th European Conference on Software Architecture CY AUG 23-26, 2010 CL IT Univ Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DENMARK SO SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE VL 6285 BP 497 EP 500 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Automating sophisticated, personalized expert activities, which are based on the application of professional knowledge to process an individual case, remains a great challenge. It is all the more relevant in some complex domains such as preventive medicine or e-learning where reliable and self-adaptive solutions are expected by users. In this paper we analyze differences between typical procedure-based business processes automation and expert activities automation. We propose to integrate context related knowledge into the business process modeling via the development of an intelligent process management agent. The latter is designed to dynamically orchestrate the set of services that will build up the process reproducing an expert activity, adapted to the concrete client's context. UT WOS:000286563800049 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI E-learning and pediatric nephrology: time to embrace the new technology AU Sethi, SK SO PEDIATRIC NEPHROLOGY VL 25 IS 11 BP 2371 EP 2372 PY 2010 TC 2 UT WOS:000281725200023 SN 0931-041X DI 10.1007/s00467-010-1551-9 ER PT J TI Applying Non-synchronized E-learning to the Nursing Clinical Ladder System AU Leu, LJ Liao, HC Chang, IC Su, ZY SO JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SYSTEMS VL 34 IS 5 BP 909 EP 917 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The time and spatial constraints of face-to-face learning often affect nursing staff's inclination to enroll in ladder system training classes. Hence, their competence in clinical care may be unable to meet the requirements of the hospitals they work at. The e-learning mechanism offers a way to overcome such constraints. However, the differences in learners' achievement and satisfaction between traditional face-to-face and non-synchronized e-learning classes in the nursing clinical ladder system have not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, 155 nursing personnel serving at the case hospital, enrolled in N1/N2 ladder courses, were invited to participate as the subjects. The results showed that those who attended face-to-face learning classes reported higher satisfaction but achieved less in class than those in the e-learning class. The factors which influence the subjects' satisfaction with e-learning were investigated and summarized. UT WOS:000281703200014 SN 0148-5598 DI 10.1007/s10916-009-9306-5 ER PT J TI Enhance low-achieving students' learning involvement in Taiwan's higher education: an approach via e-learning with problem-based learning and self-regulated learning AU Lee, TH Shen, PD Tsai, CW SO TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION VL 15 IS 5 BP 553 EP 565 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This study explored the effects of web-enabled pedagogies on students' involvement in learning. A series of quasi-experiments were conducted to investigate whether students' involvement increases over time if intervened, respectively, by problem-based learning (PBL), self-regulated learning (SRL), and their combinations. Two classes of 102 first-year students at a vocational school in a one-semester course were chosen for this empirical study. The results were generally supportive. The authors further discuss the implications for schools, scholars, and teachers engaged in e-learning. UT WOS:000281728900007 SN 1356-2517 DI 10.1080/13562517.2010.506999 ER PT J TI Building Group Recommendations in E-Learning Systems AU Zakrzewska, D ED Jedrzejowicz, P Nguyen, NT Howlett, RJ Jain, LC CT 4th KES International Symposium on Agent and Multi-Agent Systems CY JUN 23-25, 2010 CL Gdynia Maritime Univ, Gdynia, POLAND SO AGENT AND MULTI-AGENT SYSTEMS: TECHNOLOGIES AND APPLICATIONS, PT I, PROCEEDINGS VL 6070 BP 391 EP 400 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Building groups of students of similar features enables to suggest teaching materials according to their member needs. In the paper, it is proposed the agent-based recommender system, which, for each new learner, suggests the student group of similar profiles and consequently indicates suitable learning resources. It is assumed that learners may be characterized by cognitive styles, usability preferences or historical behavior, represented by nominal values. It is considered to build recommendations by using Naive Bayes algorithm. The performance of the technique is validated on the basis of data of learners described by cognitive traits such as dominant learning style dimensions. Tests are done for real data of different groups of similar students as well as of individual learners. UT WOS:000281445600041 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Intelligent E-Learning Systems for Evaluation of User's Knowledge and Skills with Efficient Information Processing AU Kacalak, W Majewski, M Zurada, JM ED Rutkowski, L Scherer, R Tadeusiewicz, R Zadeh, LA Zurada, JM CT 10th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Soft Computing (ICAISC 2010) CY JUN 13-17, 2010 CL Zakopane, POLAND SO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND SOFT COMPUTING, PT II VL 6114 BP 508 EP 515 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper presents a new concept of an e-learning system with intelligent two-way speech communication between the system and its users. Computational intelligence methods allow for analysis, evaluation and assessment of user's knowledge and skills and user's ability for efficient information processing. The system is also capable of control, supervision and optimization of the e-learning process. Developed as a prototype for mobile technologies, the communication system by speech and natural language between the e-learning system and external users consists of biometric user identification, speech recognition, word and sentence recognition, sentence meaning analysis, and user reaction assessment. Also discussed are selected new concepts of intelligent e-learning systems using speech communication. The discussion focuses on recognition and evaluation of spoken natural language sentences with hybrid neural networks. UT WOS:000281548200062 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI AI Methods for a Prediction of the Pedagogical Efficiency Factors for Classical and e-Learning System AU Przybyszewski, K ED Rutkowski, L Scherer, R Tadeusiewicz, R Zadeh, LA Zurada, JM CT 10th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Soft Computing (ICAISC 2010) CY JUN 13-17, 2010 CL Zakopane, POLAND SO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND SOFT COMPUTING, PT II VL 6114 BP 638 EP 644 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The idea to apply the selected AI methods for the determination and prediction of the pedagogical efficiency of the classical and e-learning systems have been described in the paper. The partial and total information functions have been defined for such systems treated like the information systems. The values of the partial information function for the system elements or granules of them are the pedagogical efficiency factors and it is possible to use them for the prediction of the total pedagogical efficiency factor of systems. It is possible to do a prediction only by the AI methods. UT WOS:000281548200078 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI The Support of e-Learning Platform Management by the Extraction of Activity Features and Clustering Based Observation of Users AU Dzega, D Pietruszkiewicz, W ED Konstantopoulos, S Perantonis, S Karkaletsis, V Spyropoulos, CD Vouros, G CT 6th Hellenic Conference on Artificial Intelligence CY MAY 04-07, 2010 CL Athens, GREECE SO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: THEORIES, MODELS AND APPLICATIONS, PROCEEDINGS VL 6040 BP 315 EP 320 PY 2010 TC 0 AB We present an application of data mining in e-learning, where web platform management was supported by the extraction of users' activity features and further by the clusterisation of users' profiles. By this approach we have identified groups of users with a similar activity on e-learning platform and were able to observe their performance. The experiments presented in this paper were performed on the real data coming from Moodle platform. Comparing to the other research in this filed, that focus on the analysis of students, we investigated teachers' behaviour. We have proposed a smoothing model in the form of a dynamic system, that was used to transform the logged events into time series of activities. These series were later used to cluster teachers' performance and to divide them into three groups: active, moderate and passive users. The main aim of our research was to propose and test an data mining based approach to support of e-learning management by an observation of teachers leading to an increase of the process quality. UT WOS:000281445400036 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Do I Matter? The Impact of Individual Differences on Training Process AU Gupta, S Bostrom, RP Anson, R CT 48th Annual Computer Personnel Research Conference CY MAY 20-22, 2010 CL Vancouver, CANADA SO SIGMIS CPR '10: PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2010 ACM SIGMIS COMPUTER PERSONNEL RESEARCH CONFERENCE BP 112 EP 120 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The increasing investment in technology for training and learning in organizations underscores the fundamental importance for researchers to understand and investigate technology-mediated learning (TML). Currently, a great deal of Information Systems (IS) training for both IS professionals and end-users has a TML component With the continuing growth of TML and advances in information technology, there will be a likely increate in TML-based IS training in the future. Advances in technology have created opportunities to deliver mass training as well as to personalize learning To facilitate understanding in this area, this research analyzes the impact of individual differences on end-user training (EUT) in a TML environment. Using Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST), the learning process is modeled as the appropriation of a training method Individual differences, or internal structures, are argued to have a significant direct effect on training outcomes and to impact the level of faithfulness of appropriation of learning/training method, thus, having an important indirect effect on learning outcomes In this study, multiple individual differences were investigated in a laboratory experiment. Data was analyzed using SEM. The results of the study provide a vehicle for researchers, both in IS and Education, to better design and develop training methods and technology tools UT WOS:000281484700017 ER PT J TI Design of Online Professional Development in Science Content and Pedagogy: A Pilot Study in Florida AU Cavanaugh, C Dawson, K SO JOURNAL OF SCIENCE EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY VL 19 IS 5 BP 438 EP 446 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The Exploring Florida Science project goals were: (1) increasing content knowledge of secondary science teachers, specifically in topics that are important to the future of the state, and (2) providing secondary science students with digital media for use in project-based learning. A team of instructional designers, educators, scientists, web designers and teacher educators designed an online professional development environment. Needs analysis included identification of the high incidence topics on the state science achievement test and topics of socio-scientific importance in the state. Development followed tenets of design-based research, and was guided by E-Learning for Educators standards and evaluated for content, pedagogy and usability using rubrics based on established guidelines. This paper details design, development, and evaluation frameworks, and summarizes pilot testing outcomes. UT WOS:000281859500005 SN 1059-0145 DI 10.1007/s10956-010-9210-2 ER PT J TI Effectiveness of the universal prevention program 'Healthy School and Drugs': Study protocol of a randomized clustered trial AU Malmberg, M Overbeek, G Kleinjan, M Vermulst, A Monshouwer, K Lammers, J Vollebergh, WAM Engels, RCME SO BMC PUBLIC HEALTH VL 10 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Background: Substance use is highly prevalent among Dutch adolescents. The Healthy School and Drugs program is a nationally implemented school-based prevention program aimed at reducing early and excessive substance use among adolescents. Although the program's effectiveness was tested in a quasi-experimental design before, many program changes were made afterwards. The present study, therefore, aims to test the effects of this widely used, renewed universal prevention program. Methods/Design: A randomized clustered trial will be conducted among 3,784 adolescents of 23 secondary schools in The Netherlands. The trial has three conditions; two intervention conditions (i.e., e-learning and integral) and a control condition. The e-learning condition consists of three digital learning modules (i.e., about alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana) that are sequentially offered over the course of three school years (i.e., grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3). The integral condition consists of parental participation in a parental meeting on substance use, regulation of substance use, and monitoring and counseling of students' substance use at school, over and above the three digital modules. The control condition is characterized as business as usual. Participating schools were randomly assigned to either an intervention or control condition. Participants filled out a digital questionnaire at baseline and will fill out the same questionnaire three more times at follow-up measurements (8, 20, and 32 months after baseline). Outcome variables included in the questionnaire are the percentage of binge drinking (more than five drinks per occasion), the average weekly number of drinks, and the percentage of adolescents who ever drunk a glass of alcohol and the percentage of adolescents who ever smoked a cigarette or a joint respectively for tobacco and marijuana. Discussion: This study protocol describes the design of a randomized clustered trial that evaluates the effectiveness of a school-based prevention program. We expect that significantly fewer adolescents will engage in early or excessive substance use behaviors in the intervention conditions compared to the control condition as a direct result of the intervention. We expect that the integral condition will yield most positive results, compared with the e-learning condition and control condition. UT WOS:000282239600008 SN 1471-2458 DI 10.1186/1471-2458-10-541 ER PT J TI Assessment of instructors' readiness for implementing e-learning in continuing medical education in Iran AU Eslaminejad, T Masood, M Ngah, NA SO MEDICAL TEACHER VL 32 IS 10 BP E407 EP E412 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Back ground: E-learning provides new levels of flexibility in learning and teaching. This contribution of e-learning is dependent on the levels of readiness in several critical factors particularly in an educational organization. Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess instructors' readiness and to identify the most important factors that affect their readiness in e-learning in CME programs in order to use the effective opportunities that facilitate e-learning in CME programs. Methods: A 5-point Likert scale instrument consisting of two domains (technical and pedagogical) was constructed according to four subdomains (knowledge, attitude, skills, and habits) and distributed to 70 faculty members. A factor analysis was employed to extract significant factors. Results: The results revealed that the mean of readiness on e-learning for faculty members was 3.25 +/- 0.58 in technical and 3.37 +/- 0.49 in pedagogical domains on a 5-point Likert scale (1-5). The factors such as "familiarity with learning management system," "willingness to teach by adopting a new technology," "willingness to use e-learning as a viable alternative," "ability to deliver e-material and to provide e-content for teaching," and "being accustomed to the virtual environment and utilization of the computer and the internet" were extracted on technical readiness domain. In addition, the pedagogical readiness factors were: "familiarity with online teaching principle and method," "willingness to use technology in instruction and material development," "ability to design content for e-material and online course evaluation,'' and "being accustomed to providing information back up regularly and employing eclectic methods and multiple approaches in teaching." Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that training should be offered to instructors on a continuous, rather than a one-off basis so that their IT knowledge and skills are upgraded over time. In addition, results indicate that pedagogical innovations are required to develop and implement an effectiveness e-learning program. UT WOS:000282957200001 SN 0142-159X DI 10.3109/0142159X.2010.496006 ER PT J TI Developing professionalism through the use of wikis: A study with first-year undergraduate medical students AU Varga-Atkins, T Dangerfield, P Brigden, D SO MEDICAL TEACHER VL 32 IS 10 BP 824 EP 829 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Aim: Learning about professionalism occurs through collaboration, with peer groups being important sources of support for students [Sandars J, Homer M, Pell G, Croker T. 2008. Web 2.0 and social software: The medical student way of e-learning. Med Teach 14:1-5. Accessed 2008 February 14]. This study aimed to discover whether the use of wikis (collaborative websites) could enhance medical students' development of professionalism. Methods: An online wiki was made available to four problem-based learning (PBL) groups, involving 32 students. Data collection comprised a small-scale student survey and four focus groups eliciting their views about wiki use, triangulated with facilitator interviews and wiki usage statistics. Results: Several factors affected individual student and group engagement with wikis, such as positive group dynamics. Students shared web links, helping clarify PBL discussions and increase their confidence. Conclusions: Two main benefits of using wikis for the development of professionalism with medical students were revealed. First, wikis acted as a shared knowledge base for hard-to-find resources on professionalism. Second, it was precisely when students reflected on the difference between interacting in wikis and their online social spaces, or when they considered whether or not to post a resource that their sense of professionalism emerged. UT WOS:000282957200014 SN 0142-159X DI 10.3109/01421591003686245 ER PT J TI The development of SCORM-conformant learning content based on the learning cycle using participatory design AU Su, CY Chiu, CH Wang, TI SO JOURNAL OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING VL 26 IS 5 BP 392 EP 406 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This study incorporates the 5E learning cycle strategy to design and develop Sharable Content Object Reference Model-conformant materials for elementary science education. The 5E learning cycle that supports the constructivist approach has been widely applied in science education. The strategy consists of five phases: engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration and evaluation. It has potential value for creating effective science e-learning materials. This study implemented the participatory design (PD) method to investigate the possibility of applying the 5E model to science e-learning materials. PD is an approach that understands knowledge by doing and focuses on collaborating with the intended users rather than designing 'for' them. In this study, researchers, designers and elementary science teachers cooperated at all stages of the design process (including explanation, analysis and decision making). The issues to be dealt with in this study included instructional designs based on the 5E model, techniques or specifications of e-learning, learning objects, metadata and procedures. The results of this study provided concrete recommendations for how to incorporate the 5E learning cycle and how to develop effective e-learning materials for elementary science instruction. UT WOS:000281895600008 SN 0266-4909 DI 10.1111/j.1365-2729.2010.00355.x ER PT J TI Estimating the Difficulty Level of the Challenges Proposed in a Competitive e-Learning Environment AU Verdu, E Regueras, LM Verdu, MJ de Castro, JP ED GarciaPedrajas, N Herrera, F Fyfe, C Benitez, JM Ali, M CT 23rd International Conference on Industrial, Engineering and Other Applications of Applied Intelligent Systems CY JUN 01-04, 2010 CL Cordoba, SPAIN SO TRENDS IN APPLIED INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, PT I, PROCEEDINGS VL 6096 BP 225 EP 234 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The success of new learning systems depends highly on their ability to adapt to the characteristics and needs of each student QUESTOURnament is a competitive e-learning tool, which is being re-designed in order to turn it into an adaptive e-learning system. managing different contests adapted to the progress of the students In this adaptation process. the lust step is to design a mechanism that objectively estimates the difficulty level of the challenges proposed in this environment The present impel describes the designed method. which uses a genetic algorithm in order to discover the characteristics of the answers to the questions corresponding to the different difficulty levels The fitness function. which evaluates the quality of the different potential solutions, as well as other operators of the genetic algorithm are described Finally. an experiment with a real data set is presented in order to show the performance of this approach UT WOS:000281604000023 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI On the Application of Planning and Scheduling Techniques to E-Learning AU Garrido, A Onaindia, E ED GarciaPedrajas, N Herrera, F Fyfe, C Benitez, JM Ali, M CT 23rd International Conference on Industrial, Engineering and Other Applications of Applied Intelligent Systems CY JUN 01-04, 2010 CL Cordoba, SPAIN SO TRENDS IN APPLIED INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, PT I, PROCEEDINGS VL 6096 BP 244 EP 253 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Al planning techniques have been widely used in e-learning settings to create fully adapted courses the specific needs, had:ground And profile of students but the poetical issues of the teal setting in which the course must be given have been traditionally ignored hi this paper. we present an integrated planning and scheduling approach that accommodates the temporal and resource constraints of the environment to make it course applicable in a real scenario we also provide sonic experimental results to check the approach scalability UT WOS:000281604000025 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI A Fuzzy ANP Model for Evaluating E-Learning Platform AU Sadi-Nezhad, S Etaati, L Makui, A ED GarciaPedrajas, N Herrera, F Fyfe, C Benitez, JM Ali, M CT 23rd International Conference on Industrial, Engineering and Other Applications of Applied Intelligent Systems CY JUN 01-04, 2010 CL Cordoba, SPAIN SO TRENDS IN APPLIED INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, PT I, PROCEEDINGS VL 6096 BP 254 EP 263 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In recent past. there have been a great number of e-learning platforms. presented and used in various universities Beside this there have been many efforts made to evaluate these systems which include a number of evaluation techniques and factors However there may be some interrelations between these factors that must he considered during assessment In this paper we present a Fuzzy Analytical Network Process (FANP) model for evaluating e-learning systems which can help us assume dependencies between criteria This ANP model is based on the criteria and sub-criteria which were introduced by previous researchers Also interrelations between the factors are considered from their suggestions Therefore for deriving preference ratio among decision makers and to reach a global argument among them. we use Group Fuzzy Preference Programming Finally we will show the general assessment techniques and some obtained Jesuits using our model to evaluate the three existing e-learning platforms which are employed in sonic universities and compare the results of ANP and AHP models UT WOS:000281604000026 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Ambient Intelligence Application Scenario for Collaborative e-Learning AU Garcia, O Tapia, DI Rodriguez, S Corchado, JM ED GarciaPedrajas, N Herrera, F Fyfe, C Benitez, JM Ali, M CT 23rd International Conference on Industrial, Engineering and Other Applications of Applied Intelligent Systems CY JUN 01-04, 2010 CL Cordoba, SPAIN SO TRENDS IN APPLIED INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, PT I, PROCEEDINGS VL 6096 BP 407 EP 416 PY 2010 TC 0 AB New lean-ling methods are emerging in order to improve and facilitate the use of communication and informatics technologies both by students and professors This impel describes an Ambient Intelligence application scenario based on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning and MANET in order to create creative and flexible e-learning environments where students can use wireless technologies for improving the leaning process UT WOS:000281604000041 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Something for everyone: learning and learning technologies in a public library AU Blackburn, F SO AUSTRALIAN LIBRARY JOURNAL VL 59 IS 3 BP 118 EP 126 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The nature of learning in a public library is relevant to what place e-learning and social networking technologies might have there. That a public library aims to provide something for everyone is also important. Alice Springs Public Library (ASPL) is a place of learning; it is also a crowded and composite space. The use ASPL could make of the opportunities offered by e-learning and social networking technologies is affected or determined by the organisation's mission, available space, funding, staffing levels and expertise, and any congruence between the way ASPL is already used for learning and the way these technologies can also be used in that space. These technologies will be facets of a composite service, accessible to everyone. UT WOS:000281715200005 SN 0004-9670 ER PT J TI Dermacademy: a unique e-learning tool for dermatology clinicians AU Atwan, AA Gonzalez, ML CT 90th Annual Meeting of the British-Association-of-Deermatologists CY JUL 06-08, 2010 CL Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM SO BRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY VL 163 BP 34 EP 35 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000279649200071 SN 0007-0963 ER PT J TI Pushing the boundaries of technology to educate and train the next generation of crystallographers AU Kantardjieff, K SO JOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY VL 43 BP 1276 EP 1282 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This article describes the evolution of educational technologies, moving from the Web 1.0 to the current Web 3.0 decade, with the aim of stimulating discussion and inspiring innovative and effective crystallography education in the Web 3.0 decade. In the last 15 years, academic crystallography has largely migrated from a research specialty to a technique employed by a broad user community. This has led to the growth of and dependence on independently funded workshops and summer schools, as well as other non-traditional curricular resources for crystallography instruction, such as web pages and online courses, which allow crystallography to be self-taught. In fact, informal courses and e-learning constitute 70-80% of all learning today, and students expect on-demand learning. Implementing modern web technologies with sound pedagogy requires skilful integration of relevant, often disparate, resources into useful and usable frameworks, enabling learners to interact, explore new situations, and use scientific reasoning skills such as hypothesis testing and model-based reasoning. The evident disproportion in implementing contemporary technologies into our global crystallography education resources requires that we shift our focus from simply imparting subject knowledge by posting largely text-based content to empowering students with the fundamental processes and skills needed for on-demand learning and practice in crystallography. UT WOS:000281998200016 SN 0021-8898 DI 10.1107/S0021889810027494 ER PT J TI Remote Automation Laboratory Using a Cluster of Virtual Machines AU Vicente, AG Munoz, IB Galilea, JLL del Toro, PAR SO IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS VL 57 IS 10 BP 3276 EP 3283 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper presents a remote laboratory for industrial automation comprising different programmable logic controller (PLC) manufacturers. This facility provides an environment for remote users to learnmany automation topics while using different PLCs together with several types of sensors, actuators, and industrial communication networks. The laboratory architecture that makes up the remote automation laboratory (RAL) is based on a Moodle-server master PC (MPC), which also manages the booking system of PLC benches available in the laboratory. There exist a cluster of virtual machines (VMs) running on several slave PCs (SPCs), four VMs per SPC. Each VM can manage a type of PLC bench of the automation laboratory. The MPC server balances the load of SPCs allowing the implementation and easy upgrading of the RAL offering different PLCs at the same time within the same remote interface. The remote laboratory has Internet protocol cameras providing a view of the real environment of each PLC bench to the remote user. The authentication system and management of remote users and PLC benches are made via Moodle plug-ins and hypertext preprocessor (PHP) scripts. Two external/internal routers dynamically configure the remote users' access to a particular PLC bench. RAL architecture can be applied to other e-learning areas. UT WOS:000283256000005 SN 0278-0046 DI 10.1109/TIE.2010.2041131 ER PT J TI Power Engineering and Motion Control Web Laboratory: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Mechatronics Course AU Rojko, A Hercog, D Jezernik, K SO IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS VL 57 IS 10 BP 3343 EP 3354 PY 2010 TC 0 AB During the E-learning Distance Interactive Practical Education project, 13 partners from 11 European countries joined together to build a power engineering and motion control remote laboratory, which would offer 18 complete online courses with remote experiments and high-quality documentation, to students from the universities of all participating partners. The major benefit of this project is the possibility of sharing expensive equipment and lessening the burdens of technical and organizational problems. This paper outlines the project's goals, organization, and, as an example, realization of one of the project's modules. The described module is a mechatronics motion control course, which explains the most important aspects of motion control design, from modeling, simulations, control design, experimental validation, and comparison between various controllers. The technical solutions, educational strategy, and realization details are given for the module. The pilot testing of the module was performed to assess the module and find out what the students' personal attitude concerning e-learning and remote experiments. The results of testing are presented and discussed. UT WOS:000283256000012 SN 0278-0046 DI 10.1109/TIE.2009.2031189 ER PT J TI Wasted on the Young? Comparing the Performance and Attitudes of Younger and Older US Adults in an Online Class on Geographic Information AU DiBiase, D Kidwai, K SO JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHY IN HIGHER EDUCATION VL 34 IS 3 BP 299 EP 326 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This study investigates the counter-intuitive observation that older students tend to thrive better than younger students in online classes. We use a variety of measures to compare performance and attitudes of undergraduates and continuing adult professionals in separate but nearly identical class sections led by the same instructor at a US university during the same nine-month study period. Findings are consistent with theoretical predictions about differences in readiness of younger and older adults for self-directed learning experiences. Results also suggest that online educators should be proactive in stimulating younger students' participation in class discussions, and should find ways to evaluate explicitly the tacit learning that online discussion can foster. UT WOS:000282122300001 SN 0309-8265 DI 10.1080/03098265.2010.490906 ER PT J TI Teaching for Better Learning: A Blended Learning Pilot Project with First-Year Geography Undergraduates AU Moore, N Gilmartin, M SO JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHY IN HIGHER EDUCATION VL 34 IS 3 BP 327 EP 344 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Internationally, recognition is growing that the transition between post-primary and higher education is raising a number of challenges for both students and educators. Simultaneously with growing class sizes, resources have become more constrained and there is a new set of expectations from the onet generationo (Mohanna, 2007, p. 211) The use of e-learning in medical education, Postgraduate Medical Journal, 83, p. 211). Within this transforming context, modes of instruction that cater for different paces of learning and learning styles by combining traditional and electronic media have become increasingly important. This paper discusses the transformation of an introductory human geography module at University College Dublin using a blended learning approach that extends beyond the media used to incorporate all aspects of, and inputs into, the learning process. Our experience highlights how blended learning can aid the achievement of a range of objectives in relation to student engagement and the promotion of deeper learning. However, blended learning is not a quick-fix solution to all issues relating to new university students and our analysis draws out a more complex relationship than anticipated between blended learning and student retention that will require further examination. UT WOS:000282122300002 SN 0309-8265 DI 10.1080/03098265.2010.501552 ER PT J TI Construction of an instrument to measure student information and communication technology skills, experience and attitudes to e-learning AU Wilkinson, A Roberts, J While, AE SO COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR VL 26 IS 6 BP 1369 EP 1376 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Over the past 20 years self-report measures of healthcare students' information and communication technology skills have been developed with limited validation. Furthermore, measures of student experience of e-learning emerged but were not repeatedly used with diverse populations. A psychometric approach with five phases was used to develop and test a new self-report measure of skills and experience with information and communication technology and attitudes to computers in education. Phase 1: Literature review and identification of key items. Phase 2: Development and refinement of items with expert panel (n = 16) and students (n = 3) to establish face and content validity. Phase 3: Pilot testing of draft instrument with graduate pre-registration nursing students (n = 60) to assess administration procedures and acceptability of the instrument. Phase 4: Test-retest with further sample of graduate pre-registration nursing students (n = 70) tested stability and internal consistency. Phase 5: Main study with pre-registration nursing students (n = 458), further testing of internal consistency. The instrument proved to have moderate test-retest stability and the sub-scales had acceptable internal consistency. When used with a larger, more diverse population the psychometric properties were more variable. Further work is needed to refine the instrument with specific reference to possible cultural and linguistic response patterns and technological advances. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000282155200019 SN 0747-5632 DI 10.1016/j.chb.2010.04.010 ER PT J TI Motivational factors that influence the acceptance of Moodle using TAM AU Sanchez, RA Hueros, AD SO COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR VL 26 IS 6 BP 1632 EP 1640 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Moodle and other virtual teaching platforms have bolstered the ability and motivation of universities to support distance learning. The aim of our study is to improve understanding of the motivational factors behind student satisfaction, or dissatisfaction, with the Web-based learning platform, Moodle. Our study extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to include technical support and perceived self-efficacy, with the expectation that they influence usage of Moodle. We surveyed 226 students of the Business Administration and Management (LADE) and Infant and Primary School Teaching degree courses of the University of Huelva. The data showed that technical support has a direct effect on perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. Moodle usage was also directly influenced by perceived ease of use and attitude. The results reveal the importance of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness on attitude. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000282155200051 SN 0747-5632 DI 10.1016/j.chb.2010.06.011 ER PT J TI A proposed model for evaluating the success of WebCT course content management system AU Adeyinka, T Mutula, S SO COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR VL 26 IS 6 BP 1795 EP 1805 PY 2010 TC 0 AB WebCT is an online course management system which is accessed through the portal. It has a wide range of tools which support teaching and learning and enable online delivery of lecture notes, representations, surveys and quizzes, coursework, discussion boards and much more. Evaluation of WebCT systems success or effectiveness is a fundamental challenge to education institutions. A review of previous e-learning research suggests a focused evaluation approach, thus offering limited discussion of comprehensive views of WebCT systems success or systematic and practical guidance to its evaluations. Based on a prevalent information systems success model, this paper proposes and describes a revised model for evaluating WebCT systems success in educational settings. The study findings suggest that content quality, system quality, support service quality, teaching and learning quality, self-regulated learning, intention to use/use, user satisfaction and net benefits are important factors for evaluating the success of WebCT CCMS. Implications of the proposed model for theory and practice were illustrated. In addition, future research directions that extend the reported study are also preferred. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000282155200070 SN 0747-5632 DI 10.1016/j.chb.2010.07.007 ER PT J TI Integrating cognitive load theory and concepts of human-computer interaction AU Hollender, N Hofmann, C Deneke, M Schmitz, B SO COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR VL 26 IS 6 BP 1278 EP 1288 PY 2010 TC 1 AB With the continually increasing complexity of e-learning environments, there is a need for integrating concepts of cognitive load theory (CLT) with concepts of human-computer interaction (HCI). Basic concepts of both fields were reviewed and contrasted. A literature review was conducted within the literature database "The Guide to Computing Literature," searching for "cognitive load theory" and "Sweller." Sixty-five publications contained "cognitive load" in their titles or abstracts. Each publication was checked to see whether it contained the concepts of intrinsic, extraneous, or germane cognitive load. The review showed that CLT concepts have been adopted in HCI. However, the concept of germane cognitive load has attracted less attention up to the present time. Two conceptual models are proposed. The first model divides extraneous cognitive load into load induced by the instructional design and load caused by software usage. The model clarifies the focus of traditional usability principles and of existing instructional design principles derived from CLT. The second model fits CLT concepts into the basic components of user-centered design. The concept of germane cognitive load illustrates that an increase of cognitive load can be desirable when designing e-learning environments. Areas for future interdisciplinary research are sketched. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000282155200009 SN 0747-5632 DI 10.1016/j.chb.2010.05.031 ER PT J TI The Opportunities for College Minority Students Brought by E-learning Methods AU Li, Y Sun, ZX ED Zhang, T CT International Conference on Eduction and Sports Education CY JUL 17-18, 2010 CL Wuhan, PEOPLES R CHINA SO 2010 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION AND SPORTS EDUCATION, VOL 1 BP 1 EP 4 PY 2010 TC 0 AB There is a growing concern about college minority students, especially about cultivation problems. After analyzing the problems and obstacles existing in their learning, considering the advantages of e-learning in solving such difficulties, the paper proposes an alternative method of e-learning, and elaborates the corresponding opportunities about e-learning. It is hoped that clearing off these questions will bring new air and vitality to college minority students. UT WOS:000282022300001 ER PT J TI The Impact of Computer Based Education on Learning Method A Case Study of Honghe University AU Sun, JH Zhu, YB Fu, JW Xu, HC ED Zhang, T CT International Conference on Eduction and Sports Education CY JUL 17-18, 2010 CL Wuhan, PEOPLES R CHINA SO 2010 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION AND SPORTS EDUCATION, VOL 1 BP 76 EP 79 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The Internet and web technologies promote more and more outstanding e-learning system was developed and used. Computer based education (CBE) is changing the learning method of students as the information technology sharply developing. For better results in teaching, the teaching method and curriculum program should be reformed as the students' learning method is changing. In this paper, we will survey CBE how to change the students' learning method through a case study, and then we will discuss the countermeasure in teaching method and curriculum program. UT WOS:000282022300021 ER PT J TI Rowing with the team or paddling alone: Positive Approach to Care of the Older Person e-learning Program [Poster] AU Moehead, A Moriarty, M SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH NURSING VL 19 BP A33 EP A34 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000280975400113 SN 1445-8330 ER PT J TI Introducing and Evaluating MorphDent, a Web-Based Learning Program in Dental Morphology AU Mitov, G Dillschneider, T Abed, MR Hohenberg, G Pospiech, P SO JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION VL 74 IS 10 BP 1133 EP 1139 PY 2010 TC 0 AB MorphoDent, a computer-assisted learning program designed to teach the anatomy of the adult dentition, was introduced into the curriculum of dentistry at the University of Saarland in Homburg, Germany. Thirty-six second-year students of the School of Dentistry were introduced to morphoDent alongside the traditional lectures of dental anatomy. Questionnaires that evaluated the students' perceptions of virtual learning as well as aspects of the functionality of the program educational objectives were developed and distributed to the students. Online tests were performed and compared with a traditional examination. All questionnaires were returned. A wide variety of aspects dealing the pedagogic implications of e-learning were evaluated by the students, with the overall result being that students are aware of the needed hardware and technical skills and expect the quality of their studies to improve by implementation of e-learning. All sophomores except one felt that morphoDent had helped them in learning dental morphology and reported enjoying the virtual anatomical examination. One-third reported technical difficulties in operating the program. The average exam score was 2.53 (SD: 0.66) for the traditional and 2.23 (SD: 0.59) for the online dental anatomy test. Students expressed their positive attitude towards e-learning in general and indicated that the use of photorealistic 3D models of human teeth supported the process of individual learning of dental anatomy. The online test could be rated as a good option for students' self-performance rating. UT WOS:000283028300009 SN 0022-0337 ER PT J TI The effects of feedback protocol on self-regulated learning in a web-based worked example learning environment AU Biesinger, K Crippen, K SO COMPUTERS & EDUCATION VL 55 IS 4 BP 1470 EP 1482 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The current research investigated the effects of differing feedback protocols in a Web-based worked example learning environment to determine if changes would occur over time in goal orientation, self-regulation, self-efficacy or achievement. Participants from an undergraduate chemistry course were assigned to either a norm-referenced or self-referenced feedback group to receive feedback in relation to their performance on a weekly quiz administered via the Web. Results revealed that participants did not significantly change their goal orientation type or magnitude as a result of the differing feedback protocols, even with the addition of learning environment perception as a potential mediating variable. However, participants made significant decreases along the mastery approach and performance approach goal orientation sub-scales, regardless of the type of feedback received. While this was not anticipated, the results are consistent with other recent research within this context. An unanticipated trend also emerged, as those from the norm-referenced feedback group with a class-task perception of the learning environment were less likely to use worked examples but also demonstrated the greatest gains in self-efficacy. These were unanticipated outcomes and contrary to prior research. Recommendations for future research within this context such as authenticating participants' perceptions of their assigned treatment condition, introducing additional feedback protocols such as a combined, choice, or control condition and building in a better gauge to track the time and context of changes within the constructs of interest are also discussed. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000282349200006 SN 0360-1315 DI 10.1016/j.compedu.2010.06.013 ER PT J TI Can learning be virtually boosted? An investigation of online social networking impacts AU Yu, AY Tian, SW Vogel, D Kwok, RCW SO COMPUTERS & EDUCATION VL 55 IS 4 BP 1494 EP 1503 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Online social networking has deeply penetrated university campuses, influencing multiple aspects of student life. We investigate the impacts of individual online social networking engagement (e.g., on Facebook) from a pedagogical standpoint. Based on social learning theory, we argue that two socialization processes, social acceptance and acculturation, bridge individual online social networking engagement with three domains of social learning outcomes. Results from a survey accompanied by focus group discussions demonstrate the substantial impacts of university student online social networking engagement on social learning processes and outcomes. Online social networking not only directly influences university students' learning outcomes, but also helps the students attain social acceptance from others and adapt to university culture, both of which play prominent roles in improving their learning outcomes. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000282349200008 SN 0360-1315 DI 10.1016/j.compedu.2010.06.015 ER PT J TI Linking employees' e-learning system use to their overall job outcomes: An empirical study based on the IS success model AU Chen, HJ SO COMPUTERS & EDUCATION VL 55 IS 4 BP 1628 EP 1639 PY 2010 TC 0 AB e-Learning systems are increasingly being adopted by modern enterprises, because of their cost-down effect. However, the extant literature provides little insight into their beneficial consequences. It is expected that a transfer of acquired knowledge, skills and/or work attitudes to jobs will occur through e-learning systems use. This makes e-learning systems a useful tool for improving job outcomes, although this is not well documented. The IS success model, which captures both the human and technological elements of information systems, provides a theoretical basis for linking system use to system task. The current study then examines the relation between e-learning systems use and overall job outcomes based on the model. The data collected from one hundred and ninety-three e-learning system users were analyzed with partial least square (PLS). The results indicate that e-learning systems are perceived as useful and satisfying by employees, and employees' e-learning systems use is significantly associated with overall job outcomes. In practice, these results provide a basis for establishing a link between an organization's investment in e-learning and human capital management. They also lend empirical support to the IS success model. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000282349200020 SN 0360-1315 DI 10.1016/j.compedu.2010.07.005 ER PT J TI The Add-on Impact of Mobile Applications in Learning Strategies: A Review Study AU Jeng, YL Wu, TT Huang, YM Tan, Q Yang, SJH SO EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY VL 13 IS 3 BP 3 EP 11 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Mobile devices are more powerful and portable nowadays with plenty of useful tools for assisting people handle daily life. With the advance of mobile technology, the issue of mobile learning has been widely investigated in e-learning research. Many researches consider it is important to integrate pedagogical and technical strengths of mobile technology into learning environments. This review study focuses on the investigation of add-on impact of mobile applications in learning strategies. We surveyed recent researches including context awareness, pedagogical strategy-enhanced learning scenarios, as well as collaborative and socially networked mobile learning. Through this review study, essential characteristics of mobile learning were identified and discussed. With the essential characteristics, we emphasized on the add-on impact of mobile learning and elaborated mobile learning model in learning strategies. UT WOS:000282274000002 SN 1436-4522 ER PT J TI Defining Mobile Learning in the Higher Education Landscape AU El-Hussein, MOM Cronje, JC SO EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY VL 13 IS 3 BP 12 EP 21 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The article seeks to clarify the meaning of mobile learning by applying its key concepts to learning experiences in post-school education. In other words, it seeks not to discuss one fixed meaning of mobile learning but to disassemble the basic components and provide an interpretation of the model in the context of higher education. The article argues that in order to comprehensively understand and define mobile learning, we should from the outset separate its key components and arrange them under three different concepts. The first concept relates to the mobility of the technology. The second concept hinges on increased learner mobility. The third concept examines the mobility and dynamism of the learning processes and the flow of information. The article concludes that knowledge in the modern world is transformed by the development of revolutionary technologies in society. UT WOS:000282274000003 SN 1436-4522 ER PT J TI A Learning Assistance Tool for Enhancing ICT Literacy of Elementary School Students AU Huang, CJ Liu, MC Chang, KE Sung, YT Huang, TH Chen, CH Shen, HY Huang, KL Liao, JJ Hu, KW Luo, YC Chang, TY SO EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY VL 13 IS 3 BP 126 EP 138 PY 2010 TC 0 AB With rapid advances in the development of information technology, information access has become central to life in the 21st century. In recent years, the development of useful learning-assistance systems has become a popular topic in literature. Learners can benefit from guidance provided by a tool that assists learning when a student has trouble using an e-learning platform. An effective learning-assistance tool can reduce teacher workload and increase the time spent giving individual guidance to learners who fall behind. However, few machine-learning techniques have been used as learning-assistance tools in literature to determine learner status or provide feedback to learners and teachers. Therefore, this work employs a learning-assistance tool that uses learning-reinforcement techniques to continuously interact with an environment and provides learners with suitable and timely feedback to guide students through difficulties, inspire them, and help them complete assigned tasks. The learning-assistance tool can promote learners' information and communication technology (ICT) literacy and assist learners in overcoming difficulties. Furthermore, teacher workload is significantly reduced because appropriate hints or feedback are automatically delivered to learners without teacher involvement. UT WOS:000282274000012 SN 1436-4522 ER PT J TI Examining the Roles of Blended Learning Approaches in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) Environments: A Delphi Study AU So, HJ Bonk, CJ SO EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY VL 13 IS 3 BP 189 EP 200 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In this study, a Delphi method was used to identify and predict the roles of blended learning approaches in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments. The Delphi panel consisted of experts in online learning from different geographic regions of the world. This study discusses findings related to (a) pros and cons of blended learning approaches in CSCL; (b) blended learning for collaboration in various contexts including the narrative accounts of blended learning approaches in CSCL given by the Delphi panelist; and (c) the future of blended learning in CSCL, via three-phases of online survey questions. Implications for design issues and future research into blended learning and CSCL are also included. UT WOS:000282274000017 SN 1436-4522 ER PT J TI How Epistemic Beliefs Influence e-Learning in Daily Work-life AU Harteis, C Gruber, H Hertramph, H SO EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY VL 13 IS 3 BP 201 EP 211 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Epistemic beliefs comprise the individual understanding of the nature of knowledge and the creation of knowledge. Hence, they impact the perception of learning opportunities and professional learning activities. Many enterprises apply computer technology in order to support staff development through e-learning activities. However, a closer look at the practices of e-learning reveals that only rarely the potential of educational technology for professional learning is fully utilised. Frequently it is neglected that employees' subjectivity - in particular their epistemic beliefs - determines their ways of using educational technology for self-directed learning activities. This contribution reports an empirical study of 256 employees of varying hierarchical status and working in companies of different sizes. The investigation aimed at analysing how epistemic beliefs influence e-learning in daily working-life. The findings indicate that epistemic beliefs impact the quality rather than the amount of professional e-learning. The conclusions offer new impulses for the study of knowledge management. UT WOS:000282274000018 SN 1436-4522 ER PT J TI Ontology-based personalized recommendation technology research of learning resources AU Liu, F Li, XY Gao, GH ED Tan, H CT ETP/IITA Conference on System Science and Simulation in Engineering (SSSE 2010) CY JUN 29-JUL 01, 2010 CL Hong Kong, PEOPLES R CHINA SO 2010 ETP/IITA CONFERENCE ON SYSTEM SCIENCE AND SIMULATION IN ENGINEERING (SSSE 2010) BP 89 EP 92 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In order to provide learning services that meet their individual needs to learners in e-Learning environments, combined with characteristics of ontologyl with concepts and relations well-defined, make personalized ontology model of learners in e-Learning environments and the corresponding personalized recommendation method, which took into account the characteristics of learning resources and learners interests changes, give personalized Q & A and the contents of further study recommendation, get effective combination of the establishment of personalization features of the adaptive educational system and distribution of learning resources network environment. UT WOS:000282085800023 ER PT J TI The Interactive Role of Teachers in the Modern Distance Education AU Liu, YM Chen, YT Lu, WY ED Tian, X CT International Conference on the Development of Eductional Science and Computer Technology CY MAY 30-31, 2010 CL Wuhan, PEOPLES R CHINA SO 2010 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCE AND COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY BP 287 EP 290 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Nowadays, the study shows that many network college's teaching effectiveness is not good, and the modern distance learning can't be able to effectively facilitate learning process. One of the important reasons is the teacher's interactive role problem is not resolved well. Firstly, the interactive tools have many interactive features, which are provided by the computer network, is described in this paper. At the same times, the behaviour of teacher effect on students in the process of positive interaction, which was analyzed in detailed. Secondly, a new point of view was present that the teachers must full understand the sound effects of interaction. Only in this way, the function of e-learning potential promote learning can be deeply exploited in the process of teaching. As a result, the effective learning could be promoted by the social interaction in network teaching environment. UT WOS:000282021600073 ER PT J TI Using AJAX to Build an Online Bilingual Interpreting System for E-learning AU Yu, DX Du, JX ED Tian, X CT International Conference on the Development of Eductional Science and Computer Technology CY MAY 30-31, 2010 CL Wuhan, PEOPLES R CHINA SO 2010 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCE AND COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY BP 397 EP 400 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Bilingual education becomes a hotspot in China recently. This paper presents an Ajax based online bilingual interpreting system which is aim to provide users timely help when they encounter new terms in their e-learning. The framework architecture of the system has been researched and the system has widely applied. UT WOS:000282021600101 ER PT J TI Build High-Quality Interactive Pattern in Network Teaching Environment AU Liu, YM Zhu, JJ Cheng, S ED Tian, X CT International Conference on the Development of Eductional Science and Computer Technology CY MAY 30-31, 2010 CL Wuhan, PEOPLES R CHINA SO 2010 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCE AND COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY BP 401 EP 404 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In recent years, some research results show that many network college's teaching effectiveness is not good, and the modern distance learning can't be able to effectively facilitate learning process. In order to solve these problems, which the relationship between interaction and learning under the environment of computer network teaching is described in this paper. At the same time, the impact factors of interaction behavior promoting learning were analyzed in detailed. In order to exploited the function of e-learning potential promote learning in the process of teaching, and to full play to the social interaction promoting the effective learning in network teaching environment; This paper presents a number of constructive proposals about how to build high-quality interactive strategy program in network teaching environment. UT WOS:000282021600102 ER PT J TI E-SKILLS IN THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY. CONTRIBUTION OF INTEL EDUCATION PROGRAMS AU Istrate, O Osburg, T Arati, D Todorova, A ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 47 EP 54 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Both teachers and students participating to education in the 21(st) Century are using several new skills in order to build and to acquire knowledge, competences, attitudes for increasingly competitive social and professional life. Educating today for tomorrow means bringing challenges of the cutting edge of technologies, methodologies, and conceptual development in the education set-up. Together with e-skills and indissolubly connected to them, competences such as critical thinking, cooperation, communication, creativity are nowadays part of the learning acquisition, developed in advanced distributed learning environments, facilitated by competent teachers and innovative tools. Intel's contribution is taking various forms, addressing the very core of education. Projects and programs are developed and implemented, for long periods, all over the world in collaboration with governments and development agencies. Main components of the Intel Education Initiative are targeting improvements at education policy level, in teacher training, in developing creativity in learning, and in science education. UT WOS:000282189000005 ER PT J TI DEBATE SOFTWARE TOOLS USED AS PEDAGOGICAL RESOURCES AU Beldiman, L Ifrim, V Jascanu, N Jascanu, V ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 55 EP 62 PY 2010 TC 0 AB e-Learning has the potential to change the way students are learning. Its greater potential lies in the ability to change professors' role from "sage on the stage" to "guide on the side" N. The rise of digital media and social networks shifts the focus from the "classical teacher-centered model" towards the "student-centered collaborative learning". AltFactor is developing an Web2.0 online debate platform, adapted for easy and fast use by both teacher and students for structuring concepts and collaborative learning. The platform combines a "Peer Instruction" like strategy for actively engaging students during lecture with argument based techniques. Using this platform, the teacher will be involved and will be able to involve students in critical thinking activities in or outside the class, building communities of learning around concepts and pedagogical materials. UT WOS:000282189000006 ER PT J TI E-LEARNING A NEW TREND IN TEACHERS TRAINING ACTIVITIES AU Paragina, F Paragina, S Jipa, A ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 115 EP 118 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In Romania, e-learning as a teacher training activity is at the beginning and has o lot of opponents, due to technical, economical, social and ethical problems associated with it. Some of these problems are the subject of this paper. UT WOS:000282189000014 ER PT J TI THE INTERACTION IMPACT OF ICT AND THE CONSTRUCTIVIST DESIGN OF COLLABORATIVE ELEARNING AU Fat, S ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 119 EP 124 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This article examines the way in which e-learning is connected to the social interaction in education. In this new educational environment, we are interested in the collaborative learning using the constructivist principles of this new formative paradigm. We suggest a few models that allow us to analyze the interaction impact of online teaching-learning processes. We describe a few methods often used to deliver new forms of action and interaction. This perspective allows us to focus on teaching and learning as well as on the socially structured contexts. UT WOS:000282189000015 ER PT J TI REALITY OF USING E-LEARNING QUALITY CRITERIA OF DESIGNING COMPUTER COURSES' LEARNING PROGRAMSAT HIGH EDUCATION IN EGYPT (case study) AU Abd El Halim, O Eid, EEM Fathy, NI ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 129 EP 134 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This research aims to present the reality of using e-learning quality criteria of designing computer courses' learning programs at high education in Egypt. Quality right now got the concentration of researchers and experts. Most of studies deals with quality to improve performance in different fields, and to discover whether organizations regarding quality criteria in producing what is aimed through human resources who are trained to obtain the highest level of finished result. Through the study we determine to what extent e-learning quality criteria are already used in designing computer courses' learning programs UT WOS:000282189000017 ER PT J TI MEASURING STUDENTS E-READINESS FOR E-LEARNING AT EGYPTIAN FACULTIES OF TOURISM AND HOTELS AU Ali, IEH ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 145 EP 154 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E learning is becoming increasingly prominent in higher education, with universities increasing provision and more students signing up. This research measures the students' e readiness for e learning at the faculties of tourism and hotels in Egypt which influenced by a number of factors and dimensions. These are technical skills, learning skills and time management behavior. This may help Tourism faculties to promote the use of IT in teaching and learning and also apply e learning effectively in these faculties to make qualified students for market work. Data was collected through an interview based on a questionnaire of 62 students of tourism studies and hotel management departments. Also this research is based on a basic hypothesis that there is a shortage and insufficient of students e readiness for e learning. E readiness model is utilized in this research.. UT WOS:000282189000019 ER PT J TI IMPROVING COURSE INTERACTION AND MANAGEMENT WITH TESTING ASSISTANT AU Anghel, T Florea, A Florea, D ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 161 EP 174 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The ever growing popularity of the World Wide Web provides the possibility of extending the didactic activity over the internet. As many professors build the required competences in using modern applications, the concept of e-Learning is gaining importance as it eases the process of learning, communication and collaboration in Education. Modern web applications are nowadays fast, reliable and scalable, and implementing an e-Learning system into higher education facilities has never been easier. Because students tend to be in touch with the latest in software development, they find it easy to work on such platforms and learn more efficient because of the new teaching methods implemented. Further in this work we extend our previously started project - Testing Assistant - with new learning and student management modules, developed with the purpose of optimizing the whole process of teaching by providing a strong alternative for an e-Learning system. UT WOS:000282189000021 ER PT J TI SELF ACCESS E-LEARNING LANGUAGE CENTRES AT TECHNICAL UNIVERSITIES IN THE FOCUS OF MANAGEMENT AU Fedyunina, S ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 175 EP 180 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The article represents the results and perspectives of implementation of the Tempus FLERTUV (Foreign Language Education in Russian Technical Universities on the Volga) Project developed in 2005-2009 as a way of meeting the needs of Russian technical students for further learning foreign languages, maintaining their knowledge of English and German during the final 3 years of their university studies. Within the FLERTUV project, the prime objective was identified as to enable students to bridge the gap from formal learning to employment and, thus, develop the skills required by the global market and society. Three self-access language centres (SACs) in the largest cities of the Volga region - Saratov, Samara and Volgograd, one in each university, were established to provide supported self study opportunities in foreign languages for specific purposes (FLSP). The article is focused on the problems of the SAC management in view of methodological and sociocultural aspects. UT WOS:000282189000022 ER PT J TI LEARNING OBJECTS AND THEIR ROLE IN ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF WEB-BASED TEACHER TRAINING COURSES AU Harakchiyska, T ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 181 EP 186 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Web based teacher training courses are gaining more and more popularity as they provide rich learning experience in an easily accessible format. The design and implementation of such courses poses certain challenges to trainers as they have to choose methodologies and didactic strategies that allow for the creation of digital content with high educational value, efficiency and interoperability. The applicability of learning objects for solving the problem of developing challenging, interactive, reusable and portable e-learning materials for the training of primary school English language teachers is a subject of discussion in the current paper. UT WOS:000282189000023 ER PT J TI SMART E-LEARNING FOR SUSTAINABLE PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC ORGANISATIONS AU Ifrim, VM Stefan, A Stanescu, IA ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 187 EP 194 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The Romanian public administrations face the challenge of complying with a pan-European dimension and the need to develop a transparent, accessible and translatable profile to answer to the cross-boundary, cross-sector and multilingual reality of the European area. The efficiency of public services, customized according to the needs of the citizens and businesses, require public officers to continuously upgrade their skills and competences. The authors address this changing nature of the public-sector work and present emerging smart information technologies that sustain experience sharing and performance of people and organisations through the development of collaborative virtual spaces. UT WOS:000282189000024 ER PT J TI NATO SCHOOL'S ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING PROGRAM (ADL) - a integrated tool to enhance training and education AU Roman, G Geiss, T ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 203 EP 208 PY 2010 TC 0 AB ADL for pre-learning purposes, as used at NATO School, is a useful tool in support of the resident courses. The online courses allows the course director and the lectures to presume certain knowledge on each course topic and address the audience on more detailed issues of the topic. In addition ADL offers a widespread possibility in individual training and learning, e.g. instructor lead course preparation, e-readings and the building of communities of practise. By using ADL in different ways the Course Directors can focus on the specials needs of his audience and tailor not only the ADL course, but especially the resident course to the needs of the students. UT WOS:000282189000026 ER PT J TI IMPROVING AN E-LEARNING SYSTEM USING TECHNOLOGIES FOR NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING AU Dobre, I ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 209 EP 218 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper is presenting the phases for the realization of an e-learning system as well as possible improvements of these phases using technologies for natural language processing. Therefore, after the targeted objectives are defined and the documentation, instruments & tools and necessary technologies were prepared, is mandatory to organize the training and assessment processes. Further is presented the semantic analyzer realization and architecture, the analyzer being necessary to generate the questions from the evaluation module with the support of the instruments and resources specific to natural language. The last phase presents how is generated the correct answer and the objectivity score for each questions as well as the system testing as a close out of the realization process. UT WOS:000282189000027 ER PT J TI TAILOR-MADE MATERIALS FOR E-LEARNING AU Beksaeva, N ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 219 EP 224 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The crucial point for eL sustainability is a stock of self-access language learning materials. The establishing and functioning of Self-Access Centres (SAC) is one of the possible solutions that can help Russian higher education institutions to adapt to the needs of both the changing student population and employers. The successful work of any SAC depends on the provided materials. They can take a variety of forms in technical universities, e.g. skills-based (with a syllabus structured around strategies for developing skills such as reading, listening, speaking, writing, grammar and vocabulary), project-based (written file, poster or spoken presentation); customised (tailored to the individual needs of each student); or blended (combining different approaches, possibly within a conventional course). The advantages of tailor-made materials are obvious. The author regards the advantages of tailor-made materials and the algorithm of designing CD-programmes for ESP teaching. UT WOS:000282189000028 ER PT J TI A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF E-LEARNING AND TRADITIONAL LEARNING FROM A COMMUNICATIVE, CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE. AU Alraddadi, A Searcy, MA ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 225 EP 228 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The main purpose of this study is not to compare online and traditional face-to-face instruction just to prove which one is better. Technological advancements presently go through society, changing the way that some courses are trained. It has become more understandable in higher education institutions that all classes are not as adaptive to an online format as others. Since many institutions of higher education further incorporate online courses into their curriculum, it is important to understand the characteristics of courses that affect students' preferences for either traditional classroom environments or online environments. Indications of this can be seen in the attrition and preservation rates of classes offered online. This study explores the characteristics of courses that affect students' preferences towards online and traditional classroom settings. These results should help providing guidelines to institutions considering courses to offer online. UT WOS:000282189000029 ER PT J TI A PILOT TEST REPORT ON QUALITY FRAMEWORK FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF MULTIMEDIA LEARNING MATERIALS AU Mohamad, SJANB Asirvatham, D Hanin, H ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 235 EP 244 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper reports the results of the pilot test on quality framework for the assessment of multimedia learning materials developed by the Commonwealth of Learning Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia (MOHE). This project aims to develop a standard quality framework which can be used by multimedia users in evaluating the quality of the e-learning materials. The pilot test encountered several items needed to be improved or replaced to ensure its reliability and validity besides several scales needed to be reconstructed. UT WOS:000282189000031 ER PT J TI A NEW VISION OF AN OLD MODULE COURSE AU Farnoaga, L Grgoriu, A Lutas, A ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 245 EP 248 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The goal of the paper is the achievement of the course module "Textile dyeing with reactive dyes" in the course of "Specialized technology" with multimedia facilities. It thus provides the students a modern learning tool, in accordance with efforts to improve quality by digital design courses. The paper is intended to be a practical contribution to enriching the experience of e-Learning in chemical textile finishing technologies. The paper is based and uses multimedia concepts and innovation in approaching knowledge. The material is of interest to a practical application for the academic profile. UT WOS:000282189000032 ER PT J TI INTEROPERABILITY ASSURANCE FOR REMOTE MECHATRONIC LABORATORIES USED FOR VIRTUAL TRAINING AU Albeanu, G Tarca, RC Popentiu-Vladicescu, F Pasc, IM ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 249 EP 256 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Both devices teleoperation and distance education for remote students are great challenges currently due to the progress of technologies and knowledge. In order to design a methodology for collaborative laboratories to implement multiple services in assisting distance learning on mechatronics, a study on current approaches for available mechanisms and interoperability assurance was planned. This paper reviews the available standards and protocols, compares the development platforms and e-learning service oriented approaches to be used in virtual training. UT WOS:000282189000033 ER PT J TI DESIGNING ELEARNING FOR A HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION AU Laghos, A Thrassou, A ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 313 EP 320 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-Learning is experiencing rapid and continuous development. The key to success is to make course material relevant to the students, fun, exciting, flexible, and inexpensive. It is not sufficient to simply duplicate existing face-to-face course material and put it on the Web. More consideration should be given on the learner needs rather than to 'push-out' the instructional material as is. Careful planning, a supportive infrastructure, user-friendly interactive systems, timely and updated education tools, and a comprehensive and integrated array of information sources are all vital. The primary objective of this case study was to develop an efficient and user-friendly e-learning application for a higher education institution in Cyprus. Following the design and implementation, the application was evaluated. Strengths identified included the facilities which promoted communication between the students, whereas weaknesses and suggestions for improvement included the use of additional multimedia applications like educational games to further engage the learners. UT WOS:000282189000041 ER PT J TI INTERACTIVE TOOLS USED FOR E-LEARNING OF WEFT KNITTED STRUCTURES AND KNITTING TECHNOLOGY AU Dan, D Ursache, M ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 329 EP 334 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The e-learning interactive tools presented in this paper represents the outcome of the process of innovating the working methods applied in the knitting laboratory of the Faculty of Textiles, Leather and Industrial Management of Iasi. The method applied successfully makes use of the benefits of computer-aided training and provides students with the following working tools: animated spatial graphic representations of weft knitted fabrics with basic weft knit structures (plain, rib, purl, miss stitch, tuck stitch, transferred stitch structures), electronic learning and assessment tests at the end of the lessons. The drawings were made with Core! Draw graphics application and the animations and the interactivity were made with Corel RAVE. The program resulted is portable and it may be used online or offline on any computer system. UT WOS:000282189000043 ER PT J TI SOCIAL BENEFITS OF e-LEARNING AU Mouzakitis, GS ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 355 EP 358 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Over the last decades astonishing developments have marked our lives mainly in economy and technology. People, almost all over the world, have been experiencing changes in an accelerated pace and rhythm, demanding radical adjustments pertaining to everyday activities. Inevitably, educational norms had to be reformed to cope with real market needs. Traditional media of providing knowledge and developing skills failed to satisfy these needs. As a result, educationists and policy makers shifted to new ways of course delivery which would be more effective. It was, then, as early as 1993, that online delivery of courses started. The advent of e-learning ambisiously emerged from education participants as the innovative solution to these problems. This paper will focus its interest and concern on the analysis of tangible social benefits of the system based on empirical research emphasizing their role in successful education and/or training outcomes. UT WOS:000282189000047 ER PT J TI ELEARNING TOOLS IN ROMANIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM AU Adascalitei, A Carmocanu, G ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 359 EP 364 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper presents describes a logical and pedagogically effective sequence of topics and methods for teaching by using the web, components of a course website, and the structure of the instructional process. The didactic design of an e-learning environment should provide an effective interface between the learner, the learning material and learning activities. The article proposes a typology according to which six categories of e-learning activities in natural sciences are distinguished: assimilation, reproduction, application, generation, communication and reflection of knowledge. The typology can be used as a source for writing new e-learning material in scientific fields, but also as a tool for evaluating and profiling existing learning material. Paper advocates in favour of the process of autonomous learning by using visual capabilities of the computers. Principles of the contemporary cognitive learning theory are considered. UT WOS:000282189000048 ER PT J TI E-LEARNING FOR MILITARY LEARNING AND TRAINING SYSTEMS. A DISTANCE LEARNING APPROACH AU Calotescu, M ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 389 EP 392 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The e-learning is a way of informatic distribution for the distance learning. This can not miss within the military institution, especially within the learning institutes and, also, within the training units. To build the e-learning system in the military learning, it is needed, firstly, to issue the implementation concept which shall define the parameters needed for the best system configuration, the way to make and update the database and the ways to access it. UT WOS:000282189000052 ER PT J TI T&L WORKING GROUP ON DANUBIUS ONLINE COLLABORATION AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AU Postolache, F Postolache, M Raileanu, AB ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 393 EP 398 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The core of this higher education mission is specifically represented by innovation, learning and research in the teaching process. A collaborative environment that inspires collective teaching, learning and research is what we try to accomplish. Danubius T&L working group mission is to drive innovation on teaching and learning within Danubius Online community and to share best practices, to communicate the goals and issues of the teaching and learning community, understanding and experiences among faculty members and among faculties and the most important, other Sakai community members. UT WOS:000282189000053 ER PT J TI SCORM 2004 AND PROPER USE OF THE DIDACTICAL OBJECTIVES AU Barbieru, D Radu, C Beligan, D ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 399 EP 402 PY 2010 TC 0 AB SCORM 2004 has a concept of "system global objectives" for which the status is maintained across attempts and across SCORM 2004 packages. In practice this feature is often perverted to provide a kind of variable to allow communication between activities. It's easy to use this concept to fulfil the imposed didactical objectives. UT WOS:000282189000054 ER PT J TI DESIGNING RELIABLE WEB-BASED VIRTUAL LABORATORY ARCHITECTURES AU Albu, RD Tarca, RC Popentiu-Vladicescu, F Pasc, IM ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 403 EP 409 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper discusses some relevant technologies of virtual experimentation and presents the technical structure of the project. The main purpose of the Web-based virtual laboratory is distance education concept, to provide students who are located at geographically distributed location, access via Internet to various simulations and experiments in engineering education. Modern e-learning plays an important role in cultivating the innovative thinking, improving teaching quality and increase the capacity of class teaching. In the web-based virtual lab, they are able to gain some practice in theory and review contents of experiments. UT WOS:000282189000055 ER PT J TI EVALUATION OF THE E-LEARNING MODULES FOR TEXTILES&APPAREL AU Blaga, M Harlock, S ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 419 EP 426 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The paper is presenting a short overview of eLiTA (e-Learning in Textiles & Apparel) Project, developed within the EU financed Leonardo da Vinci programme. The project is built-up on two previous Leonardo da Vinci funded projects, which developed e-learning materials on apparel technology, carpet technology, hosiery technology and dyeing printing and finishing. The project result consists of a new Internet-Based European wide learning tools. The paper aims to present the list of topics covered within each of the modules and the evaluation results of the learning packages as well as learning process. UT WOS:000282189000057 ER PT J TI MULTIMEDIA APPLICATIONS IN TEXTILE EDUCATION AU Farnoaga, L Grigoriu, A ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 431 EP 436 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Training courses in textiles is influenced strongly by widespread use of information technology and communications. For academics or organizations, they may be educational experiences that can be continuously improved and adapted both in terms of content and presentation strategy. This paper presents a study of these programs in terms of topics and their specific approach, the subjects which it addresses, the complexity and structuring level of the information, as well as the impact on the target subjects. UT WOS:000282189000059 ER PT J TI KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION AND REPRESENTATION USING ONTOLOGY BASED META DATA FOR STORING RESOURCES IN REPOSITORY TO ENHANCE E-LEARNING AU Anuja, BB Kirubakaran, E Saravanan, V ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 437 EP 444 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-learning the Web enabled education and training is one of the key research areas in the recent years. Knowledge which is highly structured form of information is required to perform complex tasks. E-learning affords new opportunities and a larger amount of flexibility for the entire learning community. The current effort in research is to standardize the resources and to reuse it in various diverse educational contexts. This paper deals about how the knowledge can be acquired from the experts and stored in the knowledge base and proposes a methodology for reusing the learning resources and storing the resources in the repository UT WOS:000282189000060 ER PT J TI VIRTUAL EDUCATION AND E-LEARNING SYSTEMS AU Ionescu, IE ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 445 EP 448 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-learning system represents classical methods and techniques, gathered in a modern system that helps the users to obtain some acquirements, experiences and skills in a knowledge domain. E-learning system features brings new dimensions to education field, offering new alternatives at traditional methods. UT WOS:000282189000061 ER PT J TI BLENDED-LEARNING FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGES LEARNING, ADDRESSING THE NEED OF INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS AU Muresan, M Radu, DAM ED Popescu, V Jugureanu, R Stefan, V Radu, C CT 6th International Scientific Conference on eLearning and Software for Education CY APR 15-16, 2010 CL Bucharest, ROMANIA SO ADVANCED DISTRIBUTED LEARNING IN EDUCATION AND TRAINING TRANSFORMATION BP 461 EP 468 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The present contribution summarizes the concepts and the methodological approach of the research Romanian project eMulticult ("Educational portal for the interactive learning of foreign languages in the perspective of the insertion in a multicultural environment", code: 3257, contract no.: 91068/2007), financed through the national budget for research and innovation (Program: Partnership, managed by the Scientific Research National Authority - ANCS, under the direct supervision of the Program Management National Council - CNMP). The paper emphasizes the role of the intercultural dimension in the foreign languages teaching process, as the main driver for a better social insertion. During the project development, after various tests and surveys, the initial approach oriented to the design and implementation of an educational virtual platform, was refined and transposed in a blended-learning system, creating the adequate synergy between e-Learning and in-class teaching methods. The pilot unit developed represents a more responsive tool to the challenges and requirements of the global knowledge economy, supporting the development of the students' empathic attitude, through a deep understanding of the own cultural matrix and a greater permeability to the behavior and values of another cultural & organizational environments. Consequently, the implementation of the project has a major contribution to increase the intercultural sensitivity and the students' accessibility to the global market, for various purposes: finding a job, creating business links, participating to lifelong learning programs etc. UT WOS:000282189000064 ER PT J TI Bipartite Electronic SLA as a Business Framework to Support Cross-Organization Load Management of Real-Time Online Applications AU Middleton, SE Surridge, M Nasser, BI Yang, XY ED Lin, HX Alexander, M Forsell, M Knupfer, A Prodan, R Sousa, L Streit, A CT 15th International Euro-Par Conference on Parallel Computing CY AUG 25-28, 2009 CL Delft Univ Technol, Delft, NETHERLANDS SO EURO-PAR 2009 PARALLEL PROCESSING WORKSHOPS VL 6043 BP 245 EP 254 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Online applications such as games and e-learning applications fall within the broader category of real-time online interactive applications (ROIA), a new class of 'killer' application for the Grid that is being investigated in the edutain@grid project. The two case studies in edutain@grid are an online game and an e-learning training application. We present a novel Grid-based business framework that makes use of bipartite service level agreements (SLAs) and dynamic invoice models to model complex business relationships in a massively scalable and flexible way. We support cross-organization load management at the business level, through zone migration. For evaluation we look at existing and extended value chains, the quality of service (QoS) metrics measured and the dynamic invoice models that support this work. We examine the causal links from customer quality of experience (QoE) and service provider quality of business (QoBiz) through to measured quality of service. Finally we discuss a shared reward business ecosystem and suggest how extended service level agreements and invoice models can support this. UT WOS:000281786300025 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI A Service-Oriented Interface for Highly Interactive Distributed Applications AU Glinka, F Raed, A Gorlatch, S Ploss, A ED Lin, HX Alexander, M Forsell, M Knupfer, A Prodan, R Sousa, L Streit, A CT 15th International Euro-Par Conference on Parallel Computing CY AUG 25-28, 2009 CL Delft Univ Technol, Delft, NETHERLANDS SO EURO-PAR 2009 PARALLEL PROCESSING WORKSHOPS VL 6043 BP 266 EP 277 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The emerging class of Real-time Online Interactive Applications (ROTA) include massively-multiplayer online games and e-learning applications. They pose completely new challenges for application developers, including very high level of user interactivity with real-time QoS requirements on distributed performance and scalability. We describe a service-oriented interface that comprises: (1) the Real-Time Framework (RTF) supports a high-level application development process which frees the software developer from the low-level details of distributed computation and communication; (2) the Hoster Management Interface (HMI) supports the transparent resource management for a running application, in particular the creation, controlling and monitoring of ROTA instances. We present our efficient implementation of the interface and describe its use for two particular distributed application scenarios. UT WOS:000281786300027 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI EFFECT OF REMOTE ACCESS E-LEARNING MODULES ON CLINICAL OUTCOMES AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFICIENCY. AU Bergh, CM McGuire, A Bergh, PA Scott, RT CT Annual Meeting of the American-Society-for-Reproductive-Medicine (ASRM 2010) CY OCT 23-27, 2010 CL Denver, CO SO FERTILITY AND STERILITY VL 94 IS 4 BP S7 EP S7 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000281441000023 SN 0015-0282 ER PT J TI Test Evaluation System via the Web using the Item Response Theory AU Sakumura, T Hirose, H SO INFORMATION-AN INTERNATIONAL INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL VL 13 IS 3 BP 647 EP 656 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Although the superiority of the test method using the item response theory (IRT) over the classical test method is valid for regular examinations such as the midterm and final tests in universities and colleges, the IRT is not known to teachers in universities and colleges. To enhance the chance of use of this new method, we have developed a test evaluation system via the Web for university teachers. By simply dragging an EXCEL file in which 0/1 scores of the test result are stored to a program place of the Web page, teachers can obtain students' abilities and parameters for each problem attached in that EXCEL file. By using the IRT evaluation in tests, we have found that: 1) we can include high and low level test items together so that we can assess the student abilities more accurately and fairly; we do not worry about providing easier problems which will make the lecture level down; in other words, we do not care about finding the most appropriate problem levels to each student. 2) students do not raise claims about their scores; they are satisfied with this way of testing. UT WOS:000281836000013 SN 1343-4500 ER PT J TI E-Learning for Patients and Physicians in Pediatric Nephrology - A Success Story! AU Sethi, SK Bagga, A SO PEDIATRIC NEPHROLOGY VL 25 IS 9 BP 674 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000280247200703 SN 0931-041X ER PT J TI EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY FOR THE INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM AU Starcic, AI SO TURKISH ONLINE JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY VL 9 IS 3 BP 26 EP 37 PY 2010 TC 1 AB This paper presents and evaluates the development of an educational technology curriculum aimed at pre-service, primary education and undergraduates; the focus is on the incorporation of ICT competences for inclusive education. The framework was the introduction of SEVERI e-learning environment in Slovenian schools. Students were able to monitor the development and implementation of SEVERI tools for special needs pupils in Slovenian schools, and plan teaching and learning in SEVERI within their course project work. Within an educational technology curriculum, a competence framework was developed for fostering the use of ICT in the teaching of, and learning by, special needs pupils. This was achieved against the backcloth of the baseline learning objectives of autonomy, inquiry, creativity and innovation. In pre-service teacher education in educational technology, the focus is on inquiry based learning, and on planning and incorporating the innovative use of ICT into teaching; the emphasis is also on enhancing the student teachers' competences for his/her own professional development. In focussing more specifically on the use of ICT for special needs pupils, the aim is to carry into effect the principles of equality, diversity and inclusive education. The research was designed to evaluate the candidate students' learning and to consider the alignment of learning objectives and activities with learning outcomes in the new curriculum. The research questions considered within the paper are: (1) How the new curriculum assists mutual development of ICT didactical and technical competences? (2) How the project work based on SEVERI foster the learning objectives of autonomy, inquiry, creativity, and innovation in ICT implementation in inclusive classroom? (3) How is the project idea based on needs assessment in pedagogical practice? (4) How were the procedures of lesson planning conducted and how were lesson plans used in lesson performance? UT WOS:000282143500003 SN 1303-6521 ER PT J TI E-LEARNING IN TRANSFUSION MEDICINE: 2 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN AUSTRALIA AU Peterson, DM Robinson, K Verrall, T Quested, B Whitford, R Ireland, S SO VOX SANGUINIS VL 99 BP 80 EP 81 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000279872500201 SN 0042-9007 ER PT J TI Spirometry e-learning course AU [Anon] SO BRITISH JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MEDICINE VL 71 IS 9 BP 489 EP 489 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000282420000010 SN 1750-8460 ER PT J TI Language practice with multimedia supported web-based grammar revision material AU Baturay, MH Daloglu, A Yildirim, S SO RECALL VL 22 BP 313 EP 331 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of elementary-level English language learners towards web-based, multimedia-annotated grammar learning. WEBGRAM, a system designed to provide supplementary web-based grammar revision material, uses audio-visual aids to enrich the contextual presentation of grammar and allows learners to revise target grammatical structures using interactive exercises such as gap-filling, combo-box and drag-and-drop exercises. This study gathered quantitative data on learner satisfaction, attention and participation and qualitative data with regard to the material's content, visual and instructional design, usability, practicality and effectiveness. The findings indicate that learners enjoyed using the material and developed a positive attitude towards the system. UT WOS:000282619500004 SN 0958-3440 DI 10.1017/S0958344010000182 ER PT J TI Watermarking two dimensional data object identifier for authenticated distribution of digital multimedia contents AU Kim, J Kim, N Lee, D Park, S Lee, S SO SIGNAL PROCESSING-IMAGE COMMUNICATION VL 25 IS 8 BP 559 EP 576 PY 2010 TC 0 AB A digital object identifier refers to diverse technologies associated with assigning an identifier to a digital resource and managing the identification system. One type of implementation of a digital object identifier developed by the Korean Government is termed the Universal Content Identifier (UCI) system. It circulates and utilizes identifiable resources efficiently by connecting various online and offline identifying schemes. UCI tags can contain not only identifiers but also abundant additional information regarding contents. So, researchers and practitioners have shown great interest in methods that utilize the two-dimensional barcode (2D barcode) to attach UCI tags to digital contents. However, attaching a 2D barcode directly to a digital content raises two problems. First, quality of the content may deteriorate due to the insertion of the barcode: second, a malicious user can invalidate the identifying tag, simply by removing the tag from the original content. We believe that these concerns can be mitigated by inserting an invisible digital tag containing information about an identifier and digital copyrights into the entire area of the digital content. In this study, to protect copyrights of digital contents securely without quality degradation, we attempt to discover a sequence of process for generating a 2D barcode from a UCI tag and watermarking the barcode into a digital content. Such a UCI system can be widely applied to areas such as e-learning, distribution tracking, transaction certification, and reference linking services when the system is equipped with 2D barcode technology and secure watermarking algorithms. The latter part of this paper analyzes intensive experiments conducted to evaluate the robustness of traditional digital watermarking algorithms against external attacks. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000282496900001 SN 0923-5965 DI 10.1016/j.image.2010.07.004 ER PT J TI E-Learning-Supported Encouragement of Self-Regulated Learning at the University AU Wagner, P Schober, B Gradinger, P Reimann, R Spiel, C SO ZEITSCHRIFT FUR PADAGOGISCHE PSYCHOLOGIE VL 24 IS 3-4 BP 289 EP 303 PY 2010 TC 1 AB This article deals with the evaluation of an e-learning supported program fostering self-regulated learning of students in higher education. The program pursues four goals: (1) self-regulated learning, (2) e-competence, (3) cooperation, (4) knowledge regarding research methods and evaluation. The components of self-regulated learning (goal 1) were investigated by the phase model of self-regulation (Zimmerman, 2000). To analyse the program's effectiveness a quasi-experimental pre-post-test-design was applied. 84 students attended the program (intervention group). Data from the intervention group and from 84 matched controls (control group) were collected using a questionnaire and a performance indicator before and after the intervention. Evaluation results support the effectiveness of the intervention. Effects in all intended goals became evident. Based on the model of self-regulation differences between intervention group and control group could be especially observed in the forethought-(e.g., self-efficacy) and self-reflection-phase (e. g., dealing with failure). All in all, the results of this program show that e-learning supported courses at university should focus accompanying competences like self-regulated learning and cooperation in addition to the content they want to impart. UT WOS:000282591100011 SN 1010-0652 DI 10.1024/1010-0652/a000022 ER PT P TI Virtual multimode navigation system for use in various applications, selects the concept to be supplied, according to interpretation of user interaction from concepts of set having high priority level, excluded from list PN WO2010100610-A1 AE INFORMAMUSE SRL AU GENTILE A SANTANGELO A AU [Anon] PY 2010 TC 0 AB NOVELTY - The system has a processing unit for controlling data storage unit (6) and interface module (3). The processing unit supplies a concept through man/machine interface, for making voice/text recognition unit to implement the grammar associated with the supplied concept. The concept is stored in the list and a high priority level is attributed to the concepts related to the supplied concept. Another concept to be supplied is selected, according to the interpretation of user interaction from the concepts of the set having a high priority level, excluded from the list. USE - Virtual multimode navigation system. Uses include but are not limited to industrial design and prototypation applications, virtual training application, archeology and cultural heritage applications, entertainment application, medicine application and electronic-learning (e-learning) application. ADVANTAGE - The navigation system allows the user to virtually move from a viewpoint to another, by dynamically generating interaction states with own grammar speech. Allows the user to interact with the system in an absolutely natural manner and select the most appropriate set of words in relation to the virtual navigation state. The working efficiency and usage convenience of the navigation system can be improved, due to effective integration between advanced vocal interfaces. The people with motor handicaps can be allowed to use virtual paths during guided tours in museums and/or virtual archeological paths. DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for the following: (1) method for managing user interaction; and (2) computer readable medium storing program for managing user interaction. UT DIIDW:2010L58542 ER PT J TI E-Learning & Environmental Policy: The case of a politico-administrative GIS AU Hasanagas, ND Styliadis, AD Papadopoulou, EI Sechidis, LA SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTERS COMMUNICATIONS & CONTROL VL 5 IS 4 BP 517 EP 524 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Is an effective knowledge exchange and cooperation between academic community and practitioners possible? Implementation of e-learning in specialized policy fields pertains to the most challenging priorities of ICTs and software engineering. In multidisciplinary academic areas which combine environmental policy studies with positivist subjects (like environmental issues, forest policy, rural development, Landscape Architecture etc), the using of e-learning system in analyzing policy issues steadily gains in importance and is a method which connects the academic community and the researchers with the practitioners and field experts. Such initiatives incorporate a number of politometrics- relevant algorithms embedded in a context of political geography (i.e. visualized hierarchies in different region-related policy issues). This is the case addressed in this paper. The GIS learning management system introduced in this paper is based on certain criteria concerning organizational models and region-specific politico-administrative hierarchies. Scenarios of politico-administrative metadata achieving optimal power synergy are extracted through a sequencing technique, combining vector-algebra software and statistics and can be used for both teaching and research purposes. UT WOS:000282600700010 SN 1841-9836 ER PT J TI An Ontology to Model e-portfolio and Social Relationship in Web 2.0 Informal Learning Environments AU Taibi, D Gentile, M Fulantelli, G Allegra, M SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTERS COMMUNICATIONS & CONTROL VL 5 IS 4 BP 578 EP 585 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Web 2.0 applications and the increasingly use of social networks have been creating new informal learning opportunities. Students interact and collaborate using new learning environments which are structurally different from traditional e-learning environments. In these informal unstructured learning contexts the boundaries between the learning contexts and social spheres disappear, and the definition of the students competences appears more and more important. In this paper we propose a semantic web approach in order to create the basis for a software platform to model learner profiles. In particular we propose to extend the FOAF ontology, used to describe people and their personal relationships, with an ontology related to the IMS Learning Portfolio used to model students' competencies. This ontology could be a fundamental layer for a new Web 2.0 learning environment in which students' informal learning activities carried out in social networks can be managed and evaluated. UT WOS:000282600700017 SN 1841-9836 ER PT J TI AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE ROLE OF ENJOYMENT, COMPUTER ANXIETY, COMPUTER SELF-EFFICACY AND INTERNET EXPERIENCE IN INFLUENCING THE STUDENTS' INTENTION TO USE E-LEARNING: A CASE STUDY FROM SAUDI ARABIAN GOVERNMENTAL UNIVERSITIES AU Alenezi, AR Abdul Karim, AM Veloo, A SO TURKISH ONLINE JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY VL 9 IS 4 BP 22 EP 34 PY 2010 TC 1 AB E-learning as an effective educational tool has been integrated into many offered courses provided by higher education institutions. Throughout eliminating the barriers of time and distance, students' lifelong learning can be achieved. Due to a broad global attention given to e-Learning, various studies had been conducted by academe, different organizations as well as the government of various nations (Rosenberg, 2001). Saudi Arabian universities are among those universal universities that implement E-learning system. However, recent research indicated that majority of students in Saudi's universities are still unwilling to use online system. Therefore, many factors need to be determined in order to enhance the students' intention to use E-learning tools and participate effectively in their courses using the accessible electronic channels. The current study has extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to investigate the role of Enjoyment, computer anxiety, computer self-efficacy and Internet experience in influencing the students' intention to use E-learning in Saudi's universities. 402 governmental universities' students were participated to test the proposed hypotheses and to determine weather the proposed variables have an effect on the students' intention to use E-learning system. The results of stepwise regression indicated that computer anxiety, computer self-efficacy and Enjoyment were significantly influence the students' intention to use E-learning while the Internet experience was insignificantly influence them. Furthermore, the importance of Attitude in mediating the relationship between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and the students' behavioral intention was confirmed. UT WOS:000282655300003 SN 1303-6521 ER PT J TI MAKING ENGLISH A "HABIT": INCREASING CONFIDENCE, MOTIVATION, AND ABILITY OF EFL STUDENTS THROUGH CROSS-CULTURAL, COMPUTER-ASSISTED INTERACTION AU Wu, WCV Marek, M SO TURKISH ONLINE JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY VL 9 IS 4 BP 101 EP 112 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This study examines the relationships among the three essential language-related components - motivation, confidence, and ability - following a series of live videoconference interactions between Taiwanese EFL students and a native speaker. 227 students enrolled in the five advanced conversation classes at a private technical university in central Taiwan participated in this study. Based on quantitative evaluation of student perceptions, the major findings were (1) motivation, confidence, and ability correlated directly, but motivation of the students increased the most as a result of strong videoconference instructional design; and (2) confidence in interacting with native speakers was the best predictor of students' perceived ability. All data supported the benefits of EFL classroom teachers providing their students authentic experiences interacting with native speakers, and the value of Internet videoconferencing for this interaction. These findings provide a valuable framework for instructors in any foreign language to build a global, cross-cultural classroom. UT WOS:000282655300010 SN 1303-6521 ER PT J TI Developments and trends in synthesizing diverse forms of evidence: beyond comparisons between distance education and classroom instruction AU Bethel, EC Bernard, RM SO DISTANCE EDUCATION VL 31 IS 3 BP 231 EP 256 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper describes a range of models and methods for synthesizing diverse forms of research evidence. Although this topic is applicable to many contexts (e.g. education, health care), the focus here is on the research traditions of distance education and online learning. Thirteen models and methods are described, and seven examples from distance education and online learning are used to illustrate them. The models are classified as systematic, purposeful, and mixed and are described and compared in terms of purpose, methodological aspects, and expected outcomes. UT WOS:000282813500002 SN 0158-7919 DI 10.1080/01587919.2010.513950 ER PT J TI The Luddite Revolt continues AU Baggaley, J SO DISTANCE EDUCATION VL 31 IS 3 BP 337 EP 343 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The bicentenary in 2011 of the Luddite Revolt prompts us to ask 'what would Ned Ludd think of today's automated styles of distance education?' He would no doubt echo the common criticism that educational technologies create an impersonal style of teaching and learning, and devalue the teacher. He would probably agree that online methods have major potential for millions of distance-based students who cannot attend classroom-based education and training; but he would emphasise the need for quality assurance and cost-effectiveness studies in distance education implementation. He might also ask why anyone would encourage the development of e-learning in countries where the Internet is largely inaccessible. This article uses the Luddites' views of workplace automation to explore how global distance education practices might be improved. It suggests that the intentions of the original Luddites were laudable and worthy of application in distance education today. UT WOS:000282813500007 SN 0158-7919 DI 10.1080/01587919.2010.513957 ER PT J TI HENRY: development, pilot and long-term evaluation of a programme to help practitioners work more effectively with parents of babies and pre-school children to prevent childhood obesity AU Rudolf, MCJ Hunt, C George, J Hajibagheri, K Blair, M SO CHILD CARE HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT VL 36 IS 6 BP 850 EP 857 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Background Despite epidemic numbers of obese and overweight pre-school children, professionals report a lack of confidence and self-efficacy in working with parents around lifestyle change. HENRY - Health Exercise Nutrition for the Really Young - trains health and community practitioners to work more sensitively and effectively with parents of babies and pre-school children around obesity and lifestyle concerns. Underpinned by the Family Partnership Model, reflective practice and solution-focused techniques, it offers face-to-face training and e-learning. This paper describes the development, pilot and evaluation of HENRY Sure Start Children's Centres. Methods Twelve Children's Centres in Oxfordshire took part in the pilot involving 137 staff. Questionnaires were administered at the end of training courses. Self-reported confidence ratings were obtained before and after training. Postal questionnaires were sent to Centre managers 2-6 months later to ascertain long-term effects. Nine managers participated in in-depth interviews. A further 535 learners completed the e-learning course and online feedback. Results One hundred and thirty-one staff (96%) completed the training course and valued it as a way of enhancing skills and knowledge. Mean (+/- SD) self-reported confidence ratings increased (4.1 +/- 0.7 to 7.2 +/- 0.7; P < 0.00001). An influence on personal as well as professional lives was apparent. Long-term follow-up indicated ongoing impact attributed to HENRY on both Centres and staff. All 535 e-learners successfully completed: 98% would recommend HENRY; 94% thought it enhanced their skills as well as knowledge. Conclusions HENRY is an innovative approach that offers some promise in tackling obesity through training community and health practitioners to work more effectively with parents of very young children. It appears to have an effect on participants' personal lives as well as professional work. A large-scale long-term study would be required to ascertain if there is the desired impact on young children's lifestyles and risk of obesity. UT WOS:000282816600012 SN 0305-1862 DI 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2010.01116.x ER PT J TI Effective Inclusion of e-Learning in a Subject of Physics Experiments: Introductory Electronics Laboratory AU Okuno, T Abe, K Yamazaki, N Ooe, A Igarashi, K Hayashi, S Suzuki, M ED Paosawatyanyong, B Wattanakasiwich, P CT International Conference on Physics Education CY OCT 18-24, 2009 CL Bangkok, THAILAND SO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PHYSICS EDUCATION VL 1263 BP 130 EP 133 PY 2010 TC 0 AB A Web-based e-Learning homework system was introduced in the undergraduate subject of the introductory electronics experiment; "Introductory Electronics Laboratory". This homework is appended to practical trainings and face-to-face guidance in the laboratory (blended-type e-Learning). The e-Learning is mainly prepared to teach basic electronics and to guide necessary apparatus before the practical training. The overall impression about this subject in students' questionnaires has improved from 3.5 for 2005/2006 (e-Learning not introduced) to 3.9 2007/2008 (e-Learning introduced) (5 for good, 3 for average, and 1 for bad). Students' understanding of the experiments has also improved from 3.43 for 2005/2006 to 3.45 for 2007/2008 (5, 4, 3, 2 for S, A, B, C grade). This subject is compulsory for all second-year students in our department (similar to 120 students). The e-Learning system in our case is considered to be effective especially for required subjects of experiments and large classes. UT WOS:000283480300030 SN 0094-243X ER PT J TI Learning Support Based on Student Karte for the Core Curriculum AU Kanenaga, M Ohfuti, Y Abe, K Suzuki, M ED Paosawatyanyong, B Wattanakasiwich, P CT International Conference on Physics Education CY OCT 18-24, 2009 CL Bangkok, THAILAND SO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PHYSICS EDUCATION VL 1263 BP 204 EP 207 PY 2010 TC 0 AB We started learning support by using a new e-Learning management system, Student Karte, for fundamental basic scholastic abilities to learn the core curriculum of Department of Applied Physics and Chemistry, UEC, in April 2008. The core curriculum is the bare bones of the students' future specialty. The characteristics of this system are the following: (1) The learning situation and the achievement level for related topics among all problems are kept in Student Karte; (2) Using Student Karte, students by themselves know whether they reach the necessary understanding of each topic; (3) Through Student Karte, students can easily understand the connection between topics. We adopted Student Karte to the course, Classical Mechanics, for freshmen. The usefulness is identified. UT WOS:000283480300049 SN 0094-243X ER PT J TI NonDy(Tools)(Web) an e-Science and e-Learning project AU San-Juan, JF Lopez, R ED DeLeon, M DeDiego, DM Ros, RM CT International Conference on Mathematics and Astronomy: A Joint Long Journey CY NOV 23-27, 2009 CL Madrid, SPAIN SO MATHEMATICS AND ASTRONOMY: A JOINT LONG JOURNEY VL 1283 BP 207 EP 214 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Nonlinear Dynamics Web Tools is an e-Science and e-Learning project which is beginning to be developed in the University of The Rioja. The goal it pursues is to encourage scientific collaboration through Internet at the level of Dynamics Systems, in general, and in Astrodynamics, in particular. In this project a Web-Site embedding in Moodle is going to be built which, on the one hand, will allow project collaborators to integrate applications they develop in the Web-Site, and, on the other, ease access to those researchers and students who are interested in the use of these applications and the theoretical knowledge they are based on. Another of the objectives which we propose in this project is that each one of the applications can count on the collaboration of the researcher responsible for the development in question, assessing users, and even offering the possibility of adapting the code to the characteristics of the proposed problem, in the case that the code is not valid and that such modification be possible. UT WOS:000287171000024 SN 0094-243X ER PT J TI AN EFFICIENT ALGORITHM FOR INTEGRATING HETEROGENEOUS ITEMBANKS AU Tseng, SP Chiang, MC Yang, CS Tsai, CW SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE COMPUTING INFORMATION AND CONTROL VL 6 IS 10 BP 4319 EP 4334 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In this paper, we present an efficient algorithm for integrating a collection of heterogeneous itembanks, called Heterogeneous Itembanks Integrator (HIBI). This algorithm is motivated by the desire to integrate itembanks provided by both the publishers and instructors, which more often than not use different content structures. By integrating all the itembanks, HMI provides for the users of an e-Learning system a central repository of all the items with a consistent content structure that would significantly increase the learning contents available to the users of an e-Learning system. The proposed algorithm starts off with one of the itembanks as a reference item,bank. Then, all the items on all the other itembanks are integrated into the reference itembank to create the so-called meta-itembank. Moreover, by treating the meta-itembank thus created as the reference itembank, it can be easily extended by using exactly the same algorithm. Our experimental results showed that the proposed algorithm could provide an extremely high quality result in terms of both the relevance of items and the computation time in Chinese item sets. In addition, the experimental results also showed that the accuracy rate of the meta-itembank described herein ranges from 96.3% to 97.6%. UT WOS:000282919400005 SN 1349-4198 ER PT J TI Usability Evaluation of a Learning Management System AU Blecken, A Bruggemann, D Marx, W CT 43rd Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences (HICSS 2010) CY JAN 05-08, 2010 CL Honolulu, HI SO 43RD HAWAII INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SYSTEMS SCIENCES VOLS 1-5 (HICSS 2010) BP 97 EP 105 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In this paper current usability evaluation methods are systematically examined and assessed. Thereupon, suitable evaluation methods are selected and applied in the evaluation of a learning management system. Usability evaluation methods can be distinguished in analytical and empirical procedures with either summative or formative objectives A case example in the form of a usability evaluation of a learning management system is presented. The co-active e-learning platform koaLA provides teaching and learning material and integrates Web 2 0-technologies such as wilds. weblogs and forums. A cross-sectional survey revealed that although koaLA offers collaborative features, the majority of users of all user groups does not use them. Recommendations for koaLA are derived based on the qualitative and quantitative data from the survey UT WOS:000282391800011 SN 1060-3425 ER PT J TI Diversity in Distributed Decision Making: An Exploratory Study AU Aggarwal, AK CT 43rd Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences (HICSS 2010) CY JAN 05-08, 2010 CL Honolulu, HI SO 43RD HAWAII INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SYSTEMS SCIENCES VOLS 1-5 (HICSS 2010) BP 334 EP 344 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Diversity is defined as the differences among factors like ethnicity. gender, culture. sexuality and anything that makes two entities different from each other Diversity creates a heterogeneous environment and is becoming an inherent part of all groups, especially virtual groups that consist of geographically distributed members This paper studies diversity in the context of virtual groups that work together in an online environment and its effect on group performance. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, we can learn from groups used in on-line courses and extend those experiences to geographically distributed groups The members of a typical e-learning group are different in race, gender, countries and backgrounds mimicking diversity that is often related to geographically distributed teams A longitudinal experiment involving online classes was conducted and the results are reported Our research revealed that diverse groups are not good for ad-hoc tasks but maybe good for on-going tasks Future research areas are also discussed. UT WOS:000282391800036 SN 1060-3425 ER PT J TI Understanding Collaboration Success in Context of Cognitive and Social Presence AU Deokar, AV Meservy, TO Helquist, J Kruse, J CT 43rd Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences (HICSS 2010) CY JAN 05-08, 2010 CL Honolulu, HI SO 43RD HAWAII INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SYSTEMS SCIENCES VOLS 1-5 (HICSS 2010) BP 545 EP 554 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Collaboration and the success of collaborative efforts has been the focus of much information systems research Recent measures of collaboration success include effectiveness, efficiency, productivity, commitment, satisfaction with the process, and satisfaction with the outcome. While the possible antecedents of collaboration success are many and varied, we suggest that constructs from the e-learning literature, that evolved independently from the information systems collaboration literature, can be used to explain differences in perceived collaboration success. Results from a recent exploratory study demonstrate that cognitive presence and social presence explain a large amount of the variance of different collaboration success metrics UT WOS:000282391800058 SN 1060-3425 ER PT J TI Needs Assessment and Development of an e-Learning Module on Head and Neck Anatomy for Residents in Radiation Oncology AU Gallant, F Portelance, L Al-Halabi, H Alfieri, J Al-Wassia, R Sultanem, K Cury, F CT 52nd Annual Meeting of the American-Society-For-Radiation-Oncology CY OCT 31-NOV 04, 2010 CL San Diego, CA SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RADIATION ONCOLOGY BIOLOGY PHYSICS VL 78 IS 3 BP S155 EP S156 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000288775700331 SN 0360-3016 ER PT J TI The analysis of effectiveness on 'transfer' through e-learning courses in industry and technology AU Park, SH Sim, HA Roh, HL SO BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY VL 41 IS 6 BP E132 EP E134 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000282977000006 SN 0007-1013 DI 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2010.01070.x ER PT J TI A structural equation modelling of factors influencing student teachers' satisfaction with e-learning AU Teo, T SO BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY VL 41 IS 6 BP E150 EP E152 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000282977000011 SN 0007-1013 DI 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2010.01110.x ER PT J TI Ontology and taxonomy design and development for personalised web-based learning systems AU Yalcinalp, S Gulbahar, Y SO BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY VL 41 IS 6 BP 883 EP 896 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Recent developments and new directions in education have emphasised learners' needs, profile and pedagogical aspects by focusing on learner-centered approaches in educational settings. e-Learning, on the other hand, guarantees learners the opportunity of learning in their own way, and leads to new considerations in course design. e-Learning is defined as the new form of learning, rather than the use of new technologies. It requires new considerations in educational aspects and delivery methods. Personalised technologies and new approaches such as the use of ontologies and Semantic Webs in e-learning are some of the next challenges for both education and society in the future. This paper provides an overview and rationale for personalised web-based learning and personalised technologies. Also, it presents ontologies by emphasising the various usages of this term in a variety of fields, the main ontology structures, methodologies and design principles, and its applications in education. UT WOS:000282977000025 SN 0007-1013 DI 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.01049.x ER PT J TI Learning design and assessment with e-tivities AU Armellini, A Aiyegbayo, O SO BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY VL 41 IS 6 BP 922 EP 935 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper reported on the findings of research into innovation in e-learning design and assessment through the development and implementation of online learning activities (e-tivities). The focus of the study was on Carpe Diem as a process to enable academic course teams to seize 2 days to design and embed pedagogically appropriate e-tivities into their courses. The study also addressed the use of technology in the design of e-tivities and the level of tutor and learner engagement with them during course delivery. Six academic course teams representing three disciplines at four British universities took part in this 12-month study. Cognitive mapping was the main research methodology used. The results suggested that Carpe Diem is an effective and powerful team-based process to foster pedagogical change and innovation in learning design and assessment practices. The e-tivities designed during Carpe Diem were successfully used primarily for learning and formative assessment, and exceptionally for summative assessment. Web 2.0 tools, especially wikis, were employed to enable collaborative online learning and were prominent in the new designs. The tutors' e-moderation skills were key to engage learners and thus capitalise on the benefits of e-tivities. UT WOS:000282977000028 SN 0007-1013 DI 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.01013.x ER PT J TI From content to practice: Sharing educational practice in edu-sharing AU Klebl, M Kramer, BJ Zobel, A SO BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY VL 41 IS 6 BP 936 EP 951 PY 2010 TC 0 AB For technology-enhanced learning, the idea of learning objects transfers the technologies of content management, methods of software engineering and principles of open access to educational resources. This paper reports on CampusContent, a research project and competence centre for e-learning at FernUniversitat in Hagen that designed and developed an integrated portal to a repository network named edu-sharing. This portal facilitates sharing, joint development and reuse of learning material and pedagogical knowledge. CampusContent focused on essential challenges concerning use and utility of learning objects and developed principles, methods and tools that support educators in the process of contextualising learning objects within educational settings. Our model offers three levels of contextualisation: configurable objects, learning scenarios and an integrated work environment for educators. UT WOS:000282977000029 SN 0007-1013 DI 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2010.01134.x ER PT J TI Modelling the factors that affect individuals' utilisation of online learning systems: An empirical study combining the task technology fit model with the theory of planned behaviour AU Yu, TK Yu, TY SO BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY VL 41 IS 6 BP 1003 EP 1017 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Understanding learners' behaviour, perceptions and influence in terms of learner performance is crucial to predict the use of electronic learning systems. By integrating the task-technology fit (TTF) model and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), this paper investigates the online learning utilisation of Taiwanese students. This paper provides a better understanding of individual, technological and social factors regarding online learning system performance. A total of 870 students who were earlier introduced to e-learning were surveyed after a period of exposure to the system. The results of the research model were analysed using a structural equation modelling approach to verify 10 hypotheses; support was found for eight of them. This paper offers a new perspective on the mechanisms through the TTF and TPB model constructs, which facilitates e-learning learner performance and offers important implications for understanding learner performance in online learning environments. UT WOS:000282977000034 SN 0007-1013 DI 10.1111/j.1467-8535.2010.01054.x ER PT J TI Students' perceptions of interprofessional learning through facilitated online learning modules AU Solomon, P Baptiste, S Hall, P Luke, R Orchard, C Rukholm, E Carter, L King, S Damiani-Taraba, G SO MEDICAL TEACHER VL 32 IS 9 BP E391 EP E398 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Background: Asynchronous e-learning is an appealing option for interprofessional education (IPE) as it addresses the geographic and timetabling barriers often encountered when organizing activities across educational programs. Aim: This study examined the extent to which pre-licensure students were able to learn with, from, and about each other through completion of innovative online IPE learning modules. Methods: Seventy-seven students completed e-learning modules developed through a consortium of educational institutions. Evaluation was primarily qualitative through focus groups, interviews, analyses on off-line discussions and an online feedback form. Results: Qualitative analyses of the discussion fora revealed that students were able to solve problems collaboratively, clarify their professional roles, and provide information from their professional perspective. Focus groups and interviews reinforced that students recognized the importance of working together and implicate clinical education as an important venue to reinforce learning about collaborative practice. Analyses of the online feedback form suggest the need for clear processes related to group assignments and deadlines. Conclusion: Students learned about each other's role, solved problems together and had positive perceptions of the online modules as a venue for interprofessional learning. Results are encouraging to those interested in using e-learning in IPE as part of an overall curriculum. UT WOS:000282894300005 SN 0142-159X DI 10.3109/0142159X.2010.495760 ER PT J TI Software and Standards in an Emerging Domain AU Pulkkinen, M Kozlov, D Pawlowski, J ED Tyrvainen, P Jansen, S Cusumano, MA CT 1st International Conference on Software Business CY JUN 21-23, 2010 CL Jyvaskyla, FINLAND SO SOFTWARE BUSINESS VL 51 BP 217 EP 222 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper considers the software market in the field of e-Learning and Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) through observing standardization developments in the domain A model of software market evolution suggests that observations on development and deployment of standards in the domain indicate the status on the market. As the model holds, in a mature phase, level of standardization is high and the number of competing standards low The result of the study is, there appears to be a market, but a heterogeneous one. with hesitation on dominant designs and an overall modest level of standards adoption Content standardization enables the (re)use of the learning content in multiple formats with diverse learning management systems (LMS). virtual learning environments (VLEs), learning platforms. FIRM and administration systems. A number of initiatives to develop specifications or standards exist Competing standards or specifications are found for most target areas Efforts to establish common frameworks and reference models have emerged Such overall consensus frameworks will support developments towards content interoperability in this vertical as they have in other domains UT WOS:000282905500023 SN 1865-1348 ER PT J TI A Pedagogical Study of an E-learning Case Computer Simulation for Enhancing Students' Learning Outcomes in Clothing Functional Design AU Cao, ML Li, Y Csete, J ED Li, Y Qui, YP Luo, XN Li, JS CT 3rd International Symposium of Textile Bioengineering and Informatics CY MAY 28-30, 2010 CL Coll Textiles, Shanghai, PEOPLES R CHINA SO TEXTILE BIOENGINEERING AND INFORMATICS SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDINGS, VOLS 1-3 BP 1150 EP 1158 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper presents a pedagogical study which uses an e-learning case computer simulation to enhance students' learning outcomes in a subject titled "Design for Function and Performance". The pedagogical model involving instruction, learning and assessment components was found to improve university students' understanding, critical analysis and application of knowledge. This paper describes the experience of designing the instruction, learning and assessment elements and implementing them along with a computer simulation for university students studying clothing thermal functional design. UT WOS:000283206000201 DI 10.3993/tbis2010204 ER PT J TI Effects of an E-learning Case Computer Simulation on Student's Learning of Clothing Functional Design and Students Feedback AU Cao, ML Li, Y Csete, J ED Li, Y Qui, YP Luo, XN Li, JS CT 3rd International Symposium of Textile Bioengineering and Informatics CY MAY 28-30, 2010 CL Coll Textiles, Shanghai, PEOPLES R CHINA SO TEXTILE BIOENGINEERING AND INFORMATICS SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDINGS, VOLS 1-3 BP 1284 EP 1294 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper presents a study of the effects of an e-learning case using online computer simulation on the learning outcomes of students' studying clothing functional design and fashion product development. The results of students' grades on a quiz before and after the e-learning simulation were analyzed and compared to reveal the effects of the e-learning online simulation on their understanding. Further, students' feedback on the e-learning case online simulation were collected and analyzed for the purpose of improving the pedagogical approach. With designed typical case study, the students' learning outcomes in fashion product development and clothing functional design were significantly improved for all the student groups. It is found that the approaches to incorporate e-learning case computer simulation in teaching the clothing thermal functional design can significantly improve and facilitate student's understanding of clothing thermal functional performance and its relation to market potential. The results of student feedback comments and interview questionnaires from the students collected after the e-learning course study show that there are different levels of difficulty for students with different academic backgrounds. Useful information was obtained for the further improvement of the pedagogical design of the e-learning case online computer simulation and for the further development of an e-learning virtual lab to enhance the learning outcomes for students studying clothing functional design and product development. UT WOS:000283206000224 DI 10.3993/tbis2010227 ER PT J TI Asynchronous Discourse Analysis in the Quality of Expected Learning AU Schalk, AE Marcelo, C SO COMUNICAR IS 35 BP 131 EP 139 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Universities are gradually implementing virtual learning processes. However, research still remains limited in examining the internal processes that occur in learning in virtual environments. This article presents an investigation that seeks to describe the relationship between the quality of Interaction in asynchronous discussion forums in training experiences in e-learning, and the quality of learning offered and achieved The main objective was to determine how interactions in online environments add quality to the learning of students For this, a descriptive investigation was done that combines qualitative and quantitative phases, analyzing more than 10,000 messages of 171 participants from four postgraduate courses developed in the form of e-learning Asynchronous communication was analyzed through a category system that analyzes the social, cognitive and didactic discourse online Among the research findings, there highlights a positive relationship between quality and quantity of speech of the participants and the quality of learning achieved and reflected in the different levels of assessment We can conclude that there exists the need to make an analysis, that goes beyond the written discourse in asynchronous communication to establish relations with both cognitive and social learning of students Moreover, we conclude the necessity to train teachers to deal with the processes of online communication UT WOS:000283342700015 SN 1134-3478 DI 10.3916/C35-2010-03-06 ER PT J TI Major Challenges for the Modern Chemistry in Particular and Science in General AU Uskokovic, V SO FOUNDATIONS OF SCIENCE VL 15 IS 4 BP 303 EP 344 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In the past few hundred years, science has exerted an enormous influence on the way the world appears to human observers. Despite phenomenal accomplishments of science, science nowadays faces numerous challenges that threaten its continued success. As scientific inventions become embedded within human societies, the challenges are further multiplied. In this critical review, some of the critical challenges for the field of modern chemistry are discussed, including: (a) interlinking theoretical knowledge and experimental approaches; (b) implementing the principles of sustainability at the roots of the chemical design; (c) defining science from a philosophical perspective that acknowledges both pragmatic and realistic aspects thereof; (d) instigating interdisciplinary research; (e) learning to recognize and appreciate the aesthetic aspects of scientific knowledge and methodology, and promote truly inspiring education in chemistry. In the conclusion, I recapitulate that the evolution of human knowledge inherently depends upon our ability to adopt creative problem-solving attitudes, and that challenges will always be present within the scope of scientific interests. UT WOS:000283304000001 SN 1233-1821 DI 10.1007/s10699-010-9185-8 ER PT J TI IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES ON MODERN LEARNING AU Targamadze, A Petrauskiene, R SO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND CONTROL VL 39 IS 3 BP 169 EP 175 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Information technologies (ITs), used in learning, make influence on the process of learning and change it providing with new opportunities and forms. When describing modern learning, different definitions such as traditional, virtual, distance and e-learning are used. The meaning of these terms is not clearly defined; therefore, they are sometimes used as synonyms, or the same identical phenomena are described as different concepts. This paper analyses the influence of ITs on the process of learning, defines different ways of learning based on the aspect of ITs usage, and justifies the usage of the definitions. UT WOS:000283113600001 SN 1392-124X ER PT J TI Joint-use libraries: information literacy as a stimulus for cooperation AU Marzal, MA Parra-Valero, P SO PROFESIONAL DE LA INFORMACION VL 19 IS 5 BP 463 EP 468 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This article presents the educational role of joint-use libraries as a suitable model of cooperation. Its integrated character allows it to become a platform of convergence for libraries with an educational function in order to effectively administer and manage information services, contents and library human resources. Considering the principal models of joint-use libraries, we pay special attention to the Australian case for its leadership in the topic and its contribution to information literacy. Experience, progress and, even more, the opportunities that the model offers in Spain are analyzed through a SWOT matrix. Finally, we propose a model programme on information literacy for joint-use libraries, developed by the authors fur Baratz Servicios de Teledocumentacion S. A., that provides for the development of reading and writing skills in the digital area and in the world of Web 2.0. UT WOS:000283108600003 SN 1386-6710 DI 10.3145/epi.2010.sep.03 ER PT J TI A secure electronic exam system AU Huszti, A Petho, A SO PUBLICATIONES MATHEMATICAE-DEBRECEN VL 77 IS 3-4 BP 299 EP 312 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Electronic exam is a difficult part of e-learning security. This paper describes a cryptographic scheme that possesses security requirements, such that authenticity, anonymity, secrecy, robustness, correctness without the existence of a Trusted Third Party. The proposed protocol also provides students a receipt, a proof of a successful submission, and It is based on existence of anonymous return channels UT WOS:000283334200003 SN 0033-3883 ER PT J TI THE ACCEPTANCE OF WEB-BASED LEARNING SYSTEM: A METEHOLOGY BASED ON FARMER'S USE AU Li, Y Fu, ZT Liu, X SO INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION AND SOFT COMPUTING VL 16 IS 6 BP 1069 EP 1077 PY 2010 TC 0 AB With the rapid development of information technology in China, there was a need to implement web-based learning system in China rural areas to solve the knowledge gap. However, the web-based learning effectiveness was critical as to whether farmers would like to accept the web-based learning system. In this study, a hybrid model was developed based on Technology Acceptance Model. Base on a sample of 132 farmers taken from an international training program, reliability and validity were checked and the structural equation model was tested. The results strongly supported the research model in predicting farmers' intention to use web-based learning system. UT WOS:000283468800023 SN 1079-8587 ER PT J TI Tackling Engineering Education Research Challenges: Web 2.0 Social Software for Personal Learning AU Gillet, D SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION VL 26 IS 5 BP 1134 EP 1143 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper focuses on Engineering Education Research on Technology Enhanced Learning carried out at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), and on its current focus on personal and collaborative learning. After some thoughts on the distinctive nature of Engineering Education Research, the interplay between engineering education practice and professional engineering practice is analyzed. In particular, it is demonstrated how the actual engineering practice of the faculty members influenced the acceptance and the success of new learning approaches and solutions. Finally, the impact on the current Web 2.0 paradigm is discussed and illustrated with the example of project-based collaborative learning activities supported by innovative social software that can be considered as a Personal Learning Environment. A vision of how to shape and exploit personal learning environments to tackle engineering education research challenges is also presented; this deals especially with the importance of user-driven recommendation mechanisms relying of proper trust models. UT WOS:000283515600012 SN 0949-149X ER PT J TI A Fuzzy Multicriteria Method for E-learning Quality Evaluation AU Stefanovic, M Tadic, D Arsovski, S Arsovski, Z Aleksic, A SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION VL 26 IS 5 BP 1200 EP 1209 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Quality is a phenomenon which is in the core of any type of e-learning development. There is a demand for e-training systems evaluation in order to benchmark them and improve factors that will lead to an effective high quality e-training system. This paper introduces a multi-criteria method for e-learning quality evaluation. To evaluate an e-learning system, we decomposed the e-learning process into sub-processes and activities. The quality of each activity was evaluated both numerically and using linguistic expressions. Following this methodology a number of issues were addressed, such as trainee satisfaction, relative importance of decision criteria, measurement and analysis of trainee on-the-job performances, improvement of the relationships with management and other stakeholders. Quantitative presentations of the e-training process quality enable comparison of different e-training processes and their ranking according to the level of quality. UT WOS:000283515600018 SN 0949-149X ER PT J TI The Mediating Role of Technology-Based Training on Change Management Success. A Research in Progress AU Benfatto, MC Del Vecchio, C Di Renzo, MR ED DAtri, A Sacca, D CT 5th Conference of the Italian Chapter of the Association-for-Information-Systems (ItAIS) CY DEC 13-14, 2008 CL Paris, FRANCE SO INFORMATION SYSTEMS: PEOPLE, ORGANIZATIONS, INSTITUTIONS, AND TECHNOLOGIES BP 461 EP 468 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper examines the positive connection between change management, behaviors and training and the effectiveness of e-learning platform in order to facilitate organizational change. To this aim, we first point out the relevance of behavioral capacities in managing successful adaptation to change. In this context, the aim of training does not consist in giving key people ready-made solutions. It rather involves a multi-stage process where each individual gets a one-to-one support through which he/she learns how to cope with exceptional or novel circumstances, while capitalising on their own potential and accelerating their self-development. In particular we claim the effectiveness and benefits of training platforms tailored around the managerial population and the new trends of modular multimedia learning programs. Finally this work will present a research in progress regarding the real contribution and role that technology can offer to those who undertake a learning cycle aimed to the development of the value of accountability. The analysis is based on an on-line training platform developed in a big firm operating in the telecommunication industry. UT WOS:000282671400053 DI 10.1007/978-3-7908-2148-2_53 ER PT J TI CLPL: Providing software infrastructure for the systematic and effective construction of complex collaborative learning systems AU Caballe, S Xhafa, F SO JOURNAL OF SYSTEMS AND SOFTWARE VL 83 IS 11 BP 2083 EP 2097 PY 2010 TC 1 AB Over the last decade, e-Learning and in particular Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) needs have been evolving accordingly with more and more demanding pedagogical and technological requirements. As a result, high customization and flexibility are a must in this context, meaning that collaborative learning practices need to be continuously adapted, adjusted, and personalized to each specific target learning group. These very demanding needs of the CSCL domain represent a great challenge for the research community on software development to satisfy. This contribution presents and evaluates a previous research effort in the form of a generic software infrastructure called Collaborative Learning Purpose Library (CLPL) with the aim of meeting the current and demanding needs found in the CSCL domain. To this end, we experiment with the CLPL in order to offer an advanced reuse-based service-oriented software engineering methodology for developing CSCL applications in an effective and timely fashion. A validation process is provided by reporting on the use of the CLPL platform as the primary resource for the Master's thesis courses at the Open University of Catalonia when developing complex software applications in the CSCL domain. The ultimate aim of the whole research is to yield effective CSCL software systems capable of supporting and enhancing the current on-line collaborative learning practices. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000283641600007 SN 0164-1212 DI 10.1016/j.jss.2010.06.013 ER PT J TI Copyright and E-Learning: A Guide for Practitioners AU Tompson, S SO LIBRARY JOURNAL VL 135 IS 18 BP 81 EP 81 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000283826800188 SN 0363-0277 ER PT J TI Multidimensional (OLAP) Analysis for Designing Dynamic Learning Strategy AU Rozeva, A Deliyska, B ED Venkov, G Kovacheva, R Pasheva, V CT 36th International Conference Applications of Mathematics in Engineering and Economics CY JUN 05-10, 2010 CL Sozopol, BULGARIA SO APPLICATIONS OF MATHEMATICS IN ENGINEERING AND ECONOMICS VL 1293 BP 263 EP 270 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Learning strategy in an intelligent learning system is generally elaborated on the basis of assessment of the following factors: learner's time for reaction, content of the learning object, amount of learning material in a learning object, learning object specification, e-learning medium and performance control. Current work proposes architecture for dynamic learning strategy design by implementing multidimensional analysis model of learning factors. The analysis model concerns on-line analytical processing (OLAP) of learner's data structured as multidimensional cube. Main components of the architecture are analysis agent for performing the OLAP operations on learner data cube, adaptation generator and knowledge selection agent for performing adaptive navigation in the learning object repository. The output of the analysis agent is involved in dynamic elaboration of learning strategy that fits best to learners profile and behavior. As a result an adaptive learning path for individual learner and for learner groups is generated. UT WOS:000286863900033 SN 0094-243X ER PT J TI Perspectives of Mobile Learning in Optics and Photonics AU Curticapean, D Christ, A Feisst, M ED Gregory, GG CT Conference on Optics Education and Outreach CY AUG 01, 2010 CL San Diego, CA SO OPTICS EDUCATION AND OUTREACH VL 7783 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Mobile learning (m-learning) can be considered as a new paradigm of e-learning. The developed solution enables the presentation of animations and 3D virtual reality (VR) on mobile devices and is well suited for mobile learning. Difficult relations in physics as well as intricate experiments in optics can be visualised on mobile devices without need for a personal computer. By outsourcing the computational power to a server, the coverage is worldwide. UT WOS:000287706400025 SN 0277-786X DI 10.1117/12.862918 ER PT J TI Measuring learner's performance in e-learning recommender systems AU Ghauth, KI Abdullah, NA SO AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY VL 26 IS 6 BP 764 EP 774 PY 2010 TC 0 AB A recommender system is a piece of software that helps users to identify the most interesting and relevant learning items from a large number of items. Recommender systems may be based on collaborative filtering (by user ratings), content-based filtering (by keywords), and hybrid filtering (by both collaborative and content-based filtering). Recommender systems have been a useful tool to recommend items in many online systems, including e-learning. However, not much research has been done to measure the learning outcomes of the learners when they use e-learning with a recommender system. Instead, most of the researchers were focusing on the accuracy of the recommender system in predicting the recommendation rather than the knowledge gain by the learners. This research aims to compare the learning outcomes of the learners when they use several types of e-learning recommender systems. Based on the comparison made, we propose a new e-learning recommender system framework that uses content-based filtering and good learners' ratings to recommend learning materials, and in turn is able to increase the student's performance. The results show that students who used the proposed e-learning recommender system produced a significantly better result in the post-test. The results also show that the proposed e-learning recommender system has the highest percentage of score gain from pre-test to post-test. UT WOS:000284105200005 SN 1449-3098 ER PT J TI Mental health first aid training by e-learning: a randomized controlled trial AU Jorm, AF Kitchener, BA Fischer, JA Cvetkovski, S SO AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY VL 44 IS 12 BP 1072 EP 1081 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Objective: Mental Health First Aid training is a course for the public that teaches how to give initial help to a person developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis. The present study evaluated the effects of Mental Health First Aid training delivered by e-learning on knowledge about mental disorders, stigmatizing attitudes and helping behaviour. Method: A randomized controlled trial was carried out with 262 members of the Australian public. Participants were randomly assigned to complete an e-learning CD, read a Mental Health First Aid manual or be in a waiting list control group. The effects of the interventions were evaluated using online questionnaires pre- and post-training and at 6-months follow up. The questionnaires covered mental health knowledge, stigmatizing attitudes, confidence in providing help to others, actions taken to implement mental health first aid and participant mental health. Results: Both e-learning and the printed manual increased aspects of knowledge, reduced stigma and increased confidence compared to waiting list. E-learning also improved first aid actions taken more than waiting list, and was superior to the printed manual in reducing stigma and disability due to mental ill health. Conclusions: Mental Health First Aid information received by either e-learning or printed manual had positive effects, but e-learning was better at reducing stigma. UT WOS:000284114100003 SN 0004-8674 ER PT J TI THE 21(ST) CENTURY CYBERSPACE AU Babulak, E CT 8th International Symposium on Applied Machine Intelligence and Informatics CY JAN 28-30, 2010 CL Herlany, SLOVAKIA SO 2010 IEEE 8TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON APPLIED MACHINE INTELLIGENCE AND INFORMATICS BP 21 EP 24 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The author discusses the development of new Information Communications Technologies (ICT) in the areas of e-Learning, e-Health, e-Government, e-Journalism, etc. The current Web 2.0 combined with the 3D Telepresence, Future Internet, Semantic Web Technologies provide support to creation of social networks, content retrieval and analysis, which creates foundation for the future fully automated cyberspace. Current dynamic Internet developments and continuous demand for the ubiquitous connectivity combined with the next generation of networks contributes towards creation the future cyberspace infrastructures worldwide. Implementation of the cyberspace in the government and corporate infrastructures, contributes towards creation of new paradigm in the decision making processes. Decisions that are currently governed by the human intelligence knowledge and intuition may be influenced by the cyber-data and processes. Future cyberspace will ultimately impact the decision making processes by government, corporate, industrial and academic institutions worldwide. In conclusion the author promotes discussion on the social and ethical impact of the future cyberspace and ICT technologies in the context of governance vs. privacy. UT WOS:000283533000002 ER PT J TI The E-learning revolution in obstetrics and gynaecology AU Jones, O Saunders, H Mires, G SO BEST PRACTICE & RESEARCH CLINICAL OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY VL 24 IS 6 BP 731 EP 746 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The explosion of information technology has created new opportunities and tools to assist the trainee in the process of learning. This chapter describes how the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is embracing the opportunities provided by this technology to create interactive and engaging learning programmes designed to support trainees in achieving the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to practise. It considers how the RCOG has developed a number of online initiatives to support training, the drivers for doing so and presents some ideas for future developments. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000283914900005 SN 1521-6934 DI 10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2010.04.009 ER PT J TI Analyzing Convergence in e-Learning Resource Filtering Based on ACO Techniques: A Case Study With Telecommunication Engineering Students AU Munoz-Organero, M Ramirez, GA Merino, PM Kloos, CD SO IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION VL 53 IS 4 BP 542 EP 546 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The use of swarm intelligence techniques in e-learning scenarios provides a way to combine simple interactions of individual students to solve a more complex problem. After getting some data from the interactions of the first students with a central system, the use of these techniques converges to a solution that the rest of the students can successfully use. This paper uses a case study to analyze how fast swarm intelligence techniques converge when applied to solve the problem of e-learning resource filtering. Some modifications to traditional ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithms based on student filtering are also introduced in order to improve convergence. UT WOS:000283941100003 SN 0018-9359 DI 10.1109/TE.2009.2032168 ER PT J TI Nursing and healthcare students' experiences and use of e-learning in higher education AU Moule, P Ward, R Lockyer, L SO JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING VL 66 IS 12 BP 2785 EP 2795 PY 2010 TC 0 AB P>Aim. This paper presents research on nursing and healthcare students' experiences and use of e-learning. Background. The inception of e-learning in higher education is supported by a policy background and technological developments, yet little is known of student experience and use in the United Kingdom. Methods. Conducted in 2007 and 2008, this study employed a mixed methods approach. An initial quantitative questionnaire was completed by 25 Higher Education Institutions and nine case study sites were visited. In the sites 41 students took part in focus groups and 35 staff were interviewed. Findings. Twenty-four Higher Education Institutions used a virtual learning environment and all respondents used e-learning to enable access to course materials and web-based learning resources. Three main themes were identified from student interviews, 'Pedagogic use'; 'Factors inhibiting use' and 'Facilitating factors to engagement'. Student's main engagement with e-learning was at an instructivist level and as a support to existing face-to-face modes of delivery. Student use of Web 2.0 was limited, although a number were using social software at home. Limited computer access, computing skills, technical issues and poor peer commitment affected use. Motivation and relevance to the course and practice, in addition to an appreciation of the potential for student-centred and flexible learning, facilitated use. Conclusion. There is scope to broaden the use of e-learning that would engage students in the social construction of knowledge. In addition, experiences of e-learning use could be improved if factors adversely affecting engagement were addressed. UT WOS:000284277400019 SN 0309-2402 DI 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05453.x ER PT J TI Web-based virtual microscopy at the RWTH Aachen University: Didactic concept, methods and analysis of acceptance by the students AU Merk, M Knuechel, R Perez-Bouza, A SO ANNALS OF ANATOMY-ANATOMISCHER ANZEIGER VL 192 IS 6 BP 383 EP 387 PY 2010 TC 2 AB Fundamental knowledge of microscopic anatomy and pathology has always been an essential part in medical education. The traditional didactic concept comprises theoretical and practical lessons using a light microscope and glass slides. High-speed Internet connections and technical improvement in whole-slide digital microscopy (commonly termed "virtual microscopy") provide a new and attractive approach for both teachers and students. High picture quality and unlimited temporal and spatial availability of histology samples from different fields are key advantages of web-based digital microscopy. In this report we discuss the technical requirements, system efficiency, optical resolution and didactic concept. Furthermore, we present a review of the experience gained in the course of one year based on an analysis of student acceptance. Three groups with a total of 192 students between the 3rd and 5th year of medical studies attending the practical courses of general and advanced histopathology had access to both glass-mounted and digitalized slides. Prior to exams, students were asked to answer an anonymous questionnaire. The results of the study reflect the high acceptance and intensive use of the web-based digital histology by students, thus encouraging the development of further Web-based learning strategies for the teaching of histology and pathology. (C) 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000286452200009 SN 0940-9602 DI 10.1016/j.aanat.2010.01.008 ER PT J TI Changes in approaches to learning among undergraduate sports science students following a programme of weekly online assessments AU Micklewright, D Pearsall, L Sellens, M Billam, N SO JOURNAL OF HOSPITALITY LEISURE SPORT & TOURISM EDUCATION VL 9 IS 2 BP 141 EP 155 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This study aimed to investigate weekly online assessment as a teaching and learning method for undergraduate sport scientists. Undergraduate sport science students (n = 140) were surveyed about their attitudes towards learning before and after completing seven summative weekly online assessments. Three distinct student attitudes were revealed from the survey outcomes reflecting (a) beliefs about online assessment benefits, (b) self management strategies, and (c) information strategies. After the programme, students reported studying more frequently between lectures and reading more selectively, but no relationship with assessment performance was found. Weekly online assessment is partially supported as a useful method for engaging students in learning activities. UT WOS:000283986100013 SN 1473-8376 DI 10.3794/johlste.92.216 ER PT J TI Development of a distance education program in the Public Health System in Chile, 2004-2009 AU Carabantes, J Guerra, M Guillou, M SO REVISTA MEDICA DE CHILE VL 138 IS 9 BP 1148 EP 1156 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Tins paper reports the gradual development and results achieved in the distance education program set up in the Public Health System in Chile m 2004 Up to date more than 22 000 students from 29 different health divisions have been trained This strategy was designed to provide more flexibility and diversity to the training programs of the Health System within the framework of a deep and complex organizational change promoted by Health Reform The main results show that the integration of organizational teaching logistic and budgetary aspects has turned out to be a key element in its success validating the relevance of the provided solutions The access to training by means of e learning or blended learning (electronic education that includes traditional and distance learning activities) allowed employees to choose more independently what where and when to study This filet accounts for the high demand for this program Through tins initiative the National Health System introduced a wider scope of responses to training needs which will mean a better adaptation to the challenges associated to health care (Rev Med Chile 2010 138 1148 1156) UT WOS:000283704900011 SN 0034-9887 ER PT J TI Twelve Tips on usability testing to develop effective e-learning in medical education AU Sandars, J Lafferty, N SO MEDICAL TEACHER VL 32 IS 12 BP 956 EP 960 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Usability testing is widely used in the commercial world during the process of developing new products, especially software and websites. However, it appears to be rarely used in the development of e-learning in medical education. The focus of usability testing is the user of the particular product and it informs product development by using a systematic process to identify usability problems at an early stage during product development so that these problems can be rectified. Usability testing of e-learning considers the characteristics of the learner, the technological aspects, the interaction and instructional design and finally the context. Testing under the conditions that the e-learning intervention will typically be used is the preferred method but more extreme situations can provide useful information. Product development should be iterative and rapid cycles of testing and refinement are essential to produce an effective e-learning intervention. UT WOS:000284412100010 SN 0142-159X DI 10.3109/0142159X.2010.507709 ER PT J TI eMedical Teacher AU Ellaway, R SO MEDICAL TEACHER VL 32 IS 12 BP 1012 EP 1014 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000284412100021 SN 0142-159X DI 10.3109/0142159X.2010.532711 ER PT J TI IMPROVE AFFECTIVE LEARNING WITH EEG APPROACH AU Li, XW Hu, B Zhao, QL Liu, L Peng, H Qi, YB Mao, CS Fang, Z Liu, QY SO COMPUTING AND INFORMATICS VL 29 IS 4 BP 557 EP 570 PY 2010 TC 0 AB With the development of computer science, cognitive science and psychology, a new paradigm, affective learning, has emerged into e-learning domain Although scientists and researchers have achieved fruitful outcomes in exploring the ways of detecting and understanding learners affect, e g eyes motion, facial expression etc, it sounds still necessary to deepen the recognition of learners affect in learning procedure with innovative methodologies Our research focused on using bio-signals based methodology to explore learner's affect and the study was primarily made on Electroencephalography (EEG) After the EEG signals were collected from EEG equipment, we tidied the EEG data with signal processing algorithms and then extracted some features We applied k-Nearest-Neighbor classifier and Naive Bayes classifier to these features to find out a combination, which may mostly contribute to reflect learners' affect, for example, Attention In the classification algorithm, we presented a different way of using the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) model to classify and analyze learners attention, although the SAM was normally used for classifying emotions, for example, happiness etc For the purpose of evaluating our findings, we also developed an affective learning prototype based on university c-learning web site A teal time EEG feedback window and an attention report were integrated into the system The testa of the experiment was encouraging and further discussion was also included in this paper UT WOS:000284193100005 SN 1335-9150 ER PT J TI NINTENDO WII REMOTE CONTROLLER IN HIGHER EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A DEMONSTRATOR KIT FOR E-TEACHING AU Holzinger, A Softic, S Stickel, C Ebner, M Debevc, M Hu, B SO COMPUTING AND INFORMATICS VL 29 IS 4 BP 601 EP 615 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The increasing availability of game based technologies together with advances in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and usability engineering provides new challenges and opportunities to virtual environments in the context of e-Teaching. Consequently, an evident trend is to offer learners with the equivalent of practical learning experiences, whilst supporting creativity for both teachers and learners. Current market surveys showed surprisingly that the Wii remote controller (Wiimote) is more widely spread than standard PCs and is the most used computer input device worldwide, which given its collection of sensors, accelerometers and bluetooth technology, makes it of great interest for HCI experiments in e-Learning/e-Teaching. In this paper we discuss the importance of gestures for teaching and describe the design and development of a low-cost demonstrator kit based on Wiimote enhancing the quality of the lecturing with gestures. UT WOS:000284193100008 SN 1335-9150 ER PT J TI Evaluating the use of a wiki for collaborative learning AU Su, F Beaumont, C SO INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION AND TEACHING INTERNATIONAL VL 47 IS 4 BP 417 EP 431 PY 2010 TC 0 AB A wiki is able to provide a learning environment which is closely aligned with the social-constructivist approach and is more natural than many tools where open collaboration and the exchange of ideas are important. This case study analyses and evaluates essential aspects for the successful deployment of a wiki in a higher education setting using Salmon's five-stage e-learning framework. Indicators of the learning benefits were determined by qualitative analysis of students' wiki contributions. Students' perceptions were captured through interviews and questionnaires at the start and end of the project, thereby providing indicators of their motivation towards this method of learning. Our results suggest that a wiki can promote effective collaborative learning and confidence in formative self and peer assessment by facilitating rapid feedback, vicarious learning through observing others' contributions and easy navigation and tracking facilities. Student authorship was also encouraged. Issues identified included providing easy access to the wiki, lack of personalisation, possible vandalism and plagiarism. Also, students with learning difficulties might require extra help and take longer to familiarise themselves with this new e-learning environment. UT WOS:000283883900008 SN 1470-3297 DI 10.1080/14703297.2010.518428 ER PT J TI INFORMATION SECURITY ASPECTS OF E-LEARNING SYSTEMS AU Paulins, N ED Stalidzans, E CT 4th International Scientific Conference on Applied Information and Communication Technologies CY APR 22-23, 2010 CL Jelgava, LATVIA SO AICT2010 - APPLIED INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES, PROCEEDINGS OF THE 4TH INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE BP 142 EP 147 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Already long time e-learning is more than availability of materials online. Nowadays they are very efficient systems to improve knowledge and skills that is necessary for future life. E-learning systems require several media types, sharing, merging, linking, online information changing and other activities. Sometimes these activities need to be done not only within self system, but among other universities e-learning systems. Security play very important role for these system, because e-learning systems is very dynamic and opens systems, but the same time vulnerable to several attacks. Information security is necessary for this system survivability, if information in these systems won't be adequate, organization can lose their reputation and all work will become useless. E-learning systems usually have large amount of users and resources, these characteristics dynamically are growing. These systems are changes all the time - active resource creation and release, functionality creation and destruction, active network connections from several places. Whereas increases e-learning popularity, also increases need of security, it becomes quite challenging, information must be secure and adequate, but the same time system need to stay easy to use, can't lose productivity and availability. That is one of the biggest problems in many systems, because security increases complexity and that is the reason why security perspective is often ignored, but it is important to remember, that people will use system if they trust it. That why is important provide that the true persons have access to the true information in right time and right place. The purpose of this paper is to give clear explanation about most important security needs and challenges that can be relevant for e-learning systems. UT WOS:000283714800020 ER PT J TI THE CONCEPT OF THE MODEL FOR BUILDING E-LEARNING SYSTEM AU Sizonenko, R ED Stalidzans, E CT 4th International Scientific Conference on Applied Information and Communication Technologies CY APR 22-23, 2010 CL Jelgava, LATVIA SO AICT2010 - APPLIED INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES, PROCEEDINGS OF THE 4TH INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE BP 169 EP 175 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-learning is a revolutionary educational paradigm based on the information and communication technology that is being dynamically researched, developed and applied as a part of the traditional instruction and as a complementary mechanism for lifelong and distance learning. E-learning process is supported by the e-learning systems (ELS) that can be observed regarding their implementation technology for delivering educational contents. E-learning systems represent an advanced learning and teaching environment adaptable to individual student's characteristics. E-learning systems are generation of computer systems aimed to support and improve learning and teaching process in certain domain knowledge, considering individuality of a student like in traditional one-to-one instructional process. This process, also known as human tutoring has been confirmed to be successful and presents the most efficient learning and teaching process. The development of ELSs is, therefore, related to a number of serious problems, because proper implementation of 'human' tutor can be done only in relation to cognitive psychology, artificial intelligence and education. Knowledge is a key to intelligent behavior and, therefore, traditional ELSs are named as knowledge-based because they have: domain knowledge; knowledge about teaching principles, methods, techniques; ability to apply all this to individual student. In this paper, one of the approaches to research, development and implementation related to intelligent E-learning systems with ability to customize the learning process for the needs of individual student is presented. The purpose of the article is to develop the concept of the model for building E-learning system in freely chosen domain knowledge. UT WOS:000283714800024 ER PT J TI E-LEARNING VERSUS GIVING LECTURES OF MATHEMATICAL STATISTICS AU Aruvee, E ED Stalidzans, E CT 4th International Scientific Conference on Applied Information and Communication Technologies CY APR 22-23, 2010 CL Jelgava, LATVIA SO AICT2010 - APPLIED INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES, PROCEEDINGS OF THE 4TH INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE BP 335 EP 335 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000283714800050 ER PT J TI THE USE OF VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT FOR LEARNING MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS IN THE LITHUANIAN UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AU Rimkuviene, D Kaminskiene, J Venckuniene, V ED Stalidzans, E CT 4th International Scientific Conference on Applied Information and Communication Technologies CY APR 22-23, 2010 CL Jelgava, LATVIA SO AICT2010 - APPLIED INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES, PROCEEDINGS OF THE 4TH INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE BP 373 EP 376 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-learning has become an important part of the education agenda in the last decade. Virtual learning environments are more often applied in distance education when a teacher and a student meet seldom. However, such an environment could become a rather convenient means, supplementing and providing more variety to traditional learning environments. The Blackboard Learning System Vista was applied for the teaching of the course Mathematics and Statistics for the first year students in the Faculty of Agronomy of Lithuanian University of Agriculture for several years. The students can find the material of lectures, practical tasks that have to be completed and self-control tests that check knowledge and skills acquired with the help of computer based tests. The survey, carried out at the end of the course, indicated the fact that students evaluated such teaching method rather favorably; some of them had several difficulties caused due to malfunctioning of the internet connection sometimes. Still the majority of the respondents enumerated the possibility to study in one's convenient time as the greatest advantage. UT WOS:000283714800060 ER PT J TI Integrating Semantic Web and Folksonomies to Improve E-Learning Accessibility AU Abu Doush, I Pontelli, E ED Miesenberger, K Klaus, J Zagler, W Karshmer, A CT 12th International Conference, ICCHP 2010 CY JUL 14-16, 2010 CL Vienna, AUSTRIA SO COMPUTERS HELPING PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, PROCEEDINGS, PT 1 VL 6179 BP 376 EP 383 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The purpose of this project is to investigate ways of lever-aging the collaborative and multi-user nature of modern Learning Management Systems (LMSs) to enhance accessibility of online courses for individuals with visual disabilities. The underlying principle of the project is the generation of semantics annotation for all components of an online course-that can be used to guide assistive devices. The semantic information can be added in a three different forms (a predefined ontology class, user tags, and annotations). This semantic information is used by assistive technologies (e.g., screen readers) to help visually impaired students when they acquire knowledge from the on-line course materials. UT WOS:000284033800060 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Accessibility of Blended and E-Learning for Mature Age and Disabled Students and Staff: Introduction to the Special Thematic Session AU Petrie, H Power, C Veasco, CA Boticario, JG ED Miesenberger, K Klaus, J Zagler, W Karshmer, A CT 12th International Conference, ICCHP 2010 CY JUL 14-16, 2010 CL Vienna, AUSTRIA SO COMPUTERS HELPING PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, PROCEEDINGS, PT 1 VL 6179 BP 484 EP 485 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000284033800077 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI The Performance of Mouse Proficiency for Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities AU Wu, TF Chen, MC Wu, CF ED Miesenberger, K Klaus, J Zagler, W Karshmer, A CT 12th International Conference, ICCHP 2010 CY JUL 14-16, 2010 CL Vienna, AUSTRIA SO COMPUTERS HELPING PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, PROCEEDINGS, PT 2 VL 6180 BP 37 EP 44 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Information and computer technology has grown rapidly and played an essential role in our education, vocation, and daily life. However, for students with intellectual disabilities, effective cursor control is challenged. The purpose of this study is to investigate the performance of mouse control of 10 adolescents with intellectual disabilities compared with their aged peer. A mouse proficiency assessment software was utilized to collect the data. The results indicated that the adolescents with intellectual disabilities who had mouse using experience do not perform as efficient as their peers without disabilities, although they could use the mouse with high accuracy rates. The adolescents with intellectual disabilities spend less reaction time, longer total time and movement time, larger ratio of PL/TA, more movement units to complete pointing and clicking tasks. The results provide essential reference for designers of computer assisted learning software when developing e-learning material for adolescents with intellectual disabilities. UT WOS:000284032900007 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI On Integrated Teaching Model of Badminton Course in and Outside Class in College-An Empirical Analysis on the Relevancy of Self-Efficacy and Physical Behavior AU Liu, Y Li, Y ED Zheng, GH CT 21st Pan-Asian Congress of Sports and Physical Education CY APR 23-25, 2010 CL Jiangxi Normal Univ, Nanchang, PEOPLES R CHINA SO PROCEEDINGS OF THE 21ST PAN-ASIAN CONGRESS OF SPORTS AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION, VOL 2 BP 235 EP 238 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The subjects of the study consist of 276 students in a badminton course in the second semester of the school year 2008-2009 in Hebei Polytechnic University The result shows that the individual efficacy and his/her physical behavior are positively correlated, but the corresponding components are not quite consistent, and the correlation also varies The correlation between individual efficacy and physical behavior is not firmly proved in this study Our study cannot support that the student's individual efficacy is positively correlated with his/her physical behavior, therefore the results are not conclusive There are four possible reasons leading to our conclusion 1 the complexity of badminton training courses, 2 intrinsic problems in students individual efficacy, 3 problems in the evaluation procedures, 4 the difference between theoretical research and reality Further research on the correlation between individual efficacy and physical behavior is needed It is suggested that the integration of curricular and ex-curricular in badminton courses be improved It is also suggested cultivating students' positive sense in P E learning and the ability of changing the social structure by communication, dialogs and mutual supports and cooperation in groups, so as to eventually achieve the aim of maintaining their lifelong PE improvement Aiming at students with comparatively low efficacy, a systematic teaching plan should be designed to improve their cognition of badminton skills, and then realize the connection with the society UT WOS:000284087200058 ER PT J TI The different forms of interaction and its status in a science of language: Considerations and questions AU Bronckart, JP SO CALIDOSCOPIO VL 8 IS 2 BP 154 EP 164 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This article is the written version of a conference lecture that proposed a survey of the studies on "language and interaction." The first part proposes a brief commentary on the developement of the current Chomsky's position, which now understands language as a communicative phenomenon, as well as the development of the interpretations of Saussure's work which highlight the importance the scholar gave to the interactions between the levels of discourse and languages. The second part presents a critical summary of three approaches explicitly centered around verbal interactions: initially, the sciences of texts/discourse, which have their foundations on the work by Voloshinov, author who is central to the current conception of dialogism; the different approaches of interactional linguistics, inspired on Ethnomethodology and centered on the situated oral productions; approaches that analyze the effects of the e-learning devices, which constitute a type of natural laboratory for the study of the interactive phenomena. The main analysis refers to the contributions of the interactional linguistics and distinguishes the studies related to the structure itself of verbal interactions, the studies centered on the verbal productions in work situations and those centered on the verbal productions in the devices for the analysis of practices. The conclusion highlights the importance of the interactional epistemology, as it proposes to distinguish five levels: (a) the interactions between the and the gnosiological dimensions of language; (b) the interactions between general praxeology and language praxeology; (c) the constitutive interactions of the signs; (d) the concrete dialogical interactions; (e) the interactions between the structure of the verbal interactions and the different properties of the context. UT WOS:000283998500009 SN 1679-8740 DI 10.4013/cld.2010.82.08 ER PT J TI E-portfolio assessment in an online English language course AU Baturay, MH Daloglu, A SO COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING VL 23 IS 5 BP 413 EP 428 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Many teachers have the tendency to look at only the standardized test scores of their students while ignoring how or why various dimensions of language proficiency has improved or not improved. Portfolio, however, reveals a clear picture of the student's growth and development. This study reflects that traditional approaches to assessment of student progress in EFL writing lack indicators of students' development of the skill and aims to answer the following questions: what are the learning gains of students who keep an e-portfolio as part of an elementary-level English course and what are student perceptions about the online course, using an e-portfolio and their learning gains? For this aim, the researchers worked with two groups of students: the e-portfolio group who kept an electronic portfolio in the online elementary level English language course and the traditional assessment group who did not keep an e-portfolio. Although there were not significant differences between the post-test scores of the two groups, there were significant learning gains in both groups. The perceptions of the students in the e-portfolio group reflected that they benefited from and enjoyed keeping a portfolio. UT WOS:000284224800003 SN 0958-8221 DI 10.1080/09588221.2010.520671 ER PT J TI APPLICATION OF THE DELPHI METHOD TO IDENTIFY FACTORS INFLUENCING EFFECTIVENESS OF E-LEARNING IMPLEMENTATION FOR EMPLOYEE TRAINING IN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES AU Egerova, D Muzik, J SO E & M EKONOMIE A MANAGEMENT VL 13 IS 2 BP 137 EP 152 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The paper is focused on human resource development in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and on effective using of e-learning for employee training. The Delphi method has been used to identify factors influencing effectiveness of e-learning implementation for employee training in small and medium-sized enterprises. The Delphi study was realised as a part of doctoral dissertation at Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague. The three round Delphi study was conducted during the year 2009 over a period of six months. Delphi panel members (experts) were chosen on the basis of their expertise in the areas of both e-learning and corporate training. In the first round of the study panel members identified factors with positive and negative influence on e-learning effectiveness. In the next step the factors were according to modified Khans model (2007) divided into following groups of factors: Management, Staff, Infrastructure and institutions support, Pedagogy, Others - none included. Based on the panel members responses of the first round a closed-ended online questionnaire was developed for use in the second round. In the second round the panel members assessed degree of influence of each identified factor. In the third and final round of the Delphi study the panel members only re-evaluated the factors that were recognized as a key and influential in the second round. The experts identified altogether 32 factors with positive influence on effectiveness of e-learning in SMEs and 21 factors with negative influence. The experts perceive effectiveness of e-learning in SMEs more in relation to the positive factors and less to the negative factors. For both groups of factors (positive and negative) were most factors identified in the area of Pedagogy, followed by factors from the Management. The experts perceive effectiveness of e-learning in relation to these two areas. The results of this study show the key role of aspects of andragogy in effective e-learning implementation process for SMEs. The study also demonstrates the importance such factors as: management support employee training and development, management support e-learning solutions of some corporate training, there is technological and organizational background for e-learning that also determine the effectiveness and success of e-learning in employee training. UT WOS:000283638300013 SN 1212-3609 ER PT J TI Learning materials recommendation using good learners' ratings and content-based filtering AU Ghauth, KI Abdullah, NA SO ETR&D-EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT VL 58 IS 6 BP 711 EP 727 PY 2010 TC 1 AB The enormity of the amount of learning materials in e-learning has led to the difficulty of locating suitable learning materials for a particular learning topic, creating the need for recommendation tools within a learning context. In this paper, we aim to address this need by proposing a novel e-learning recommender system framework that is based on two conceptual foundations-peer learning and social learning theories that encourage students to cooperate and learn among themselves. Our proposed framework works on the idea of recommending learning materials with a similar content and indicating the quality of learning materials based on good learners' ratings. A comprehensive set of experiments were conducted to measure the system accuracy and its impact on learner's performance. The obtained results show that the proposed e-learning recommender system has a significant improvement in the post-test of about 12.16% with the effect size of 0.6 and 13.11% with the effect size of 0.53 when compared to the e-learning with a content-based recommender system and the e-learning without a recommender system, respectively. Furthermore, the proposed recommender system performed better in terms of having a small rating deviation and a higher precision as compared to e-learning with a content-based recommender system. UT WOS:000284066700005 SN 1042-1629 DI 10.1007/s11423-010-9155-4 ER PT J TI Evaluation of an internet-based e-learning module to introduce nuclear medicine to medical students: a feasibility study AU Diessl, S Verburg, FA Hoernlein, A Schumann, M Luster, M Reiners, C SO NUCLEAR MEDICINE COMMUNICATIONS VL 31 IS 12 BP 1063 EP 1067 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Background The advent of electronic learning, the so-called e-learning, offers new possibilities for instruction in addition to the traditional face-to-face teaching in the education of medical students Aim To evaluate the additional educational value of a voluntary e-learning module in a nuclear medicine course for third-year medical students Methods Twenty exemplary nuclear medicine patient cases from our department were developed for e-learning purposes and presented on the Internet using the web-based training program 'Case Train' Subsequently, three selected test cases were handled and evaluated by an unselected population of third-year medical students Results One hundred and twenty-eight students studied the three patient cases and filled out the evaluation questionnaire completely The most important result is that both the interest in and the subjective feeling of the knowledge level regarding the specialized field of nuclear medicine had increased significantly after working through the three e-learning cases Ninety-seven percent of the evaluating students considered the use of computer-based learning useful The subjective grading of the content of the cases and the handling of the software were graded with high marks by the participants, 1 9 and 2 0, respectively, on a linear scale with 1 being the best and 6 being the worst Conclusion The addition of e-learning to face-to-face teaching as a form of 'blended learning' is highly appreciated by medical students, and will provide an effective medium for bringing better understanding of nuclear medicine to future colleagues Nud Med Commun 31 1063-1067 (C) 2010 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Nuclear Medicine Communications 2010 31 1063-1067 UT WOS:000284443800011 SN 0143-3636 DI 10.1097/MNM.0b013e328340821f ER PT J TI Online blogging during conferences: an innovative way of e-learning AU Sethi, SK Desai, TP Jhaveri, KD SO KIDNEY INTERNATIONAL VL 78 IS 12 BP 1199 EP 1201 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000284752900001 SN 0085-2538 DI 10.1038/ki.2010.395 ER PT J TI Graduate Nursing Online Orientation Course: Transitioning for Success AU Carruth, AK Broussard, PC Waldmeier, VP Gauthier, DM Mixon, G SO JOURNAL OF NURSING EDUCATION VL 49 IS 12 BP 687 EP 690 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Graduate nursing students beginning their graduate education often lack technological preparedness when beginning the journey in a virtual e-learning environment. These gaps in preparedness include lack of understanding course delivery, accessing resources remotely, participating in asynchronous course activities, and use of emerging health care technologies. This article describes an educational innovative online orientation course that simulates course activities so that students get a true perspective of what e-learning entails. With enhanced education through the accelerated learning modules, students became proficient with distance education, which promotes success in an online master's of science in nursing program. UT WOS:000287258000006 SN 0148-4834 DI 10.3928/01484834-20100831-06 ER PT J TI Technology working for the elderly AU Zeyfang, A Bahrmann, A Konig, C Mrak, P SO DIABETOLOGE VL 6 IS 7 BP 570 EP 576 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Given the demographic changes in society, it is becoming increasingly important to treat the ever-growing number of multimorbid elderly patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes using state of the art medical know-how, both efficiently and while taking quality of life into consideration. In this respect, newer technologies like the Internet, ambient assisted living or telemonitoring play an increasing role also for the elderly. The qualification of carers - both professional and lay - for the growing number of elderly people is a significant challenge for the future. Three running projects on e-learning for nurses, internet-based benchmarking and telemonitoring in care homes are presented, providing an overview of future-oriented technologies on the basis of examples. UT WOS:000284333200006 SN 1860-9716 DI 10.1007/s11428-010-0594-7 ER PT P TI Apparatus for assisting construction of web based training electronic-learning system used in e.g. elementary school, has memory to store information showing correct answer in format related to question format, with respect to problem PN JP2010256499-A AE OOSAKA SEIKEI GAKUEN AU KATO H AU [Anon] PY 2010 TC 0 AB NOVELTY - The apparatus (10) has a processor (10b) that receives the information showing the format of questions designated by an examiner. The information showing the correct answer inputted by the examiner is received by the processor. The information showing the correct answer in a format related to the format of received questions, with respect to the problem, is stored in a memory (10c). USE - Construction assisting apparatus e.g. web server for assisting construction of web based training (WBT) electronic-learning (e-learning) system used in educational facility e.g. elementary school, junior high school, high school and university. ADVANTAGE - The construction of WBT e-learning system is assisted efficiently. Even an unfamiliar teacher is enabled to perform computer operation easily in the WBT e-learning system. Automatic scoring is performed in the WBT e-learning system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for the following: (1) method for assisting construction of WBT e-learning system; and (2) program for assisting construction of WBT e-learning system. UT DIIDW:2010P16623 ER PT J TI Philosophy of Interactive e-Learning for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives: a Way from Ideas to Realization AU Bauer, P Fedak, V SO JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS VL 10 IS 6 BP 587 EP 594 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The paper reports about methodology at design of interactive e-learning modules that are suitable both for teaching and learning They cover special topics of electrical engineering starting from the fundamentals through electrical machines power electronics to the fields of controlled electromechanical energy conversion like electrical drives complex drive systems application of drives, mechatronic systems telemanipulation and robotics In the paper, the emphasis is devoted in detail to philosophy and realization of the modules from fields of Power Electronics and Electrical Drives On several examples there are explained main principles and specialties at their development UT WOS:000284677700003 SN 1598-2092 ER PT J TI Distance Education in Soft-Switching Inverters AU Lascu, D Bauer, P Babaita, M Lascu, M Popescu, V Popovici, A Negoitescu, D SO JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS VL 10 IS 6 BP 628 EP 634 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The paper describes aspects regarding an E learning approach of resonant ac inverters The learning process is based on Learning by Doing' paradigm supported by several learning tools electronic course materials interactive simulation laboratory plants and real experiments accessed by Web Publishing Tools under LabVIEW Built on LabVIEW and accompanied by a robust flexible and versatile hardware the experiment allows a comprehensive study by remote controlling and performing real measurements on the inverters The study is offered in a gradual manner according to the Leonardo da Vinci project EDIPE (E-leaming Distance Interactive Practical Education) philosophy theoretical aspects followed by simulations while in the end the real experiments are investigated Studying and experimenting access is opened for 24 hours a day 7 days a week under the Moodle booking system UT WOS:000284677700008 SN 1598-2092 ER PT J TI Multimedia Educational Material and Remote Laboratory for Sliding Mode Control Measurements AU Takarics, B Sziebig, G Solvang, B Korondi, P SO JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS VL 10 IS 6 BP 635 EP 642 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The paper presents a multimedia educational program of DC servo drives for distant learning with a special emphasis on sliding mode control The program contains of three parts animation simulation and Internet based measurement The animation program explains the operation of DC motors gives its time- and frequency-domain equations transfer functions and the theoretical background necessary for controller design for DC servo motors The simulation model of the DC servo motor and the controller can be designed by the students based on the animation program The students can also test their controllers through the internet based measurement, which is the most important part from engineering point of view After the measurements are executed the students can download the measured data and compare them to the simulation results UT WOS:000284677700009 SN 1598-2092 ER PT J TI TCAD Based Power Semiconductor Device e-Learning Tool AU Landowski, MM Shen, ZJ SO JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS VL 10 IS 6 BP 643 EP 646 PY 2010 TC 0 AB An interactive web based teaching tool for a power semiconductor course at the University of Central Florida is presented in this paper A novel approach 1, introduced using Technology Aided Design Tools (TCAD) to generate time-lapsed 2D semiconductor device cross section embedded in a webpage using Adobe (R) Flash (web design tool) platform to create interactive movies that demonstrate complex devil e physical phenomenon Students can step through the interactive movies forward backward pausing or looping Each step represents a giving bias condition Current-voltage plots are represented along with the semiconductor device and a visual point is placed on the IV curve to indicate the current bias conditions The changes are then reflected in the 2D cross section movie area and the IV plot This tool was Implemented in a classroom setting to augment the lectures or for discovery learning UT WOS:000284677700010 SN 1598-2092 ER PT J TI Supporting information access in e-learning by integrating digital libraries and ontology AU He, DQ Peng, YF Mao, M Wu, D SO ONLINE INFORMATION REVIEW VL 34 IS 5 BP 704 EP 728 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the integration of digital library (DL) technologies with ontology-based knowledge representation in providing semantic rich information access (IA) in e-learning. DL technologies have powerful and flexible content management and access functionalities, whereas ontology helps teachers and students to link content materials to their learning objectives. This paper demonstrates that the integration provides a powerful and meaningful e-learning environment. Design/methodology/approach - DiLight is designed as an interactive e-learning system that integrates DL and ontology technologies. By conducting comparative experiments involving DiLight in students' actual learning process, the authors examined the advantages and limitations of DiLight in e-learning. Findings - Compared to a widely used e-learning environment, DiLight can provide significantly better support for students' complex IA tasks because DiLight is more useful for relationship discovery and problem solving. DiLight is also effective even when students were either less familiar with tasks or felt that they were more difficult. There is no single best access method for all learning situations. Therefore, multiple IA methods should be built into e-learning systems. Although most of time the search was the first choice of the students, ontology-based methods were useful in supporting them to complete their tasks too. Originality/value - This is a comparative empirical study using an interactive e-learning system called DiLight to explore the usage of integrated DL and ontology in e-learning. The experiment results demonstrate the value of the multiple IA methods provided by DL, and the usefulness of integrating DL with ontology. UT WOS:000284746100003 SN 1468-4527 DI 10.1108/14684521011084582 ER PT P TI Social networking service (SNS) provision apparatus used for educational applications, has terminal operation log management unit that returns user information to user interface management unit based on stored terminal operation log PN JP2010277202-A AE NIPPON TELEGRAPH&TELEPHONE CORP AU HOSHIDE T FUJIMURA K AU [Anon] PY 2010 TC 0 AB NOVELTY - The user interface management unit (111) receives the execution result of user's action. A terminal operation acquisition unit (112) acquires the terminal operation log in the utilization terminal used by a lecturer. The terminal operation log acquired by the terminal operation acquisition unit is stored in a terminal operation log storage unit (170). A terminal operation log management unit (140) returns the user information to the user interface management unit based on stored terminal operation log. USE - Social networking service (SNS) provision apparatus used for educational applications. ADVANTAGE - The interactive property in the scene can be obtained by grasping the present access status of user. The measure condition and understanding condition for every participant can be estimated effectively. The essential subject in the electronic-learning (e-learning) process can be provided. DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for the following: (1) SNS provision method for education; and (2) computer-readable recording medium storing SNS provision control program. UT DIIDW:2010Q01276 ER PT J TI Simulation and training of ultrasound supported anesthesia: a low-cost approach AU Schaaf, T Lamontain, M Hilpert, J Schilling, F Tolxdorff, T ED D'hooge, J McAleavey, SA CT Conference on Medical Imaging 2010 - Ultrasonic Imaging, Tomography and Therapy CY FEB 14-15, 2010 CL San Diego, CA SO MEDICAL IMAGING 2010: ULTRASONIC IMAGING, TOMOGRAPHY, AND THERAPY VL 7629 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The use of ultrasound imaging technology during techniques of peripheral nerve blockade offers several clinical benefits. Here we report on a new method to educate residents in ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia. The daily challenge for the anesthesiologists is the 3D angle-depending handling of the stimulation needle and the ultrasound probe while watching the 2D ultrasound image on the monitor. Purpose: Our approach describes how a computer-aided simulation and training set for ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia could be built based on wireless low-cost devices and an interactive simulation of a 2D ultrasound image. For training purposes the injection needle and the ultrasound probe are replaced by wireless Bluetooth-connected 3D tracking devices, which are embedded in WII-mote controllers (Nintendo-Brand). In correlation to the tracked 3D positions of the needle and transducer models the visibility and position of the needle should be simulated in the 2D generated ultrasound image. Conclusion: In future, this tracking and visualization software module could be integrated in a more complex training set, where complex injection paths could be trained based on a 3D segmented model and the training results could be part of a curricular e-learning module. UT WOS:000284751400040 SN 0277-786X DI 10.1117/12.844127 ER PT J TI CASE-BASED INTERACTIVE E-LEARNING PROGRAMS FOR PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY: RATIONALE, DEVELOPMENT AND USER EVALUATION RESULTS AU Goddard, K Brown, T Hukin, J DeZorzi, P Johnston, D Punnett, A Rassekh, S Shaikh, F Olson, R SO PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER VL 55 IS 5 BP 974 EP 974 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000282910200709 SN 1545-5009 ER PT J TI Online or face-to-face? Students' experiences and preferences in e-learning AU Paechter, M Maier, B SO INTERNET AND HIGHER EDUCATION VL 13 IS 4 BP 292 EP 297 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Which aspects of e-learning courses do students experience as being favorable for learning? When do students prefer online or face-to-face learning components? These questions were the subject of a research study in a sample of 2196 students from 29 Austrian universities. The students completed a questionnaire on their experiences attending an e-learning course, on their perceived achievements, and on their preferences for online or face-to-face learning components. Students appreciated online learning for its potential in providing a clear and coherent structure of the learning material, in supporting self-regulated learning, and in distributing information. They preferred face-to-face learning for communication purposes in which a shared understanding has to be derived or in which interpersonal relations are to be established. An especially important result concerns students' perceptions of their learning achievements: When conceptual knowledge in the subject matter or skills in the application of one's knowledge are to be acquired, students prefer face-to-face learning. However, when skills in self-regulated learning are to be acquired, students advocate online learning. (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000285123500017 SN 1096-7516 DI 10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.09.004 ER PT J TI Smap To Generate the Personalized Learning Paths for Different Learning Style Learners AU Yang, JA Liu, HT Huang, ZX ED Zhang, XP Zhong, SC Pan, ZG Wong, K Yun, RW CT 5th International Conference on E-learning and Games, Edutainment 2010 CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Changchun, PEOPLES R CHINA SO ENTERTAINMENT FOR EDUCATION: DIGITAL TECHNIQUES AND SYSTEMS VL 6249 BP 13 EP 22 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Web based intelligent learning systems are coming out as one the most important research issue in the e-learning area However, two main cognitive problems me confronted by the intelligent learning systems which me caused by the self-controlled mechanism lo solve this problem, lead lung path is proposed by in my systems, however, learners' learning characteristics, such as their learning styles me still omitted by the most learning systems This paper proposed an intelligent learning system called Smap, whose learning objects me organized in a 3-dimensioned semantic map he final goal of Smap is to provide learners with then personalized learning path according to their different learning styles UT WOS:000284031000002 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Design and Implementation of TCP/IP Protocol Learning Tool AU Li, F Yu, NN ED Zhang, XP Zhong, SC Pan, ZG Wong, K Yun, RW CT 5th International Conference on E-learning and Games, Edutainment 2010 CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Changchun, PEOPLES R CHINA SO ENTERTAINMENT FOR EDUCATION: DIGITAL TECHNIQUES AND SYSTEMS VL 6249 BP 46 EP 52 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The principle of TCP/IP protocols is hard to understand for students In this paper a TCP/IP protocol learning tool is present Through the tool, TCP/IP protocols are present with multimedia in easy effective and understandable way On this basic when various TCP/IP data packets are sent or received the processes inside of the IP network are visual showed by packets capture and parse based on Winpcap Practices showed the learning tool can help students to grasp the principle of TCP/IP protocols effectively UT WOS:000284031000005 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Research on the Establishment of Structural E-Learning Resources AU Zhang, Z Wang, W Zhou, ZW Chen, YB ED Zhang, XP Zhong, SC Pan, ZG Wong, K Yun, RW CT 5th International Conference on E-learning and Games, Edutainment 2010 CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Changchun, PEOPLES R CHINA SO ENTERTAINMENT FOR EDUCATION: DIGITAL TECHNIQUES AND SYSTEMS VL 6249 BP 92 EP 99 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper analyzes the necessity of establishing c learning resources and points out problems on current e-learning resources construction To solve these problems a method on collecting and processing structural e-learning resource based on Web is contributed The design approach of focused crawler based on classifier and Ajax is described Also the Web information extraction approach based on Wrappers is shown The developed system based on this method has been integrated into a structural e-learning resource library system The system performance is promising UT WOS:000284031000010 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI A Model-Driven Architecture Approach for Developing E-Learning Platform AU Cong, XA Zhang, HM Zhou, DD Lu, P Qin, L ED Zhang, XP Zhong, SC Pan, ZG Wong, K Yun, RW CT 5th International Conference on E-learning and Games, Edutainment 2010 CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Changchun, PEOPLES R CHINA SO ENTERTAINMENT FOR EDUCATION: DIGITAL TECHNIQUES AND SYSTEMS VL 6249 BP 111 EP 122 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Currently there are many problems of the application development of E Learning platform such as the difficulty to use learning object from an LMS in another one and the domain model reuse rate is low in various application systems and hardness to ensure the consistency between designs and codes These problems have constrained the development efficiency of E-Learning application software and its quality In this paper we proposed a model-driven development approach for E-Learning platform First establish the domain model (CIM) through the analysis of business logic and then establish robustness diagram of the system after the robustness analysis Then we stratified on the PIM under the J2EE framework and proposed the method of transformation from PIM to PSM layer by layer This approach not only effectively solves the above problems but also improves the efficiency of software development through the automatically generated code UT WOS:000284031000012 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Knowledge Preference Based Learning Community Construction and Service Support AU Deng, H Zhan, YZ Mao, QR ED Zhang, XP Zhong, SC Pan, ZG Wong, K Yun, RW CT 5th International Conference on E-learning and Games, Edutainment 2010 CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Changchun, PEOPLES R CHINA SO ENTERTAINMENT FOR EDUCATION: DIGITAL TECHNIQUES AND SYSTEMS VL 6249 BP 123 EP 134 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In this paper the learner s knowledge preference ontology model is presented to process learning preference and situation in E-Learning environment By this model knowledge domain learning situation and knowledge preference are described reasonably and efficiently And the reasoning rules for knowledge preference and learning situation are given in this model According to these reasoning rules the learner s knowledge preference and situation can be con eluded Furthermore the learning community based on the learner s knowledge preference is constructed By talking with and learning good Ideas from the members of the community the learner s loneliness in E-Learning environment would be declined We design and implement the learning community and its service support based on knowledge preference ontology model The experiment results show that the learner s efficiency is raised greatly and the learner's interest is stimulated more effectively UT WOS:000284031000013 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI An Analysis Framework of Activity Context in e-Learning Environments AU Zheng, YL Li, LY Zheng, FL ED Zhang, XP Zhong, SC Pan, ZG Wong, K Yun, RW CT 5th International Conference on E-learning and Games, Edutainment 2010 CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Changchun, PEOPLES R CHINA SO ENTERTAINMENT FOR EDUCATION: DIGITAL TECHNIQUES AND SYSTEMS VL 6249 BP 258 EP 268 PY 2010 TC 0 AB It is feasible to mine learners learning activities for the provision of personalized learning services Learning activity is not only the mediator for the exploration of learning processes but also the source for the recognition of learners personalized learning needs It is necessary to establish a reasonable analysis system for the inquiry of activity contexts involved in e-leaning This paper proposes an analysis framework of activity context in e-learning environments including the theoretical foundation the connotation the modeling strategies and content analysis techniques of activity context UT WOS:000284031000026 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI A Multimodal Virtual Anatomy E-Learning Tool for Medical Education AU Lu, JF Li, L Sun, GP ED Zhang, XP Zhong, SC Pan, ZG Wong, K Yun, RW CT 5th International Conference on E-learning and Games, Edutainment 2010 CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Changchun, PEOPLES R CHINA SO ENTERTAINMENT FOR EDUCATION: DIGITAL TECHNIQUES AND SYSTEMS VL 6249 BP 278 EP 287 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Computer aided learning (CAL) has great potential in facilitating learning In medical education several approaches using CAL have been used In this paper we present a novel software platform which we designed to provide a virtual learning environment to support anatomy teaching and learning delivered on a simple desktop computer The virtual 3D environment is particularly useful to help students identify key anatomy structures and their complex spatial relationships Modeling and direct volume rendering (DVR) technologies are applied to anonymized actual patient CT Data The learning platform has been designed to provide accurate interactive models for student and instructor use The intuitive computer graphic interface and virtual reality 3D environment make learning interesting and engaging The platform also allows instructors to easily customize the anatomy model by adding additional digital supplementary learning material like text including hyperlinks further images animation audio and video which are all supported within the learning environment To make use of online and mobile learning function the system provides interface to extend online and mobile learning The chest anatomy prototype has been evaluated by medical students and teaching staff with good feedback UT WOS:000284031000028 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Research on the Method of Recomposing Learning Objects and Tools in Adaptive Learning Platform AU Xie, P Ye, LM Huang, YM Chen, YW Lin, LW ED Zhang, XP Zhong, SC Pan, ZG Wong, K Yun, RW CT 5th International Conference on E-learning and Games, Edutainment 2010 CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Changchun, PEOPLES R CHINA SO ENTERTAINMENT FOR EDUCATION: DIGITAL TECHNIQUES AND SYSTEMS VL 6249 BP 326 EP 336 PY 2010 TC 0 AB At present a large number of learning platforms are the accumulation of educational resources In the face of chaotic educational resources learners become overwhelmed and unable to find their own resources effectively Adaptive learning platform aims to build learning environment and provide learning objects based on learner's individualized information usage behavior habits preferences and etc It can guide learner s learning activities as a teacher and enhance learning efficiency This paper presents an ontology and sequence mining based selection method for learning objects and learning tools in adaptive learning platform It mines the learning scheme through the sequence mining method to achieve personalized learning scheme Besides according to the learning scheme, It integrates the existing e-learning tools to build learning environment by service composition method and aggregation all the related learning objects into learning content by using ontology technology to describe the semantic relationship between learning objects UT WOS:000284031000033 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Resource Organization and Management of the Platform for Supporting Teacher Education Innovation Based on IPv6 AU Liu, DX Liu, Z Liu, L Ren, Y ED Zhang, XP Zhong, SC Pan, ZG Wong, K Yun, RW CT 5th International Conference on E-learning and Games, Edutainment 2010 CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Changchun, PEOPLES R CHINA SO ENTERTAINMENT FOR EDUCATION: DIGITAL TECHNIQUES AND SYSTEMS VL 6249 BP 353 EP 360 PY 2010 TC 0 AB It is important for normal universities to make use of information technology for innovating the model of teacher education, which put forward higher requirements for teaching resources. IPv6 is the next generation Internet protocol that has such special advantages in resources-based e-learning as sufficient address space, higher data transmission efficiency and high-quality video applications. This thesis describes the resource organization and management of the platform for supporting teacher education innovation based on IPv6, as well as the design and implementation of resource management sub-system. The platform and resources support the integration of time and space for teacher education, and the innovation of teacher education modle. UT WOS:000284031000036 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Virtual Classrooms Supporting a Two-Way Synchronized Video and Audio Interaction AU Li, X Li, MH Zeng, LR ED Zhang, XP Zhong, SC Pan, ZG Wong, K Yun, RW CT 5th International Conference on E-learning and Games, Edutainment 2010 CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Changchun, PEOPLES R CHINA SO ENTERTAINMENT FOR EDUCATION: DIGITAL TECHNIQUES AND SYSTEMS VL 6249 BP 446 EP 455 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In e learning interaction with audio and video plays a key role in simulating real teaching situation and improving teaching effectiveness Analysis of interaction solutions in existing virtual classroom show some deficiencies in a two-way synchronized interaction with audio and video In order to support better use of e-learning in teaching interaction we put forward a virtual classroom solution to present real teaching situations and to support a two way interaction with audio and video In this article we focus on choice of communication protocol defining of system server and requirements of hardware and bandwidth in the process of system development We also bring forth the modeling methods of video avatar entity and its behaviors In conclusion a prototype of this virtual classroom is presented and its teaching functions are introduced UT WOS:000284031000046 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Entrepreneurship and the Equality of Chances: An Inter-Regional Model of Women School of Entrepreneurship AU Dodescu, A Giurgiu, A ED Kakouris, A CT 5th European Conference on Entrepreneurship and Innovation CY SEP, 2010 CL Natl & Kapodistrian Univ Athens, Athens, GREECE SO PROCEEDINGS OF THE 5TH EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP BP 743 EP 745 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The project entitled: Entrepreneurship and the Equality of Chances. An Inter-regional Model of Women School of Entrepreneurship, financed by the European Social Fund with an amount of over 3.5 million Euros, is the first strategic project in the field of human resources development in Romania that promotes female entrepreneurship. The covering area of the project is the Western part of Romania, and includes Maramures, Satu-Mare, Bihor, Arad, Timis, Caras Severin Counties, being implemented by partner universities from each of these counties. The general objective is to promote the equality of chances in the field of entrepreneurship, by stimulating the implication of women, especially those coming from rural areas, to initiate and develop their own business in the context of sustainable development of their communities. As initial result of the project, a Women School of Entrepreneurship, consisting of 6 territorial, 24 local and 72 rural centres, along the Western part of Romania, was set up, giving the 1800 women composing the target group of the project, the opportunity to acquire entrepreneurial skills in the same place where they leave, by using Action Learning as an educational method. Besides the entrepreneurial training, the project develops a number of innovative activities such as: the elaboration of two packages of didactic supports especially designed for the women' needs, with pronounced original character, elaborated by an inter-regional team of specialists from the partner universities in both printed and in e-learning format, and entitled: Training for Trainers of professional competences, and The School of Entrepreneurship - Module I - Business start-up, respectively, Module II - Business development; the elaboration of the economic diagnoses of the 6 counties involved, by the same inter-regional research team, and thereafter, their integration in the training process, in order to facilitate the identification of business ideas according to the development potential of the counties taken into consideration, and the real possibilities for development of the SMEs' sector; the development of some specific methods designed to create the data base selection, and to monitor the project's target groups, including a set of focused questionnaires; the development of a specific research activity, having female entrepreneurship in the Western part of Romania as main subject. The project development results in: creating an inter-regional educational research, training and communication network; creating an inter-regional data base on female entrepreneurship; generating an inter-regional model of Women School of Entrepreneurship based on Action Learning, as a replicable model, adaptable to other areas; elaborating 1800 business plans addressed to the development needs and specific priorities of the inter-regional area envisaged. By putting into practice, with the support of the project, 50% of the resulted business plans, will lead to the increase of the density of the SMEs sector, to the creation of direct and indirect workplaces, to the decrease of poverty, to the regional development, to the promotion of female entrepreneurship, and definitively, to positive changes in the lives of all those 1800 women from the Western part of Romania. UT WOS:000284262500087 ER PT J TI Adaptive E-Learning Tools for Numbering Systems AU Saleh, AA El-Bakry, HM Asfour, TT Mastorakis, N ED Mastorakis, N Mladenov, V Zaharim, A Bulucea, CA CT 9th WSEAS International Conference on Applications of Electrical Engineering ( AEE '10) CY MAR 23-25, 2010 CL Penang, MALAYSIA SO RECENT ADVANCES AND APPLICATIONS OF COMPUTER ENGINEERING BP 293 EP 298 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Due to the growth within Internet-based technologies as well as human competencies in the use of these technologies, E-learning today allows students to try things out, participate in courses, tests and simulations like never before, and get more out of learning than before. This paper introduces an environment for adaptive e-learning in data representation and other fields. That used to be learnt in a traditional way. The presented model generates suitable courses for each student in a dynamic form. Even the choice of effective e-learning tools is seemingly endless. The proposed environment is designed by using Visual Basic for modeling and Microsoft word for creating materials UT WOS:000284992800049 ER PT J TI Engaging through an e-Learning client education package for people with venous leg ulcers: Qualitative findings from nurses AU Kapp, S Donohue, L Miller, C SO AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL ON AGEING VL 29 BP 19 EP 20 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000283159100045 SN 1440-6381 ER PT J TI Generating guidelines for choosing appropriate metaphors in GUIs through the analysis of cross-cultural understanding of metaphorical icons: an explorative study with French and Turkish users on an e-learning site AU Rizvanoglu, K SO DIGITAL CREATIVITY VL 21 IS 3 BP 173 EP 185 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper investigates the influence of culture on understanding metaphors in GUIs and aims to generate guidelines for choosing appropriate metaphors for users from different cultures. Considering the dual-coded structure of compound metaphorical icons - composed of two major units: image and label - this study evaluates the main hypothesis that understanding of graphical and textual elements of the metaphors differs due to real world and language experiences of the users. A study on a French e-learning site - based on a spatial 'Campus' metaphor - was conducted with sixty-eight Turkish and French students. The qualitative study applied a multi-method approach including data collection instruments like background and icon recognition questionnaires and interview. Findings suggest differences in understanding across the two cultural groups and provide an in-depth analysis on the process of cross-cultural understanding of metaphors by focusing on the metaphorical inconsistencies. Through this analysis, guidelines are proposed for choosing metaphors in GUIs. UT WOS:000285199100003 SN 1462-6268 DI 10.1080/14626268.2010.483686 ER PT P TI Electronic-learning contents supplying system for students in e.g. school, has touch panel provided to control operation of set top box, and server transmitting moving picture signal and voice signal to set top box PN KR989142-B1 AE DVS KOREA CO LTD; HISTUDY CO LTD AU SEONG LEE Y AU [Anon] PY 2010 TC 0 AB NOVELTY - The system has multiple cameras (110a, 110b) provided to capture a moving picture signal, and a microphone (120a) receiving a voice signal. A control terminal is connected to a set top box (130), and a touch panel is provided to control operation of the set top box. A server (150) transmits the moving picture signal and voice signal to the set top box. A keypad and the touch panel are integrated with an LCD monitor. USE - System for supplying electronic (E)-learning contents to students in a school and an institute. ADVANTAGE - The system is provided to recognize face of the students to check whether the students attend the class in effective manner. The system improves teaching efficiency. DETAILED DESCRIPTION - An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is also included for a method for supplying electronic-learning contents. UT DIIDW:2010N63405 ER PT J TI FACTORS INFLUENCING PUPILS' ACCEPTANCE OF AN E-LEARNING SYSTEM FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS AU Friedrich, HF Hron, A SO JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL COMPUTING RESEARCH VL 42 IS 1 BP 63 EP 78 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The present study aims at investigating which factors are significant for pupils' acceptance of an E-Learning system introduced into secondary schools. The E-Learning system consisted of interactive learning modules for several school subjects and a Learning Management System (LMS). Research on IT acceptance and attitudes guided the specification of independent variables as predictors of acceptance. Survey data were collected from 125 pupils from 8 German high schools in January and July 2005. Results from a three-step hierarchical regression reveal that perceived usefulness was a significant positive predictor of pupils' acceptance, with perceived usefulness of the LMS having the greatest weight. Computer related attitude, self-efficacy, and gender had negligible or no influence on acceptance. The final regression model accounted for approximately 51% of the variance in the outcome measure. The findings indicate the critical importance of perceived usefulness in predicting pupils' acceptance of the E-Learning system, as is likewise known from acceptance research on IT at the work place. UT WOS:000286796500003 SN 0735-6331 DI 10.2190/EC.42.1.c ER PT J TI Customized interface design of the intelligent PDA for e-learning AU Wang, CC Tsai, CY SO AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT VL 4 IS 14 BP 2941 EP 2951 PY 2010 TC 1 AB The intelligent PDA has gradually come to embody the concept of mobile information and customization, and its functions can be approximated to those of a personal computer (PC). However, most users are used to PC interface, and find it difficult to operate the smaller interface of an intelligent PDA, causing problems in system interface design. This study applies Intelligent PDA to e-learning, and provides a customized, simple, convenient, and intuitive interface design for users. This study conducts cluster analysis to categorize user interface requirements, and then presents a customized interface design based on different user interface requirements. The results of this study can serve as a reference for designers of intelligent-PDA-based interfaces for e-learning. UT WOS:000285186000005 SN 1993-8233 ER PT J TI Information Technologies in Higher Education: Lessons Learned in Industrial Engineering AU Delgado-Almonte, M Andreu, HB Pedraja-Rejas, L SO EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY VL 13 IS 4 BP 140 EP 154 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This article describes a teaching experience in which information and communication technologies were applied in five industrial engineering courses at the Universidad de Tarapaca in Chile. The paper compares the performance and course pass rates of the e-learning platform and portable pocket PC platform with those of the same courses teaching in traditional classroom methods. Two of the courses involving 62 students used an e-learning platform and its associated pedagogical model, while the other three, covering 110 students, employed a portable Pocket PC platform and a collaborative pedagogical model. The results show that there is no statistical evidence that technology rise the students marks, but did reveal significant improvements in course pass rates. UT WOS:000285858600013 SN 1436-4522 ER PT J TI Adaptive item-based learning environments based on the item response theory: possibilities and challenges AU Wauters, K Desmet, P Van den Noortgate, W SO JOURNAL OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING VL 26 IS 6 BP 549 EP 562 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The popularity of intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) is increasing rapidly. In order to make learning environments more efficient, researchers have been exploring the possibility of an automatic adaptation of the learning environment to the learner or the context. One of the possible adaptation techniques is adaptive item sequencing by matching the difficulty of the items to the learner's knowledge level. This is already accomplished to a certain extent in adaptive testing environments, where the test is tailored to the person's ability level by means of the item response theory (IRT). Even though IRT has been a prevalent computerized adaptive test (CAT) approach for decades and applying IRT in item-based ITSs could lead to similar advantages as in CAT (e.g. higher motivation and more efficient learning), research on the application of IRT in such learning environments is highly restricted or absent. The purpose of this paper was to explore the feasibility of applying IRT in adaptive item-based ITSs. Therefore, we discussed the two main challenges associated with IRT application in such learning environments: the challenge of the data set and the challenge of the algorithm. We concluded that applying IRT seems to be a viable solution for adaptive item selection in item-based ITSs provided that some modifications are implemented. Further research should shed more light on the adequacy of the proposed solutions. UT WOS:000284428500009 SN 0266-4909 DI 10.1111/j.1365-2729.2010.00368.x ER PT J TI Acceptance of case-based, interactive e-learning in veterinary medicine on the example of the CASUS system AU Borchers, M Tipold, A Pfarrer, C Fischer, MR Ehlers, JP SO TIERAERZTLICHE PRAXIS AUSGABE KLEINTIERE HEIMTIERE VL 38 IS 6 BP 379 EP 388 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Objective: New teaching methods such as e-learning, are increasingly used to support common methods such as lectures, seminars and practical training in universities providing education in veterinary medicine. In the current study, the acceptance of e-learning in the example of the CASUS system by veterinarians as well as students of veterinary medicine of all German-speaking universities was analyzed. Material und methods: For this purpose an online evaluation questionnaire was developed. Members of the target groups were informed by e-mail and references in professional journals, as well as through veterinarian exchange platforms on the internet.Additionally, 224 students' final anatomy marks were compared and correlated to the utilization of CASUS to gain an important insight for the development of new teaching practices in the teaching of veterinary medicine. Results: In total 1581 questionnaires were evaluated. A good acceptance regarding new teaching practices was found, although the classical textbook is still the most important instrument for imparting knowledge. The degree of utilization of e-learning strongly depends on its integration into the teaching content. CASUS is regarded as an efficient teaching method, with over 90% of the respondents indicating a strong desire to expand the number of case studies. Due to the present low degree of integration into the teaching content, no significant correlation could be found between the utilization of anatomy case studies and the final anatomy mark. However, based on their subjective perception, the students reported a high level of success in their study results with the likely effect of supporting increasing self-assurance in the situation of examinations. Conclusion: With the help of e-learning, educational objectives can be achieved that are not attainable by traditional teaching methods, e.g. the review of individual improvements by using the integrated feedback-function of e-learning programs. However, e-learning is not able to completely replace current teaching practices and hence should be considered as an additional element in future teaching models. UT WOS:000286347400004 SN 1434-1239 ER PT J TI Synaptic Neurotransmission Depression in Ventral Tegmental Dopamine Neurons and Cannabinoid-Associated Addictive Learning AU Liu, ZQ Han, J Jia, LT Maillet, JC Bai, GA Xu, L Jia, ZP Zheng, QH Zhang, WD Monette, R Merali, Z Zhu, Z Wang, W Ren, W Zhang, X SO PLOS ONE VL 5 IS 12 PY 2010 TC 1 AB Drug addiction is an association of compulsive drug use with long-term associative learning/memory. Multiple forms of learning/memory are primarily subserved by activity-or experience-dependent synaptic long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). Recent studies suggest LTP expression in locally activated glutamate synapses onto dopamine neurons (local Glu-DA synapses) of the midbrain ventral tegmental area (VTA) following a single or chronic exposure to many drugs of abuse, whereas a single exposure to cannabinoid did not significantly affect synaptic plasticity at these synapses. It is unknown whether chronic exposure of cannabis (marijuana or cannabinoids), the most commonly used illicit drug worldwide, induce LTP or LTD at these synapses. More importantly, whether such alterations in VTA synaptic plasticity causatively contribute to drug addictive behavior has not previously been addressed. Here we show in rats that chronic cannabinoid exposure activates VTA cannabinoid CB1 receptors to induce transient neurotransmission depression at VTA local Glu-DA synapses through activation of NMDA receptors and subsequent endocytosis of AMPA receptor GluR2 subunits. A GluR2-derived peptide blocks cannabinoid-induced VTA synaptic depression and conditioned place preference, i.e., learning to associate drug exposure with environmental cues. These data not only provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, that NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic depression at VTA dopamine circuitry requires GluR2 endocytosis, but also suggest an essential contribution of such synaptic depression to cannabinoid-associated addictive learning, in addition to pointing to novel pharmacological strategies for the treatment of cannabis addiction. UT WOS:000285575200052 SN 1932-6203 DI 10.1371/journal.pone.0015634 ER PT J TI Establishing On-Line Corporate Training in Distributed, Synchronous eCollaboration: A Field Study AU Paivarinta, T Munkvold, BE ED Kolfschoten, G Herrmann, T Lukosch, S CT 16th Collaboration Researchers International Working Group Conference on Collaboration and Technology CY SEP 20-23, 2010 CL Maastricht, NETHERLANDS SO COLLABORATION AND TECHNOLOGY VL 6257 BP 81 EP 96 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Whereas technologies for eCollaboration are maturing, a need for learning eCollaboration in distributed organizations continues. This paper presents the experiences from establishing corporate training in distributed, synchronous eCollaboration. The training package was delivered solely on-line with synchronous interaction among the participants and the instructors. The study contributes to the scarce body of research on computer-supported collaborative learning in professional and corporate contexts. The reported experiences illustrate several challenges to establish corporate on-line training of eCollaboration: promotion of awareness of the benefits of learning eCollaboration, management of varying pre-skills of employees participating in distributed and synchronous eCollaboration, lack of common conventions for selecting and using tools for particular organizational eCollaboration scenarios, inclusion of synchronous eCollaboration in the corporate eLearning strategy, and alignment of focused eCollaboration competencies to ever-evolving corporate eCollaboration infrastructure, policies and IT operations. UT WOS:000286415500007 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Comparison of the instructional efficacy of an internet-based temporomandibular joint (TMJ) tutorial with a traditional seminar AU Al-Riyami, S Moles, DR Leeson, R Cunningham, SJ SO BRITISH DENTAL JOURNAL VL 209 IS 11 BP 571 EP 576 PY 2010 TC 0 AB There has been growing interest in the use of virtual learning environments (VLEs) by universities over the past decade to supplement traditional teaching methods. In this study a tutorial providing information about the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), temporomandibular disorders and teaching of a thorough TMJ examination was developed on a VLE platform to enable students to enhance their examination and diagnostic skills. The success of this VLE tutorial was compared with conventional teaching by a cross-over trial. Thirty students were initially randomly allocated to one of two groups; Group 1 completed the VLE tutorial and Group 2 attended the face-to-face seminar in the first instance. The groups then crossed over and had the other method of teaching provided. The findings from the cross-over trial and the students' feedback indicated that no differences were found between either teaching modes, and both are equally effective at delivering information to students. In addition, the order in which the students received the teaching did not make a difference, but giving the teaching twice reinforced their knowledge. There is a strong case to be made for introducing clinical lectures on a VLE platform, and this form of e-learning is, in general, well perceived by new generations of students. UT WOS:000285187700024 SN 0007-0610 DI 10.1038/sj.bdj.2010.1085 ER PT J TI Investigation of E-Learning System Acceptance using UTAUT AU Sumak, B Hericko, M Polancic, G Pusnik, M SO INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING EDUCATION VL 26 IS 6 BP 1327 EP 1342 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper demonstrates the results of our research activities in which we validated state-of-the-art theory of technology acceptance (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology-UTAUT) in the context of a specific e-learning system-Moodle. This research was performed because there is little research reported in the area of e-learning acceptance and there are only a few validations of UTAUT in the context of e-learning. Research objectives were achieved with an online survey in which we included Likert-based statements related to UTAUT concepts and concepts specific to e-learning systems. The survey was performed on a random sample of undergraduate students, who were asked about their level of agreement or disagreement related to their acceptance of Moodle. The answers from 235 students were primarily analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) which demonstrated the validity of concepts and the level of causal relationships between concepts. We found that performance expectancy, social influence and facilitating conditions have a direct effect on students' attitudes towards using Moodle, where performance expectancy was the strongest determinant of student attitudes. Students' intention for using Moodle is caused by social influence and facilitating conditions. Behavioural intentions were shown to be a strong indicator for the actual use of Moodle. The implications and limitations of the present study are also discussed. UT WOS:000285646700002 SN 0949-149X ER PT J TI A Performance-Oriented Approach to E-Learning in the Workplace AU Wang, MH Ran, WJ Liao, JA Yang, SJH SO EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & SOCIETY VL 13 IS 4 BP 167 EP 179 PY 2010 TC 1 AB Despite the ever-increasing practice of using e-learning in the workplace, most of the applications perform poorly in motivating employees to learn. Most workplace e-learning applications fail to meet the needs of learners and ultimately fail to serve the organization's quest for success. To solve this problem, we need to examine what workplace e-learning requires and how workplace e-learning systems should be developed in line with those requirements. We investigated the problem by identifying the fundamental elements of the workplace learning environment including the learner, organization, learning content and social context, and their relationships. We found that workplace e-learning should align individual and organizational learning needs, connect learning and work performance, and support social interaction among individuals. To achieve this, a performance-oriented approach is proposed in this study. Key performance indicators are utilized to clarify organizational goals, make sense of work context and requests on work performance, and accordingly help employees set up rational learning objectives and enhance their learning process. Using this approach, a prototype system has been developed and a set of experiments have been conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach. UT WOS:000285858600015 SN 1436-4522 ER PT J TI Copyright and E-Learning A Guide for Practitioners AU Cantwell, K SO AUSTRALIAN ACADEMIC & RESEARCH LIBRARIES VL 41 IS 3 BP 222 EP 223 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000285022300009 SN 0004-8623 ER PT J TI End-User Training Methods: What We Know, Need to Know AU Gupta, S Bostrom, RP Huber, M SO DATA BASE FOR ADVANCES IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS VL 41 IS 4 BP 9 EP 39 PY 2010 TC 0 AB End-User Training (EUT) has enjoyed a rich tradition of research in Information Systems. However, with the growing pace of change in technology and the dynamic nature of business, organizations are spending an increasing amount of money on end-user training. Training methods are also changing with little research to support new approaches. Thus, extensive research is required in the future. To be credible, end-user training research should preserve and build upon the significant literature that exists, both in IS and Education. This paper provides a review of EUT literature focusing on training methods. It summarizes research findings, while pointing out key future research issues. UT WOS:000286016000001 SN 0095-0033 ER PT J TI FAIL BETTER: TOWARD A TAXONOMY OF E-LEARNING ERROR AU Priem, J SO JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL COMPUTING RESEARCH VL 43 IS 3 BP 377 EP 397 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The study of student error, important across many fields of educational research, has begun to attract interest in the field of e-learning, particularly in relation to usability. However, it remains unclear when errors should be avoided (as usability failures) or embraced (as learning opportunities). Many domains have benefited from taxonomies of error; a taxonomy of e-learning error would help guide much-needed empirical inquiry from scholars. Drawing on work from several disciplines, this article proposes a preliminary taxonomy of three categories: learning task mistakes, general support mistakes, and technology support mistakes. Suggestions are made for the taxonomy's use and validation. UT WOS:000286797200006 SN 0735-6331 DI 10.2190/EC.43.3.f ER PT J TI Copyright and E-learning: A Guide for Practitioners AU Myhill, M SO PROGRAM-ELECTRONIC LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS VL 44 IS 4 BP 406 EP 407 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000285659600011 SN 0033-0337 DI 10.1108/00330331011083293 ER PT J TI Development and integration of multimedia teaching and learning support material (LTSM) to support reading skills AU Klopper, A Nel, C SO TYDSKRIF VIR GEESTESWETENSKAPPE VL 50 IS 4 BP 541 EP 558 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The Department of Education, educators, parents and various stakeholders are concerned about the literacy levels of learners in South-African schools. Various national and international studies revealed shockingly low levels and underachievement. In 2006 the Department of Education revealed the disturbing fact that 61% of South African learners still cannot read by the end of grade 3. Results of a systemic evaluation that was undertaken in 2007 revealed an alarmingly low average of 36% for literacy. The Department of Education launched various investigations to establish why the levels of reading proficiency for South African learners are so poor The Foundations for Learning Campaign was one of the responses to address these concerns and an effort to assist teachers in facilitating literacy skills effectively. South African educators are experiencing increased pressure to teach literacy skills (including reading) effectively It is imperative that effective reading instruction should commence in the foundation phase, where the basis for more advanced skills is established. In order to help learners to become better readers, teachers need support to deal with problems typically experienced in South African classrooms. These problems include large classes, a lack of teaching expertise/training as well as a lack of resources in many classrooms. The purpose of this study was to describe how recently developed multimedia learning and teaching support material (MLTSM) by means of a digital book disc (DBD) can enhance the reading skills of foundation phase learners. It also describes the benefits of the DBD for the South African school context and the potential it has to enrich and support reading instruction in the foundation phase. The DBD is a form of electronic mobile learning facilitated by a DVD player that can be used as MLTSM. The DBD uses multimedia (written and spoken words, visual illustrations or animation) presented in a mobile format (portable D VD players). According to Mayer's cognitive theory of multimedia learning, the working memory includes both visual and auditory channels and learning is enhanced when both these channels are used during multimedia supported learning activities. The proposed model provides guidelines for the development and integration of MTLSM on a DBD to enable learners to become skilled in reading and writing, while enjoying the process of becoming literate. The DBD focuses on phonemic awareness, word recognition, reading comprehension and fluency as important components of reading instruction. Shared reading instruction activities where learners follow the text and join in when they are able to do so, improves motivation. Stories, poems and songs that relate to the themes (context) in the classroom, are examples of the different kinds of text used on the DBD. Relevant teaching and learning principles that support reading proficiency while using the DBD, are discussed These include active learner participation, motivation, reinforcement of positive attitudes, self assessment and immediate feedback. The study also demonstrates how relevant learning material that relate to the learner's experience, edutainment and scaffolding can contribute to effective reading instruction. Different multimedia principles that support and enhance reading proficiency are also explained. The DBD enables the teacher to facilitate enrichment (additional stories) as well as remedial activities, where learners experiencing difficulties/problems, can repeat learning activities according to their individual needs. The differentiated stories allow learners with varying abilities to choose activities that relate to their developmental level providing the appropriate level of challenge. Thematic stories and other reading material can also be produced by individual teachers to enhance the relevancy of the content for the learner's world, experience and interest. The DBD addresses some of the problems typical of South African schools. These include a lack of electricity, educational and developmental resources and qualified/competent teachers. The DBD provides a cost effective, user friendly yet effective learning and teaching aid that can be used by learners individually, as well as in group context. The low cost of DVD's and DVD players as well as the fact that they can be used with batteries, make them accessible to all learners and teachers. By integrating the DBD in foundation phase classrooms, teachers can facilitate the reading proficiency development of learners. UT WOS:000285946200006 SN 0041-4751 ER PT J TI SAMTool, a Tool for Deducing and Implementing Loop Patterns AU Aleman, JLF Oufaska, Y CT 15th Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education Conference CY JUN 26-30, 2010 CL Bilkent Univ, Bilkent, TURKEY SO ITICSE 2010: PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2010 ACM SIGSE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY IN COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION BP 68 EP 72 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper presents a proposal aimed at active learning of iterative design in CS1. Two main contributions are made: first, a novel approach to tackle iterative algorithms design problems based on inductive reasoning, sequential access models and algorithmic schemes; second, a web tool called SAMTool (Sequential Access Model Tool) to support this approach. Students use SAMTool in three stages: (1) to obtain problem-dependent code to solve an iterative problem (2) to define an algorithmic scheme in a sequential access model; (3) to generate a program starting from a problem, an algorithmic scheme, a programming language and a sequence in the chosen programming language. The effectiveness of SAMTool as a tool to enhance learning has been demonstrated through empirical evaluation on a course with 114 undergraduate students. In a controlled study, programming students trained in the use of SAMTool were found to make fewer errors than a control group, which suggests that our approach helps students to construct iterative algorithms correctly. UT WOS:000286906900016 ER PT J TI Improving CS Education at Wits Using an Online Assessment and Evaluation System - A Case Study AU Kyrilov, A Chengalroyen, J Tokman, M CT 15th Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education Conference CY JUN 26-30, 2010 CL Bilkent Univ, Bilkent, TURKEY SO ITICSE 2010: PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2010 ACM SIGSE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY IN COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION BP 314 EP 314 PY 2010 TC 0 UT WOS:000286906900078 ER PT J TI A Mobile Learning Tool to Deliver Online Questionnaires AU De-Marcos, L Hilera, JR Garcia, E Garcia, A Martinez, JJ Gutierrez, JM Barchino, R Oton, S Gutierrez, JA Vilar, E Martinez, M Espinosa, S CT 15th Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education Conference CY JUN 26-30, 2010 CL Bilkent Univ, Bilkent, TURKEY SO ITICSE 2010: PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2010 ACM SIGSE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY IN COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION BP 319 EP 319 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper presents a new mobile application designed for auto-assessment that allows students to test their knowledge and expertise in a specific topic using questionnaires designed by their teachers. Students' achievement was evaluated and results suggest that this kind of approaches can improve it. UT WOS:000286906900083 ER PT J TI Modeling recommendations for the educational domain AU Santos, OC Boticario, JG ED Manouselis, N Drachsler, H Verbert, K Santos, OC CT 4th ACM Conference on Recommender Systems (RecSys 2010)/5th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning (EC-TEL 2010) CY SEP 29-30, 2010 CL Barcelona, SPAIN SO PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1ST WORKSHOP ON RECOMMENDER SYSTEMS FOR TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED LEARNING (RECSYSTEL 2010) VL 1 IS 2 BP 2793 EP 2800 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Recommendations for technology enhanced learning scenarios have differences from those in other domains as recommendations in e-learning should be guided by educational objectives, and not only by the users' preferences. Most efforts so far have focused mainly on researching algorithms that retrieve relevant learning materials to the learner, but other kind of recommendations can be provided due to the richness in services and functionality available in educational web-based scenarios. To find out relevant recommendation items from an educational point of view, a top down perspective can be used to design recommendations, especially for formal learning scenarios. To cope with these needs, we have defined a semantic recommendations model that can be used to describe the recommendations for technology enhanced learning. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V. UT WOS:000287102600003 SN 1877-0509 DI 10.1016/j.procs.2010.08.004 ER PT J TI Semantic Ranking of Lecture Slides based on Conceptual Relationship and Presentational Structure AU Wang, YY Sumiya, K ED Manouselis, N Drachsler, H Verbert, K Santos, OC CT 4th ACM Conference on Recommender Systems (RecSys 2010)/5th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning (EC-TEL 2010) CY SEP 29-30, 2010 CL Barcelona, SPAIN SO PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1ST WORKSHOP ON RECOMMENDER SYSTEMS FOR TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED LEARNING (RECSYSTEL 2010) VL 1 IS 2 BP 2801 EP 2810 PY 2010 TC 0 AB We describe a presentation content retrieval method involving the semantic ranking of target slides based on the relations between slides related to a user query. This method uses a keyword conceptual structure of the conceptual relationship implicitly existing between keywords extracted from the slide text of the presentation content and the presentational structure of indents in the slide text. At present, many presentation files are shared over the Web by many universities through their own public sites. Although these files are useful and valuable to many potential students, the fact that such files have to be retrieved for self-learning purposes means that there is still a lack of support for self-learners to find the desired slides on a priority basis, i.e, on the basis of importance and urgency of requirement of the desired file. Our noble semantic ranking method helps a user to easily learn through slides, focusing on either highly detailed slides or introductory slides in an order related to the user query. We also present a prototype system supported by our method for slide ranking and evaluate its effectiveness through experiments. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V. UT WOS:000287102600004 SN 1877-0509 DI 10.1016/j.procs.2010.08.005 ER PT J TI Recommender System for Predicting Student Performance AU Nguyen, TN Drumond, L Krohn-Grimberghe, A Schmidt-Thieme, L ED Manouselis, N Drachsler, H Verbert, K Santos, OC CT 4th ACM Conference on Recommender Systems (RecSys 2010)/5th European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning (EC-TEL 2010) CY SEP 29-30, 2010 CL Barcelona, SPAIN SO PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1ST WORKSHOP ON RECOMMENDER SYSTEMS FOR TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED LEARNING (RECSYSTEL 2010) VL 1 IS 2 BP 2811 EP 2819 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Recommender systems are widely used in many areas, especially in e-commerce. Recently, they are also applied in e-learning tasks such as recommending resources (e.g. papers, books,..) to the learners (students). In this work, we propose a novel approach which uses recommender system techniques for educational data mining, especially for predicting student performance. To validate this approach, we compare recommender system techniques with traditional regression methods such as logistic/linear regression by using educational data for intelligent tutoring systems. Experimental results show that the proposed approach can improve prediction results. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier B.V. UT WOS:000287102600005 SN 1877-0509 DI 10.1016/j.procs.2010.08.006 ER PT J TI NOVEL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT - KEY ISSUES FOR SUCCESS AU Kalinic, H Kostanjcar, Z Jeren, B SO ECONOMIC COMPUTATION AND ECONOMIC CYBERNETICS STUDIES AND RESEARCH VL 44 IS 4 BP 179 EP 198 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The purpose of this work is to reduce the risk of investment return in development of new products. One of the problems when developing a new product is a high-risk of investment return that prevents many companies from innovation and development of new products. In order to reduce the risk, a model of innovation diffusion should be included in a new product development. There are few theories in literature that examine diffusion of new products, but they focus on specific segments of diffusion process. Within the scope of this work, we propose a model of product diffusion in the market based on the concepts of systems thinking and the methodology of system dynamics. The model focuses on comprehensiveness, and it helps the management to understand the diffusion process. Using the model, one can simulate how the market will accept a product depending on its specific characteristics. Based on the predictions, it is possible to choose the optimal characteristics of a product for the predefined market. Furthermore, we discuss an application to the development of a new e-learning product. UT WOS:000286120700011 SN 0424-267X ER PT J TI Entertaining Education: User Friendly Cutting Interface for Digital Textbooks AU Kim, G Yang, HR Kang, KK Kim, D ED Yang, HS Malaka, R Hoshino, J Han, JH CT 9th International Conference on Entertainment Computing CY SEP 08-11, 2010 CL Seoul, SOUTH KOREA SO ENTERTAINMENT COMPUTING - ICEC 2010 VL 6243 BP 405 EP 412 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Nowadays, the new paradigm demands digital textbooks which contain interactive contents. Our goal is to design the digital textbook providing effective multimedia and cutting interface for interactive education. To achieve this purpose, we propose the user friendly cutting interface and interactive animation for digital textbook. This interface complemented current digital textbook interface which is mostly in text based. We will discuss effectiveness of our interface for elementary students and how much our interface gives positive effect in learning. UT WOS:000286344800044 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI WebMapping at School AU de Lange, N ED Guo, H Wang, C CT 6th International Symposium on Digital Earth - Models, Algorithms, and Virtual Reality CY SEP 09-12, 2009 CL Beijing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO SIXTH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON DIGITAL EARTH: MODELS, ALGORITHMS, AND VIRTUAL REALITY VL 7840 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The paper discusses the position of GIS in Geography as a subject especially at German schools. It points out that students only need simple GIS-functions in order to explore digital atlases or webbased data viewers. Furthermore it is widely accepted that learning achievements improve if students make use of the idea of self-employed and explorative working on information produced by themselves. These two arguments have led to the development of the WebMapping tool "kartografix_school". It allows users to generate maps with new and individually defined content on the internet. For that purpose the tool contains generalized outlines of all countries of the world as well as of German States. As these boundaries are given users can assign new attribute data to these geoobjects. These data are transferred to a graphic presentation. It is possible to define the classification and colours for each class. Users can change and update all information (data as well as number of classes, definition of classes, colours) at any time. Moreover "kartografix_school" offers the possibility to produce maps which are composed of two layers. All data are stored at a server located in the University of Osnabruck. "kartografix_school" is integrated in an e-Learning environment. UT WOS:000287702100027 SN 0277-786X DI 10.1117/12.872679 ER PT J TI A study on quality enhancement of on-line learning by analyzing the operational evaluation of distance training institutes for teachers AU Kim, Y Kim, J Ahn, S SO KEDI JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL POLICY VL 7 IS 2 BP 297 EP 317 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Korea's distance training institute has been in operation since 2000 with the aim of improving the quality of teachers Without the restrictions of time and space on-line learning in Korea has enjoyed a steady numerical growth m participation, accommodating over 600,000 teachers every year On-line learning, however, has its fare share of problems as there is a possibility that the educational effectiveness of on-line learning could be lower than that of face-to-face training Moreover, some institutes are poorly operating their on-line learning programs In response to such drawbacks, the Korean government has been making efforts to enhance the quality of on-line learning for teachers since 2006 by conducting an overall assessment of distance training institutes for teachers This study is a comprehensive analysis of the government s evaluation on distance training institutes to increase their on-line learning program quality for teachers Based on the analysis, three measures have been outlined for the improvement of on-line learning with the expectations that these suggested changes will assist m enhancing the quality of on-line learning for teachers in the future UT WOS:000285956300005 SN 1739-4341 ER PT J TI ANFIS Supported Question Classification in Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) AU Karahoca, A Karahoca, D Ince, F CT 5th International Conference on Soft Computing, Computing with Words and Perceptions in System Analysis, Decision and Control CY SEP 02-04, 2009 CL Famagusta, CYPRUS SO 2009 FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SOFT COMPUTING, COMPUTING WITH WORDS AND PERCEPTIONS IN SYSTEM ANALYSIS, DECISION AND CONTROL BP 9 EP 12 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-learning has become a major trend in the computer assisted teaching with the rapid development of Internet technologies. Web-based education is a very important component of education technology. One of the main advantage is the classroom and platform independence. Implementing Artificial Intelligence (Al) techniques to support efforts to improve the Web's intelligence and provide better services to the end users. In this study, three popular Al methods: Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Support Vector Machines (SVM), and Adaptive Network Based Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) were benchmarked in terms of effectiveness and performance within a Web-based environment. As the pilot test, "History of Civilization" class was selected. The question classification abilities depending on the item responses of students, item difficulties of questions, and question levels were determined by using Gaussian Normal Curve. Comparison study was conducted by considering the performance and class correctness of the sample questions (n=13) by using the given three inputs. The results showed that ANFIS has better performance than ANN and AVM in web-based education. UT WOS:000287219100003 ER PT J TI A Service Context Model Based on Ontology for Content Adaptation in E-learning AU Tong, MW Liu, QT Liu, XN CT 40th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference CY OCT 27-30, 2010 CL Arlington, VA SO 2010 IEEE FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE (FIE) PY 2010 TC 0 AB In heterogeneous service environment, E-learning, especially for learning content service, poses many opportunities and challengers of which the focus is that the service is even not able to be provided if the content can not be consumed in the service environment, termed service context also, which consists of the current state of networks, terminals, users, natural circumstance etc. To face the music, ISO/IEC proposes new standard, MPEG-21, in which content adaptation technology is employed to solve the problem of mismatch between content and service context. In content adaptation technology, service context model is a key point because it is the premise of other operations. Though service context modeling has been studied extensively recently and some models are created even standardized, there are some problems left still. One is that most of models are lack of ability of inference or the ability is weak because they are based on extensive makeup language (XML) or resource description framework (RDF). The other is that they are not capable of describing rules. However, it is necessary for service context model to reason and rule coding because those abilities will be helpful for datasize deceasing, context mining and subsequent processing, e. g. adaptation decision-taking, In this paper, we propose a novel model in the basis of ontology, whose property is to reason and describe rules. By ontology modeling software, protege, the model is performed. Based on the result of implementation, it is proven that the model is feasible. UT WOS:000287083200014 SN 0190-5848 ER PT J TI Work in Progress - Support for Mobile Collaborative Learning Applications AU Martin, S Boticki, I Jacobs, G Castro, M Peire, J CT 40th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference CY OCT 27-30, 2010 CL Arlington, VA SO 2010 IEEE FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE (FIE) PY 2010 TC 0 AB This work is intended to describe a framework aimed to address the challenges in the development of mobile Collaborative Learning applications. Firstly, the paper offers an overview of some of the main principles of Collaborative Learning that will be the basis of the framework, which is based on three main pillars: collaboration and communication among students; context-awareness (gathering users' data, such as geo-location, movements, academic information, and history) to provide personalize information and services; and interoperability with e-learning as many organizations use them. Evaluation will be conducted with a group of students of a "Professional Expert Course on Mobile Programming" that will use the framework to build their applications. UT WOS:000287083200015 SN 0190-5848 ER PT J TI Work in Progress - Learning Styles in Social Bookmarking Systems AU Sanchez-Zamora, FJ Llamas-Nistal, M Fernandez-Iglesias, MJ CT 40th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference CY OCT 27-30, 2010 CL Arlington, VA SO 2010 IEEE FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE (FIE) PY 2010 TC 0 AB This work addresses the characterization of user behavior in social bookmarking systems such as Bibsonomy or Delicious. From an educational point of view, user behavior characterization is related to learning styles. E-learning activities such as adaptive learning or online coaching and mentoring may benefit from this characterization. UT WOS:000287083200104 SN 0190-5848 ER PT J TI A BDI-based Intelligent Tutoring Module for the e-Learning Platform INES AU Mikic-Fonte, FA Burguillo-Rial, JC Llamas-Nistal, M Fernandez-Hermida, D CT 40th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference CY OCT 27-30, 2010 CL Arlington, VA SO 2010 IEEE FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE (FIE) PY 2010 TC 0 AB INES (INtelligent Educational System) is an operative prototype of an e-learning platform, which counts with functionalities of Learning Management Systems, Learning Content Management Systems, and Intelligent Tutoring Systems. To achieve these functionalities, our system includes several tools and technologies, such as: i) semantic management of users and contents; ii) an conversational agent to communicate with students in natural language; iii) BDI-based (Believes, Desires, Intentions) agents, which shape the tutoring module of the system; iv) an inference engine; and v) ontologies, to semantically model the users, their activities, and the learning contents. At the present paper we will address the intelligent tutoring module, and more specifically, its BDI-based agents. Briefly, the tasks of these agents are to recognize each student (checking his/her system credentials) and to obtain information about his/her learning progress. So, it can be able to suggest to each one specific tasks to achieve his/her particular learning objectives. The student himself/herself will decide if he/she accepts these tasks or ask for other ones. These new requested tasks can be delivered or not by the intelligent tutoring module, taking into account its decisions, which are based in several parameters related to the existing learning paths and the student's profile. UT WOS:000287083200119 SN 0190-5848 ER PT J TI An Automatic Correction Tool for Inorganic Chemical Formulas AU Prados, F Poch, J Villaescusa, I Boada, I Soler, J CT 40th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference CY OCT 27-30, 2010 CL Arlington, VA SO 2010 IEEE FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE (FIE) PY 2010 TC 0 AB The kernel of an automatic correction tool developed to practice exercises of nomenclature and formulation of inorganic chemistry at the technical/engineering degrees at Girona Polytechnic University is presented. Such tool consists on two parts: nomenclature and formulation. This tool was developed inside a previous e-learning platform that has two modules specially designed for the generation and correction of technical exercises. The exercise generation module, used to automatically generate different versions of a base exercise and the correction module, used to automatically correct the generated exercises by applying a solution code maintained in the base problem. We exploit the key of both modules that is the definition of the base exercise which varies according to the parameters and the descriptors. On the other hand, the usability of the interface developed for writing inorganic chemical formulas was decisive for the success of the tool. Our environment was tested during the last three academic years at the introductory course in chemistry in our university. UT WOS:000287083200123 SN 0190-5848 ER PT J TI The UNED's Interoperable Virtual Campus Service Management Architecture AU Ros, S Hernandez, R Read, T Pastor, R Castro, M Rodriguez-Artacho, M Robles-Gomez, A CT 40th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference CY OCT 27-30, 2010 CL Arlington, VA SO 2010 IEEE FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE (FIE) PY 2010 TC 0 AB The creation and maintenance of a virtual campus is a task that not only implies the deployment of sophisticated hardware and software but also requires considerable effort in the integration of the main university management systems with the chosen teaching tools present in the campus. Such integration requires the definition of a range of services tailored for the different user profiles. Hence, it has been necessary to develop a management environment for the virtual campus that enables it to be manipulated and controlled in an efficient manner where new services (above and beyond the basic e-Learning platform tools) can be integrated in a seamless fashion. The implementation of these services should guarantee a large degree of interoperability among virtual learning environments, VLEs and tools. To this end, some of these services have been implemented using the IMS Enterprise standard. This standard essentially contributes to the organization of a given e-Learning platform in terms of users, courses and roles therein; leaving to one side the formalization of other services more specific to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) together with the current technological framework. UT WOS:000287083200193 SN 0190-5848 ER PT J TI Identifying Success Factors for WBLMS Use by Instructors of Engineering Departments AU Findik, D Ozkan, S CT 40th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference CY OCT 27-30, 2010 CL Arlington, VA SO 2010 IEEE FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE (FIE) PY 2010 TC 0 AB Implementation of web-based learning management systems as a supportive tool in higher education has become so popular with the rapid expansion of information technologies. However, users' acceptance is the primary issue to be considered for the successful implementation and management processes of the systems. In this context, this study aims to understand behavioral intentions of engineering instructors towards web-based learning management systems and further to identify the influencing factors based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, Technology Acceptance Model, Innovation Diffusion Theory, and Social Cognitive Theory. A comprehensive survey was conducted with 123 engineering instructors and evaluated using structural equation modeling to verify the proposed theoretical model. As a result, the relationships between the factors are detected to explain and predict the adoption of engineering academicians towards web-based learning management system through discussing the implication of this study and future research directions. UT WOS:000287083200242 SN 0190-5848 ER PT J TI A Complex Tutoring System for e-Learning: The New Evaluation Model AU Pastor, R Hernandez, R Ros, S Read, T Castro, M Hernandez, R CT 40th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference CY OCT 27-30, 2010 CL Arlington, VA SO 2010 IEEE FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE (FIE) PY 2010 TC 0 AB UNED (Spanish University for Distance Education) is the largest public distance education university in Spain with over 220,000 students, 1600 lecturers and 2000 administrative staff. Currently, the EHEA (European Higher Education Area) adapted new degrees have just started, so focusing on personal activities for the evaluation model is very important. In UNED, the number of students (near of 42000 students in the 120 subjects of its first course) makes the role of tutors who assist lecturers in the new evaluation model proposed by EHEA very important. Also, tutors must use the same e-learning platform tools as lecturers, in order to have a course evaluation control panel that follows a student's learning process. In this paper, the course evaluation system will be presented and how it is implemented in order to enable tutors to access only the grades of their students. As a result, some indicators will be presented in order to validate the approach of the new evaluation system for EHEA degrees: tutors with "activity" in their personal subgroups, number of degrees undertaken by the tutors, etc. UT WOS:000287083200295 SN 0190-5848 ER PT J TI Integrated Study Programs through e-Learning AU Aguirre, S Quemada, J Salvachua, J CT 40th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference CY OCT 27-30, 2010 CL Arlington, VA SO 2010 IEEE FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE (FIE) PY 2010 TC 0 AB In the unstoppable process of globalization and educational convergence, the use of e-Learning as a support tool in educational programs is becoming a growing trend. A wide diversity of proprietary and open-source e-Learning platforms are available. However, these platforms are generally developed independently by different organizations, and different technologies are used in them. As a result, the implementation of integrated study programs by means of e-Learning systems requires the solution of several technical difficulties generated by the heterogeneity of systems. In order to identify the variables, rules and components that should be taken into account in our proposal, we have analyzed several collaboration agreements between universities at national, European and international levels as well as e-Learning frameworks. This paper introduces the design of a federated service-oriented architecture, whose implementation will be based on Web Services. We have developed a prototype that allows the implementation of this architecture. To achieve this goal, we have used an open source platform, such as Moodle and a proprietary platform like Blackboard. UT WOS:000287083200339 SN 0190-5848 ER PT J TI Selection and Sequencing Constraints for Personalized Courses AU Sterbini, A Temperini, M CT 40th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference CY OCT 27-30, 2010 CL Arlington, VA SO 2010 IEEE FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE (FIE) PY 2010 TC 0 AB The LECOMPS framework, for personalized and adaptive e-learning, is recalled. Its enhancements, regarding the selection and sequencing optimization algorithms that can be applied, are shown. Such enhancements are discussed, both in terms of their implementation and with respect to their effectiveness: basing on a stated learner's model (the present state of knowledge, and learning styles of the individual learner), and on a definition of course aims (Target Knowledge), we apply the various selection and sequencing algorithms and compare the results; different courses are produced, corresponding to different personalization requirements, that can possibly occur, also in combination. UT WOS:000287083200352 SN 0190-5848 ER PT J TI Work in Progress - Petri Nets as Applied to the Modeling of E-Learning Cooperative Systems AU Borges, DC Neto, HB de Souza, JN CT 40th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference CY OCT 27-30, 2010 CL Arlington, VA SO 2010 IEEE FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE (FIE) PY 2010 TC 0 AB In this work we demonstrate the use of Petri Nets as applied to the interaction in a Collaborative Environment in the educational context, particularly E-learning. The scenarios and models proposed in this paper have been studied and applied to TeleMeios, an e-learning platform in the Multimeios Research Laboratory of the School of Education, at the Federal University of Ceara. TeleMeios is a unique tool which supports E-learning, as the professor becomes the main element (instead of the computational resources), acting at the core of the educational process, in order to better understand the existing methods and behavior of the system. This study also highlights the importance of mediation in the educational process. UT WOS:000287083200371 SN 0190-5848 ER PT J TI Interactive Assignment: a Moodle Component to Enrich the Learning Process AU Rodrigues, PA Brandao, LD Brandao, AAF CT 40th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference CY OCT 27-30, 2010 CL Arlington, VA SO 2010 IEEE FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION CONFERENCE (FIE) PY 2010 TC 0 AB Nowadays, people are proactive concerning Web-related issues and reasons for that could be explained by the availability of Web systems and the immediate response they provide. The same is also true whenever considering web-based courses. In this context, interactivity and automatic assessment may be responsible for keeping the learners' motivation. Also, these characteristics may promote active learning. Currently, Moodle is one of the most popular Learning Management System (LMS) to support courses through the Web. However, since it is a general system, if the subject to be taught or learnt is related to Mathematics there is a lack of interactive modules to be integrated with LMS in general, Moodle in particular. In this paper we present Interactive Assignment (i-Assign), a package to be integrated into Moodle in order to improve interactivity and promote automatic assessment of interactive activities developed using e-Learning Modules (e-LM). e-LM are interactive Java applets that supports the teaching and learning process of specific subjects and may offer resources for automatic assessment of solved activities, providing instantaneous feedback for learners concerning their performance. UT WOS:000287083200373 SN 0190-5848 ER PT J TI DBTech EXT: Education and Hands-On Training for the Database Professional AU Laiho, M Dervos, DA Aldana-Montes, JF Laux, F ED Catania, B Ivanovic, M Thalheim, B CT 14th East-European Conference on Advances in Databases and Information Systems CY SEP 20-24, 2010 CL Novi Sad, SERBIA SO ADVANCES IN DATABASES AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS VL 6295 BP 15 EP 22 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In this presentation the audience will be: (a) introduced to the aims and objectives of the DBTechNet initiative, (b) briefed on the DBTech EXT virtual laboratory workshops (VLW), i.e. the educational and training (E&T) content which is freely available over the internet and includes vendor-neutral hands-on laboratory training sessions on key database technology topics, and (c) informed on some of the practical problems encountered and the way they have been addressed. Last but not least, the audience will be invited to consider incorporating some or all of the DBTech EXT VLW content into their higher education (HE), vocational education and training (VET), and/or lifelong learning/training type course curricula. This will come at no cost and no commitment on behalf of the teacher/trainer; the latter is only expected to provide his/her feedback on the pedagogical value and the quality of the E&T content received/used. UT WOS:000286444000003 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Effects of Problem-based Learning Approach in Learning of Statistics among University Students AU Tarmizi, RA Bayat, S ED Tarmizi, RA Ayub, AFM CT International Conference on Mathematics Education Research (ICMER) CY DEC 13-14, 2010 CL Malacca, MALAYSIA SO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MATHEMATICS EDUCATION RESEARCH 2010 - ICMER 2010 VL 8 BP 384 EP 392 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Current Mathematics Curriculum concerns are focused on students' needs to think mathematically rather than just mathematical computation. Students should be able to develop more complex, abstract, and powerful mathematical structures. This can dramatically enable them to solve a broad variety of meaningful problems. Furthermore, students ought to become autonomous and self-motivated in their mathematical activities such as acquiring mathematical concepts, skills and problem solving; meta-cognitively aware of their mathematical thinking; highly motivated in mathematics learning and develop positive attitudes towards mathematical task. To achieve this learning goal, an investigation into efficient learning mode, the problem-based learning (PBL) was undertaken. PBL has been successfully applied in medical, engineering, economics, and accounting field but lack of evidence in mathematics field. This study examined possible outcomes of PBL among postgraduate students who were taking Educational Statistic course. Three statistic tests were employed to assess the students' performance in statistic learning. The Meta-cognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI), which comprises of 52 items was used to assess the students' meta-cognitive strategy in solving Educational Statistics problems. Students' motivation towards the PBL learning was measured by Keller's Motivational Design Questionnaire with 36 items. Comparison of students' performance based on three tests showed that there is significant diffrence between mean performance (F [2,28] = 5.571, p < 0.05). In addition, results indicated that there is significant positive effects on students meta-cognitive awareness (t [30] = 3.358, p< 0.05) and on students motivation level (t [30] = 2.484, p< 0.05) after undergoing PBL intervention. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000287152700053 SN 1877-0428 DI 10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.12.054 ER PT J TI Utilization of e-book among University Mathematics Students AU Letchumanan, M Tarmizi, RA ED Tarmizi, RA Ayub, AFM CT International Conference on Mathematics Education Research (ICMER) CY DEC 13-14, 2010 CL Malacca, MALAYSIA SO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MATHEMATICS EDUCATION RESEARCH 2010 - ICMER 2010 VL 8 BP 580 EP 587 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This study aims to explore utilization pattern of e-book among mathematics students' of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). This research adopts simple random sampling method to collect data. About 35 undergraduate students participated in this study. Based on the result, only 37.1% of the respondents have used e-book. Among the reasons given for using e-books are "available around the clock", "searchable" and "allow easy navigation". Those who have never used e-books stated that they are not familiar with the technology. The result shows that majority of the respondents like to use e-book for finding materials for their assignments. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000287152700079 SN 1877-0428 DI 10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.12.080 ER PT J TI Soft Skills in the Development of Team-Based Electronic Learning Portfolio AU Abidin, AZ Saleh, F ED Tarmizi, RA Ayub, AFM CT International Conference on Mathematics Education Research (ICMER) CY DEC 13-14, 2010 CL Malacca, MALAYSIA SO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MATHEMATICS EDUCATION RESEARCH 2010 - ICMER 2010 VL 8 BP 626 EP 633 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The top qualities of an effective engineer include not only technical competence but also soft skills which may be hard to acquire while already on the job. Fulfilling stakeholders' demand, educators design the curriculum for engineering programs with the objectives of producing graduates capable in not only technical competence but also possess the equally important soft skills. This calls for a good variety of assessment techniques of student learning in order to ensure a more comprehensive measurement of performance. With the limitations of the traditional pen and paper assessment approach, the electronic learning portfolio is one alternative that is integrated in the assessment of Differential Equations course in Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Malaysia. Two hundred and forty two engineering undergraduates are involved in the study and are randomly grouped into fifty one teams to develop team-based electronic Differential Equations Learning Portfolio, acronym e-DELP. In the process of developing the portfolio electronically, each team strategizes collectively in conformance to the criteria explicitly transcribed on the course e-learning portal. Objectively, e-DELP development creates a platform that provides participants the opportunity to exercise their soft skills while exploring the applications of Differential Equations in the real world and new skills in using Equation Editor and Power Point Presentation Skills. The participants' major task is to design a learning portfolio, team-based and problem-based within 7 weeks of a fourteen-week semester. The deliverable is a four-component learning portfolio, comprising members' demographic details, solutions to five modelling problems involving Ordinary Differential Equations, their evaluation of the course and delivery, and reflections of their learning experience; electronic-based and saved on a compact disc. A questionnaire is employed to measure the general attitude towards the integration of e-DELP, and individual interview sessions are conducted to further confirm the data obtained. The objective of this paper is to present some qualitative findings of the soft skills that participants acquire through the process of working on e-DELP, retrieved from the verbatim written comments in their evaluation and reflections, verbal and non-verbal feedback during the interviews. The results indicate that there is more to the learning than just skills in solving Ordinary Differential Equations which are of great value in the preparation of the future well-rounded engineers. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. UT WOS:000287152700086 SN 1877-0428 DI 10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.12.087 ER PT J TI Model for Project Management for Development and Implementation of E-Learning Courses AU Kuciapski, M ED Forbrig, P Gunther, H CT 9th International Conference on Business Informatics Research CY SEP 29-OCT 01, 2010 CL Univ Rostock, Rostock, GERMANY SO PERSPECTIVES IN BUSINESS INFORMATICS RESEARCH VL 64 BP 43 EP 54 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The aim of this article is to propose an integrated project management model for development and implementation of e-learning courses. The management model is a process solution map containing processes models integrated with project management categories of: risk, quality, control, costs, time, resources, workflow, document flow and communication with proper templates attached. The model is assigned for instructional designers and project managers to accelerate e-learning courses development. The starting point of the article is an analysis of the weaknesses in standard models for development of e-learning courses. For the thesis confirmation a case studies of four e-learning institutions with significant experience in e-learning field is being shown. The last, key part of the article describes the elaborated model. It contains presentation of process map with detailed processes models consisting of activities with integrated project management categories. The article is based on case studies of institutions with significant e-learning projects realization experience, like: Oncampus, Lubeck University of Applied Science; Distance Education Centre, Kaunas University of Technology; Center of Distance Education Development, Higher Banking School and PEUG, University of Gdansk. It also includes author's six years experience gained by participation in e-learning projects, like Baltic Sea Virtual Campus and national POKL as courses' author, instructional designer and it coordinator. UT WOS:000286483200004 SN 1865-1348 ER PT J TI E-Learning Application Support for SME AU Borchardt, U Grap, F ED Forbrig, P Gunther, H CT 9th International Conference on Business Informatics Research CY SEP 29-OCT 01, 2010 CL Univ Rostock, Rostock, GERMANY SO PERSPECTIVES IN BUSINESS INFORMATICS RESEARCH VL 64 BP 62 EP 72 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-learning is widely accepted as a method for knowledge transfer, however, this development is more focused on big enterprises than on small and medium enterprises (SME). These enterprises characterized by their limited resources and specific requirements, are in need for methods for knowledge transfer and need special software support to experience the advantages of e-learning. A short overview on the situation in SMEs, the needs of SMEs towards e-learning applications as well as a review of the solution of the TT Knowledge Force will be presented in this paper. UT WOS:000286483200006 SN 1865-1348 ER PT J TI AAT-Taiwan: Toward a Multilingual Access to Cultural Objects AU Chen, SJ Wu, DN Peng, PW Chang, YT ED Lalmas, M Jose, J Rauber, A Sebastiani, F Frommholz, I CT 14th European Conference on Research and Advanced Technology for Digital Libraries CY SEP 06-10, 2010 CL Glasgow, SCOTLAND SO RESEARCH AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY FOR DIGITAL LIBRARIES VL 6273 BP 389 EP 392 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper reports on current collaborative work between Taiwan e-Learning and Digital Archives Program (TELDAP) and Getty Research Institute (GM) in developing the Chinese-language Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT-Taiwan) which supports the unification of terminology used by various archiving institutions for describing identical concepts. This work aims to establish a conceptual framework for the digital library by providing controlled vocabularies to index and catalogue the collection. With its multilingual nature, AAT Taiwan is able to bridge Western and Eastern culture in an integrated framework, and make our resources accessible worldwide. With its hierarchical structure, it also enhances the effectiveness and comprehensiveness of information retrieval in digital libraries. UT WOS:000286402800039 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Ecological dimensions of information literacy AU Steinerova, J CT ISIC - The Information Behaviour Conference CY SEP 29-OCT 01, 2010 CL Murcia, SPAIN SO INFORMATION RESEARCH-AN INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONIC JOURNAL VL 15 IS 4 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Introduction. We examine relationships between information literacy and information ecology with regard to conceptual innovation in information science. We aim to expand our understanding of human information behaviour and relevance assessment in the electronic environment. Method. Conceptual analysis and conceptual mapping is used and relationships of main concepts are determined in a concept map. Earlier empirical research on information behaviour styles and relevance assessment using surveys and interviews are synthesized. Analysis. Two information styles (pragmatic and analytic) are characterized. Relevance assessment in the electronic environment is analysed. Relevance is considered as part of information literacy. Examples of students' information horizons and a concept map of relevance are given. Results. Ecological dimensions of information literacy are determined at semantic (relevance), visual (information horizon, concept maps) and behavioural and social levels (information styles). A model of ecological dimensions of information literacy is outlined based on triangle of values, tools and communities. Recommendations for development of students' information literacy are presented at levels of information seeking and relevance assessment. Conclusions Implications for information literacy development in the electronic environments and for information and educational strategies are derived. Relevance assessment should be actively trained as part of information literacy and guided inquiry. Ecological dimensions of information literacy can be used in new models of e-learning and digital libraries. UT WOS:000285636300007 SN 1368-1613 ER PT J TI Local versus global information relevance in Website use: a case study with the information literacy portal AlfinEEES AU Marco, FJG Pinto, M SO INFORMATION RESEARCH-AN INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONIC JOURNAL VL 15 IS 4 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Introduction. A model to explore the relations among local and global relevance-based information behaviour is proposed that is based on objective and subjective measures of the relevance of the Website contents. Method. Global interest for the Website was researched using data on visits, while local use was explored with two surveys on the motivations and self-assessed knowledge of a group of fifteen students, administered to them before and after being exposed to the information site. Results. Results suggest that improvement in competence perception and the number of visits are, in general, measures of the site relevance that offer similar results. Regarding general data, the most visited competences are those of a more general interest (such as learning to learn), and the students show a big pre-test confidence in their knowledge of most of the studied competences. Conclusions. The increase in the subjective level of competence in an e-learning site is a good predictor of the whole success of a site, when working with their primary intended audience. In the future, to have independent measures, it would be interesting to carry out expert evaluation of the real competences of the students. UT WOS:000285636300029 SN 1368-1613 ER PT J TI Agent Architecture and Infrastructure for Dynamic Collaborative Learning (AICOL) AU Vegah, G Wajid, U ED Reddy, S CT 19th IEEE International Workshops on Enabling Technologies - Infrastructure for Collaborative Enterprises (WETICE 2010) CY JUN 28-30, 2010 CL Larissa, GREECE SO 19TH IEEE INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOPS ON ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES: INFRASTRUCTURE FOR COLLABORATIVE ENTERPRISES (WETICE 2010) BP 23 EP 28 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper presents an agent-based system to facilitate online learning activities. The system comprises of learning support agents that collaborate and negotiate with providers of various courses based on learner preferences, applying suitable agent negotiation strategies, adapting learning plans and formalizing e-contracts based on the changing needs of the learner. The agent-based system address various issues in e-learning and provides support for effective use of learning resources, modelling learning objectives and monitoring and evaluating learner progress throughout the lifecycle of learning process. UT WOS:000287365300005 SN 1524-4547 DI 10.1109/WETICE.2010.9 ER PT J TI A Social Network Based- Enhanced Learning System AU Angelaccio, M Buttarazzi, B ED Reddy, S CT 19th IEEE International Workshops on Enabling Technologies - Infrastructure for Collaborative Enterprises (WETICE 2010) CY JUN 28-30, 2010 CL Larissa, GREECE SO 19TH IEEE INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOPS ON ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES: INFRASTRUCTURE FOR COLLABORATIVE ENTERPRISES (WETICE 2010) BP 94 EP 95 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The availability of p2p distributed systems on wireless networks makes possible to explore new e-learning paradigms for adapting learning workflow to be more interactive. In this work we give a preliminary description of EduSHARE that is a p2p-based quiz management system running on wireless ad hoc network and supporting traditional learnong workflow with a dynamic interactive quiz sharing and evaluation system. UT WOS:000287365300017 SN 1524-4547 DI 10.1109/WETICE.2010.59 ER PT J TI Genetic Fuzzy System for Predictive and Decision Support Modelling in E-learning AU Nebot, A Mugica, F Castro, F Acosta, J CT 2010 IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence CY JUL 18-23, 2010 CL Barcelona, SPAIN SO 2010 IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FUZZY SYSTEMS (FUZZ-IEEE 2010) PY 2010 TC 0 AB In this research a genetic fuzzy system (GFS) is proposed that performs discretization parameter learning in the context of the Fuzzy Inductive Reasoning (FIR) methodology and the Linguistic Rule FIR (LR-FIR) algorithm. The main goal of the GFS is to take advantage of the potentialities of GAs to learn the fuzzification parameters of the FIR and LR-FIR approaches in order to obtain reliable and useful predictive (FIR) models and decision support (LR-FIR) models. The GFS is evaluated in an e-learning context, with two main goals: obtaining FIR predictive models that allow teachers to predict student's performance and obtaining LR-FIR decision support models that allow teachers to understand students' learning behaviour. The obtained results indicate that the metrics that assess the performance of both kinds of models are better when the discretization parameters are learned by GAs instead of using the expert's criteria. UT WOS:000287453600130 SN 1098-7584 ER PT J TI Multi-Agent Memetic Computing for Adaptive Learning Experiences AU Acampora, G Gaeta, M Loia, V Vitiello, A CT 2010 IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence CY JUL 18-23, 2010 CL Barcelona, SPAIN SO 2010 IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FUZZY SYSTEMS (FUZZ-IEEE 2010) PY 2010 TC 0 AB Learning is a mechanism to acquire new knowledge and to enhance individual skills in industrial and academic environments. In particular, employing learning methods in an industrial context supports the overall business competitiveness in the new economy. Currently, the e-Learning systems provide a simple "digitalization" of the learning process where the focus is on the educational resources, which are only an input of the whole learning process, and on their presentation (delivery). Computational Intelligence methodologies can overcome current learning systems limitations attaining to personalize learning content and activities to specific preferences of the learner and to assist designers with computationally efficient methods to develop "in time" e-Learning environments. This paper shows how to achieve both results exploiting an ontological representation of learning environment and memetic approach of optimization, integrated into a cooperative distributed problem solving framework. UT WOS:000287453602027 SN 1098-7584 ER PT J TI A Fuzzy Ontology Approach to represent User Profiles in E-Learning Environments AU Ferreira-Satler, M Romero, FP Menendez, VH Zapata, A Prieto, ME CT 2010 IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence CY JUL 18-23, 2010 CL Barcelona, SPAIN SO 2010 IEEE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FUZZY SYSTEMS (FUZZ-IEEE 2010) PY 2010 TC 0 AB Ontologies represent a method of sharing and reusing knowledge on the semantic web. A fuzzy ontology is an extension of domain ontologies for solving the problems of uncertainty. This paper shows how a Fuzzy Ontology based approach can represent user profiles in e-learning environments. The ontological representation of the user profile enhances the performance in tasks such as filtering and information retrieval. An algorithm that allows automatically creating the construction of the ontology is also introduced. This approach has been integrated into a management tool for Learning Objects, in which each user profile is built from Learning Objects published by the user himself. The initial experiments confirm that the automatically obtained fuzzy ontology is a good representation of the user's preferences. The experiment results also indicate that the approach is useful and warrants further research. UT WOS:000287453602139 SN 1098-7584 ER PT J TI Architecture for Knowledge-Based Quality Management System Designed to Improve the Mine Safety in China AU Cui, YX You, JX Luo, F ED Luo, Q CT International Conference on Management Science and Engineering CY OCT 17-18, 2010 CL Wuhan, PEOPLES R CHINA SO 2010 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MANAGEMENT SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (MSE 2010), VOL 1 BP 136 EP 139 PY 2010 TC 0 AB According to the data from National Bureau of Statistics of China, 83196 people were killed by accident in 2009. In addition to traffic accidents, most of them worked in small and medium-sized mining enterprise. Aim to reduce the accident rate and increase accident susceptibility in small and medium-sized mining enterprise of China through knowledge share by best practice case study and e-learning, this research develops system architecture of knowledge-based quality management systems for mine safety by integrating knowledge management and quality management. This paper is of great value for knowledge management, quality management and safety engineering theory and practice. UT WOS:000288148000035 ER PT J TI The Development of Online Learning Platform from the Perspective of Traditional Education AU Fei, W Zhong, ZP ED Luo, Q CT International Conference on Management Science and Engineering CY OCT 17-18, 2010 CL Wuhan, PEOPLES R CHINA SO 2010 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MANAGEMENT SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (MSE 2010), VOL 2 BP 41 EP 43 PY 2010 TC 0 AB For improving the effectiveness of e.-learning platform and further promoting the development of online education. Through compare the characteristics of e-learning with traditional classroom education, some of the advantages of traditional education has been analyzed and discussed in this paper. Based on the analyzed results, some suggestions from the perspective of traditional education will be presented for promoting the development of e-learning platform. UT WOS:000288148500012 ER PT J TI Blended e-Learning Model for Software Engineering Education of Independent Colleges in China AU Huang, J Han, LL ED Luo, Q CT International Conference on Management Science and Engineering CY OCT 17-18, 2010 CL Wuhan, PEOPLES R CHINA SO 2010 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MANAGEMENT SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (MSE 2010), VOL 2 BP 302 EP 307 PY 2010 TC 0 AB According to the learning characteristics of the students and requirements of cultivating software engineering technicians in the independent colleges, we put forward a new blended learning model based on the learning theory and pedagogical strategies, which integrate online e-learning activities and face-to-face learning activities in our teaching. It not only improves the effect of teaching, but also enhances the core competition to students, so that they can suit to the requirement of social for software engineering specialty. In addition, the paper presents the design, implementation, and its implications for the learning of software engineering curriculum. The issues of the blended learning model applied in independent colleges are also discussed in the paper. UT WOS:000288148500078 ER PT J TI Application and Reflection of E-Learning in University AU Tu, JY ED Luo, Q CT International Conference on Management Science and Engineering CY OCT 17-18, 2010 CL Wuhan, PEOPLES R CHINA SO 2010 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MANAGEMENT SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (MSE 2010), VOL 3 BP 161 EP 163 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper analyzes the E-Learning application forms in university, and indicates that technical support and teaching resources aren't rich enough. Some efficient measures, such as integrating with E-Learning and the traditional teaching pattern, establishing the team of professional technical service, are proposed to promote the application of E-Learning. The results emphasize that E-Learning doesn't replace the traditional teaching room, and it can improve teaching quality and efficiency. UT WOS:000288148700042 ER PT J TI Fuzzy Predictive Models to Help Teachers in e-Learning Courses AU Nebot, A Mugica, F Castro, F CT World Congress on Computational Intelligence (WCCI 2010) CY 2010 CL Barcelona, SPAIN SO 2010 INTERNATIONAL JOINT CONFERENCE ON NEURAL NETWORKS IJCNN 2010 PY 2010 TC 0 AB e-Learning comprises the use of electronic devices for learning, including the delivery of content via electronic media such as Internet/Intranet/Extranet, audio or video, satellite broadcast, interactive TV, and so on. Initially, e-learning was presented as the best solution to cover the needs and requirements of remote students, but also as a helping tool in the teaching-learning process, reinforcing or replacing face-to-face education. However, many real projects have failed, or have performed below expectations, due to the fact that a huge amount of time is required just in the process of providing feedback to the virtual learners, resulting in an increasing demand of teachers and, therefore, of the educational costs. This research is focused on the development of fuzzy inductive models to predict dynamically students' performance in e-learning courses, with the goal to help teachers to give feedback to the students easily and efficiently, enhancing student's learning behaviour. UT WOS:000287421401129 SN 1098-7576 ER PT J TI e-Learning System to Support Teacher's Awareness for Misunderstandings in Quiz AU Nakamura, T Imai, T Takase, H Morita, N Kawanaka, H Tsuruoka, S CT World Congress on Computational Intelligence (WCCI 2010) CY 2010 CL Barcelona, SPAIN SO 2010 INTERNATIONAL JOINT CONFERENCE ON NEURAL NETWORKS IJCNN 2010 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In this paper, we aim to develop an e-learning system that brings teachers' awareness for typical misunderstandings in quizzes. Especially, we focus on a short descriptive answer style. In the previous paper, we proposed the basic idea of the system. In this paper, we discussd rawbacks of the previous system through some trials. The drawbacks are a heavy load brought by frequent update of the screen, and the missrecognition of the number of the same mistakes. We propose the extension of the system, which gets rid of the drawbacks. The system provides two views: a list of all answers including incomplete ones, and a partial list of answers that have similar words. It keeps the effectiveness of the previous system, bringing teachers' awareness for typical misunderstandings, and reduces the heavy load by the partial list. Teachers would grasp typical misunderstandings quickly. UT WOS:000287421402013 SN 1098-7576 ER PT J TI Use of a FIS for low cost student presence detector in e-learning 2.0 AU Di Leece, V Giove, A Quarto, A CT World Congress on Computational Intelligence (WCCI 2010) CY 2010 CL Barcelona, SPAIN SO 2010 INTERNATIONAL JOINT CONFERENCE ON NEURAL NETWORKS IJCNN 2010 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The aim of this paper is to address the issue concerning the tools for getting feedback from e-Iearning platform users. Our research analyzes the role of human presence in mediated learning environments proposing a possible strategy to detect it. The proposed system is based on web 2.0 patterns that are suitable for activating a virtual classroom tool with a feedback system to evaluate the student's presence. Through specific sensors this human presence detector is employed to assess student participation in the framework of an e-Iearning 2.0 platform that was developed for precise academic purposes. The system is based on the use of a distance measurement device and an air quality measurement device. The use of a FIS is, then, proposed to resolve disambiguation of presence/absence detections. UT WOS:000287421402014 SN 1098-7576 ER PT J TI Integrated Approach for Enhanced Teaching and Learning towards Richer Problem Solving Experience AU Zheleva, S Zhelev, T ED Pierucci, S Ferraris, BG CT 20th European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering (ESCAPE) CY JUN 06-09, 2010 CL Ischia, ITALY SO 20TH EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON COMPUTER AIDED PROCESS ENGINEERING VL 28 BP 415 EP 420 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The utilisation of a game environment for problem solving as part of the concept of three-fold, theory-simulation-experiment laboratory, enriched with advanced mobile wireless technology components for information access, is the focus of the research reported in this paper. The resource design is being motivated by the goal of incorporating both advanced gaming and communications infrastructure to realise a novel multilevel educational experience. The paper illustrates how expertise in two key technology fields - gaming and telecommunications - is combined and integrated with discipline expertise and sound pedagogy for educational content generation, and by this means, how new pathways in the natural knowledge and experience-gaining process may be created. An important principle in the research has been to exploit play and variety of contemporary ICT support for e-Learning and problem solving facilitation, including digital games, wireless mobile technology and learning management systems such as Moodle or Sakai-Sulis. A second principle is to seek an extended access to these new e-Learning paradigms beyond the physical educational campus, through their incorporation into virtual campuses. UT WOS:000287659500070 SN 1570-7946 ER PT J TI A Method for Scenario Modification in Intelligent E-Learning Systems Using Graph-Based Structure of Knowledge AU Kozierkiewicz-Hetmanska, A Nguyen, NT ED Nguyen, NT Katarzyniak, R Chen, SM CT 2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Information and Database Systems (ACIIDS) CY MAR 24-26, 2010 CL Hue City, VIETNAM SO ADVANCES IN INTELLIGENT INFORMATION AND DATABASE SYSTEMS VL 283 BP 169 EP 179 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Intelligent e-learning systems provide direct and customized instructions to students without human intervention. Therefore, system should be accurately planned to offer a suitable learning path for students' knowledge state in each step of a learning process. The most important element in an e-learning system is a domain model. A proper knowledge representation allows to teach effectively. In this paper a knowledge structure and a learning scenario are defined. We outline a method for modification of a learning scenario. The proposed algorithm will be tested in future works using a prototype of an e-learning system which is described in this paper. UT WOS:000287889600015 SN 1860-949X ER PT J TI Development of the E-Learning System Supporting Online Education at the Polish-Japanese Institute of Information Technology AU Lenkiewicz, P Banachowski, L Nowacki, JP ED Nguyen, NT Katarzyniak, R Chen, SM CT 2nd Asian Conference on Intelligent Information and Database Systems (ACIIDS) CY MAR 24-26, 2010 CL Hue City, VIETNAM SO ADVANCES IN INTELLIGENT INFORMATION AND DATABASE SYSTEMS VL 283 BP 181 EP 189 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The purpose of the paper is to present development over the years of the elearning system supporting online education at the Polish-Japanese Institute of Information Technology (PJIIT). In addition, we mention the coming, essential changes related to advancements of continuing education and lifelong learning within the framework of higher education. The main part of the paper is devoted to showing the necessity of exploring and optimizing the underlying database system in the areas of intelligent database methods, reporting and data mining and database engine performance. UT WOS:000287889600016 SN 1860-949X ER PT J TI Geoinformatics meets education for a peat bog information system AU Michel, U Fiene, C Plass, C ED Michel, U Civco, DL CT Conference on Earth Resources and Environmental Remote Sensing - GIS Applications CY SEP 21-23, 2010 CL Toulouse, FRANCE SO EARTH RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL REMOTE SENSING-GIS APPLICATIONS VL 7831 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Within the project "Expedition Bog: Young researchers are experimenting, exploring and discovering" a bog-information-system is developed by the Department of Geography (University of Education Heidelberg, Germany), the Institute for Geoinformatics and Remote Sensing (University of Osnabrueck, Germany) and the NABU Umweltpyramide gGmbH. This information system will be available for schools and to the public. It is supplemented by teaching units on various topics around the bog via an online platform. The focus of the project, however, is the original encounter with the bog habitat. This is realized by a GPS scavenger hunt with small research tasks and observations, mapping and experiments. The project areas are the Huvenhoops bog and the Lauenbruecker bog in Rotenburg in Lower Saxony, Germany. Equipped with a researcher backpack, GPS device and a mobile bog book by means of a pocket PC, students can discover different learning stations in the project bogs. In our areas the students can learn more about different topics such as "the historical memory of the bog", "water", "peat moss and other plants" and "animals of the bog". Moreover small inquiry research projects can be executed. Experimenting on site helps students to develop important scientific findings and increases their curiosity and enthusiasm for nature. It also promotes a number of other basic skills such as literacy, language skills, social skills or fine motor skills. Moreover it also fosters the development of a positive attitude to science in general. The main objective of the project is to promote sustainable environmental education, as well as the development of environmental awareness. This will be accomplished through the imparting of knowledge but also through experiencing nature with all senses in the context of original encounters. UT WOS:000287764700024 SN 0277-786X DI 10.1117/12.864989 ER PT J TI Techniques for Enhancing Hybrid Learning of Physical Education AU Pang, YJ ED Tsang, P Cheung, SKS Lee, VSK Huang, RH CT 3rd International Conference on Hybrid Learning CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Beijing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO HYBRID LEARNING VL 6248 BP 94 EP 105 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Hybrid learning is becoming one of the important applications by integrating e-learning and traditional face-to-face instruction together. The paper presents the architecture of PEHLP which can create an environment where the hybrid learning of physical education can be accomplished efficiently using the national elaborate physical education course resources. To integrate the heterogeneous learning resource of different education platforms, the learning course is logically divided into the present part and the content part and the Smart Deliverer is devised. To realize the visibly communication and intercourse during the hybrid learning process, the Video-editor is proposed. Adopting the Video-editor, the teacher can review students action video and makes comments on the action which is wrong, and the student can find out the mistakes from his/her action video. To promote the review functioning, the algorithm for key frame extraction is proposed and the results show the algorithm is efficient. UT WOS:000286500800010 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Developing a Mulitmedia Learning Model Based on Hands-On Learning: A Cognitive Apprenticeship Approach AU Wang, BY Su, MH Yu, PT ED Tsang, P Cheung, SKS Lee, VSK Huang, RH CT 3rd International Conference on Hybrid Learning CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Beijing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO HYBRID LEARNING VL 6248 BP 259 EP 269 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This article is attemptted to design a hands-on learning model with the concept of multimedia learning. The framework of cognitve apprenticeship as the pedagogical fundamental was applied in developing the hands-on activity. Advanced technology could assist the learning activities in classroom such as digital video camera, interactive white board, real object projector, etc.. In this model, electronic devices were controlled conherently by the novel software whcih may elaborate hands-on learning environment. The learning activities in classroom were fouced on the programming language teaching. The participants in this survey were vocational high school student who may get used to learn with hands-on experience. This design introudce the concept of hands-on teaching with the framework of cognitive apprenticeship and highlight the importance of e-learning software whcih integrates the audio and video inputs of the electronic devices. UT WOS:000286500800024 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Hybrid Learning of Physical Education Using National Elaborate Course Resources AU Pang, YJ ED Tsang, P Cheung, SKS Lee, VSK Huang, RH CT 3rd International Conference on Hybrid Learning CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Beijing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO HYBRID LEARNING VL 6248 BP 270 EP 281 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Hybrid learning is becoming one of the important applications by integrating e-learning and traditional face-to-face instruction together. Instructors are interested in how to design a hybrid course in a more effective way. In this paper one hybrid learning model of physical education is presented. As an introduction to the reader, challenges in hybrid learning of physical education and National Program of Web-Delivery for Elaborate Courses in China are provided. Based on the categories of physical education learning contents, the learning matrix of physical learning is proposed. Adopting it the best instructional strategies can be adopted in hybrid learning of physical education. Then the objectives and results of the research are explained. The results suggest that such instructional advice as hybrid learning is popular and can promote physical education, and the computer-based education platform with video editing functioning can improve e-learning teaching. UT WOS:000286500800025 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Key Factors of Effecting Blended Learning Satisfaction: A Study on Peking University Students AU Zhao, GD Yuan, SA ED Tsang, P Cheung, SKS Lee, VSK Huang, RH CT 3rd International Conference on Hybrid Learning CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Beijing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO HYBRID LEARNING VL 6248 BP 282 EP 295 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Blended/hybrid learning provides a new learning environment that combines face-to-face teaching with technology-mediated instruction. Based on blended learning practice in Peking University in recent years, this paper mainly discusses the factors that effecting student's satisfaction in blended learning environment, and proposes an analytical model of evaluating student satisfaction in blended learning situation, which includes four dimensions: learner characteristics, instructor characteristics, course characteristics, and system characteristics. According to the model, the researchers design a questionnaire to research the PKU students' attitudes on blended learning. The statistics results shows that e-learning adaptability, perceived usefulness, in-time of teacher's response, perceived ease of use and course applicability are the important factors that can affect the learners' satisfaction in using blended learning. Finally, the paper also proposes some suggestions to promote the use of blended learning in PKU. UT WOS:000286500800026 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Effectiveness of E-Learning at Secondary Schools in Hong Kong AU Wang, FL Kwan, R Wong, TL ED Tsang, P Cheung, SKS Lee, VSK Huang, RH CT 3rd International Conference on Hybrid Learning CY AUG 16-18, 2010 CL Beijing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO HYBRID LEARNING VL 6248 BP 489 EP 500 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-learning has become a global trend in education recently. We have measured the effectiveness of e-learning program at university level. We found that the e-learning programs are effective in university courses at fundamental level. This paper shall extend our investigation to secondary schools in Hong Kong. Similarly, we have implemented Kirkpatrick's model to measure the effectiveness of e-learning in secondary schools. The quantitative measurements in the study shall provide baseline data for secondary schools in Hong Kong to set its strategic direction of e-learning. UT WOS:000286500800044 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI GROUP-ADAPTIVE PERSONAL LEARNING HISTORY AU Sonntag, M ED Doucek, P Chroust, G Oskrdal, V CT 18th Interdisciplinary Information Management Talks CY SEP 08-10, 2010 CL Jindrichuv Hradec, CZECH REPUBLIC SO IDIMT-2010: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - HUMAN VALUES, INNOVATION AND ECONOMY VL 32 BP 367 EP 375 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Documenting collaboration is an important prerequisite for its improvement or reflection on it. But learning platforms usually support logging individual actions only, falling short in two aspects. Typically not the small actions (like individual mouse clicks) but larger activities (working through a chapter) are of interest, and regarding collaboration the individual contribution (a message sent) is important, buts its context, the group setting (frequent collaboration with a certain group of other students) should be included as well. A group-adaptive personal learning history is described as a solution for these problems. Individual actions are aggregated to larger activities and these are then used to generate individualized log entries to a personal history log. An exemplary implementation for two tools is presented to show the viability of this approach. UT WOS:000288345500039 ER PT J TI Incorporating Real-World Data in the Classroom: A Unique Approach to Investigating Earth's Ocean, Atmosphere, and Climate System AU Brey, JA Geer, IW Moran, JM Weinbeck, RS Mills, EW Blair, BA Hopkins, EJ O'Neill, KL Nugnes, KA Hyre, H Moses, MN CT Washington State Conference and Trade Center (WSCTC) CY SEP 20-23, 2010 CL Seattle, WA SO OCEANS 2010 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The American Meteorological Society (AMS) views introductory college-level courses to be important avenues for promoting scientific literacy among the public. Additionally, it is from these courses that future teachers often receive their only college-level training in the geosciences. As such, the AMS Education Program considers the development of high-caliber, scientifically-authentic educational materials to be one of its top priorities. In striving to reach that goal, the AMS has produced a suite of introductory college-level courses that engage students by investigating current topics in Earth science making use of the most up-to-date, real-world environmental data. Developed by the AMS with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), AMS Ocean Studies, AMS Weather Studies, and AMS Climate Studies, are introductory college-level courses available for implementation at undergraduate institutions nationwide. These high-caliber, scientifically-authentic courses place students in a dynamic learning environment where they investigate current topics in Earth science through the use of real-world environmental data. Nearly 600 colleges and universities throughout the United States have already offered these unique courses, with more than 70 percent offered in online or blended learning environments. AMS Ocean Studies, AMS Weather Studies, and AMS Climate Studies each consist of a fully-integrated set of printed and online learning materials. All three course packages include a hardcover 15-chapter textbook, an Investigations Manual with 30 lab-style activities, and access to a course website providing weekly Current Ocean Studies, Current Weather Studies, and Current Climate Studies activities and environmental data streams. The Daily Weather Summary provided Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters provides a comprehensive analysis of the synoptic weather in the United States for the previous 24 hours, as well as historical weather events. The Weekly Weather and Ocean News along with Climate News provide important late-breaking information from these sciences. The AMS Ocean Studies Student Package offers a unique way to study marine science through the use of an inflatable globe. Oceanography comes alive in three-dimensions, helping the student understand complex oceanographic principles. The Investigations Manual utilizes the inflatable globe in many of its activities, demonstrating concepts such as the Coriolis force, plate tectonics, ocean circulation and tidal bulging. Additionally, the intricacies of tsunami trajectories become much clearer when presented to the student on a sphere. The AMS Ocean Studies 2(nd) Edition textbook includes topics such as Hydrothermal Vents, Ocean Acidification, Thermohaline Circulation, Tsunami, Beaches and Barrier Islands, Global Climate Change, and Arctic Sea Ice. While typically used in conjunction with the Investigations Manual and course website, the textbook can also be used alone in a traditional lecture-style course. The newest textbook, Climate Studies: Introduction to Climate Science, provides insight into the ocean's impact on Earth's Climate System by addressing topics that include Ekman Transport, Upwelling and Downwelling, Ocean Currents and Gyres, Proxy Climate Data Sources including Deep-Sea Sediment Cores and Corals, Sea Surface Temperature Change, and Sea Level Rise. AMS Climate Studies focuses on climate science, while still addressing societal impacts of climate change that draws the attention of today's students. Instructor support materials are available with each course and include a faculty CD with a faculty manual, chapter test banks, textbook images, PowerPoint (R) presentations, and other innovative resources. Faculty websites contain answer keys for Investigations Manual and Current Investigation questions. The Investigations Manual, Current Investigations, and test banks are provided in Respondus (R) format, which can be ported into a college's course management system for automated scoring and immediate student feedback. This feature allows for full integration to a college's e-learning environment. The course can be offered by experienced science faculty or those new to teaching the subject matter. Collegial assistance from AMS staff and other course users is available to all new instructors. A simple licensing procedure allows for full institutional access to the Current Investigations, course websites, and course management system-compatible files via a secure password-protected entry portal. AMS Ocean Studies, along with the other AMS courses, aims to interest all students in marine science and increase general scientific literacy through the use of real-world and current ocean information and events. AMS strongly encourages local implementation of the course at undergraduate institutions in the U. S., Canada, and worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.ametsoc.org/amsedu. UT WOS:000287539100068 SN 0197-7385 ER PT J TI Technology-Mediated Learning Across Borders: A Cross-Cultural Case-Study AU Magnier-Watanabe, R Benton, C Herrig, H Aba, O ED Kocaoglu, DF Anderson, TR Daim, TU CT Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET 10) CY 2010 CL Natl Elect & Comp Technol Ctr (NECTEC), Natl Sci & Technol Dev Agcy (NSTDA, Portland, OR SO PICMET 2010: TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT FOR GLOBAL ECONOMIC GROWTH PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-learning has entered the mainstream in higher education and many institutions are implementing technology-mediated learning at some level. However, many researchers have found that matching the meaningful interactions evident in traditional classrooms is a challenge still unresolved. This paper outlines an example of a course taught jointly in 2010 over three months by two graduate programs in management at the University of Tsukuba in Japan and the Grenoble Ecole de Management in France through a video-conferencing system and other ICT tools. The authors used a hybrid style of e-learning that was aimed at increasing collaboration among instructors and students remotely located. This research first reviews the existing literature and practice of e-learning of graduate programs along with their shortcomings and merits, and analyzes a pilot course taught last year. We also present the results of a questionnaire survey of students during the course and provide practical recommendations for developing and managing a hybrid course balancing the positive aspects of e-learning with the benefits of face-to-face instruction, while suiting the participants' cultural learning idiosyncrasies. UT WOS:000287527800250 ER PT J TI Design and Application of Military Sports Network Learning and Assessment System AU Wang, L Wang, YJ Li, B ED Jiang, Y Zhang, H CT Conference on Computer Science in Sports CY DEC 10-12, 2010 CL Nanjing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2010 CONFERENCE ON COMPUTER SCIENCE IN SPORTS BP 319 EP 322 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper has briefly introduced the design concept and systematic functions of network learning and online assessment system for military physical education of national defense students, and described its application in the teaching and training of national defense students' military physical education. The application of this system in the teaching of arrest boxing shows that online learning system is conducive to stimulate national defense students' motivation in military physical training, help students master the skill of arrest boxing quickly and effectively and improve the efficiency of their learning and training. The application of online assessment system proves.:hat this system is stable and easy for maintenance, and the test papers randomly selected by this system can achieve the design purpose and teaching requirements of this system. Therefore, this online educational system embodies certain promotional and practical value. UT WOS:000288192800067 ER PT J TI Research on E-learning-based PE Teachers Training Pattern AU Zhai, YF Zhai, L ED Jiang, Y Zhang, H CT Conference on Computer Science in Sports CY DEC 10-12, 2010 CL Nanjing, PEOPLES R CHINA SO PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2010 CONFERENCE ON COMPUTER SCIENCE IN SPORTS BP 323 EP 326 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The article analyzes the scale and current training situation of PE teachers in China by literature review, interview and methamatical statistics etc. It researches the possibility, constructing, implementing and developing of E-learning-based PE teachers training pattern. The paper also discusses essential technology of this training system. This training pattern is a new form of further education and a vital component in constructiong of teacher lifelong learning. UT WOS:000288192800068 ER PT J TI Plenary Lecture 3 Flexible Learning in Developing Regions AU Ekenberg, L ED Fujita, H Sasaki, J CT 9th WSEAS International Conference on Education and Educational Technology CY OCT 04-06, 2010 CL Iwate Prefectural Univ, Iwate, JAPAN SO SELECTED TOPICS IN EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY BP 16 EP 16 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Education is a key area for development at an individual, community, national- and international level. Skilled people are employable and thereby generate their own professional identities, businesses and livelihoods. Although efficient and large-scale education is vital for building up stable knowledge economies, many countries have weak educational structures and lack basic resources. However, indiscriminate acceptance and use of e-learning can increase the digital divide rather than reduce it. In this talk, we discuss emerging issues from which we develop theoretical assumptions aimed at suitable approaches for effective adoption and utilization of e-learning to support teaching and learning processes. In particular, we present some recent initiatives for efficient e-learning undertaken by Dept. of Computer and Systems Sciences at Stockholm University (DSV). UT WOS:000288345700003 ER PT J TI Plenary Lecture 4 Web Mining - An Effective Method in Course Development and Learning Management AU Rudas, IJ Toth, P ED Fujita, H Sasaki, J CT 9th WSEAS International Conference on Education and Educational Technology CY OCT 04-06, 2010 CL Iwate Prefectural Univ, Iwate, JAPAN SO SELECTED TOPICS IN EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY BP 17 EP 17 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The development of e-Learning, the use of Learning Management System and Learning Content Management System are becoming more and more dominant in engineering education, especially since "caned" solutions are easy to "configure" for desired purposes. However, the quality issue is only a second criterion in development process, making content and conventional teaching strategies to be the main issue. The two main criterion is "content and form" - the precise pedagogic aims, didactic structure and suitably tailored environment. Apart from these, we should also evaluate the customs of accessing the system and course pages of users, both tutors and learners. Thus we obtain some usability indicators by usage of web mining methods in order to recognize and understand the users activities and behavior, to identify learning strategies and problems in virtual learning environment. By this approach the web mining method accommodates organically to a development model of virtual learning environment. This presentation shows such indicators and their relationship to the efficiency and the effectiveness of virtual courses. UT WOS:000288345700004 ER PT J TI An interactive tool for teaching and learning English at Upper Primary Level for Mauritius AU Pudaruth, S Mantaye, A ED Fujita, H Sasaki, J CT 9th WSEAS International Conference on Education and Educational Technology CY OCT 04-06, 2010 CL Iwate Prefectural Univ, Iwate, JAPAN SO SELECTED TOPICS IN EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY BP 65 EP 70 PY 2010 TC 0 AB E-learning refers to the specific kind of learning experienced within the domain of educational technology, which can be used in or out of the classroom. In this paper, we give an overview of an e-learning platform An Innovative Interactive and Online English Platform for Upper Primary Students' is an interactive web-based application which will serve as an aid to the primary school students in Mauritius. The objectives of this platform are to offer quality learning resources for the English subject at our primary level of education, encourage self-learning and hence promote e-learning. The platform developed consists of several interesting features, for example, the English Verb Conjugation tool, Negative Form tool, Interrogative Form tool and Close Test Generator. Nowadays, several learning platforms are available online but very few of them fit in the Mauritian context or at primary level. So, this learning platform will be useful at a time where our country is looking for an alternative to private tuition and also, looking forward to increase the pass rate. UT WOS:000288345700013 ER PT J TI Mobile Learning: An Application Prototype for AVL Tree Learning Object AU Ibrahim, MN Mahamad, S Wei, ECN ED Fujita, H Sasaki, J CT 9th WSEAS International Conference on Education and Educational Technology CY OCT 04-06, 2010 CL Iwate Prefectural Univ, Iwate, JAPAN SO SELECTED TOPICS IN EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY BP 152 EP 156 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The rapid growth of mobile phone technologies encourages many researchers to explore, design and develop mobile learning applications for tertiary students. In computer science related disciplines, students always find computer science concepts as complex, abstract, and esoteric subject. Hence, we have seen the number of students enrolled for computer science related programs has decreased lately. Current delivery methods of computer science concepts are also not so interesting to the students. This project focuses on the design and development of an AVL tree learning object for tertiary students by utilizing current mobile phone's features such as mobility, multimedia capability and connectivity. Our approach is to incorporate video clips that presenting the algorithm systematically. With this mobile learning application, student could learn at his or her own pace, anywhere at anytime. This application intends to complement current learning systems that are traditional classroom and e-learning systems. We applied prototype methodology in designing and developing this mobile learning application prototype and considered several mobile application design principles. Initial testing has shown that a well-presented video clip of AVL tree concept that delivered through mobile phone has a great potential to promote and enhance learning process. UT WOS:000288345700028 ER PT J TI Health promotion - strategies and topics Educating the students from nursing and optometry department AU Rogozea, L Miclaus, R Repanovici, A Burtea, V ED Fujita, H Sasaki, J CT 9th WSEAS International Conference on Education and Educational Technology CY OCT 04-06, 2010 CL Iwate Prefectural Univ, Iwate, JAPAN SO SELECTED TOPICS IN EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY BP 263 EP 267 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The citizens claim the right to get a high level access to the health services including the health promotion fields. The health professionals aim to prevent illnesses, to reduce morbidity and premature mortality and need to increase the community awareness on the fact that it is cheaper preventing than curing. In this view, addressing youngsters represents a powerful investment in the future and the essence of real health prevention. Also, trained students from nursing and optometry department could be a key for developing successful health promotion activities in the community. Usually, in most of the universities all over the world, nursing and optometrist students may never get appropriate training in health promotion. Also, the present health professionals do not have enough knowledge in health promotion especially in the newest well-being standards. The paper tries to develop a common curriculum in adolescent health promotion topics, for students studying in two completely different faculties (medicine and mechanical engineering) started from a study on the adolescent problems developed in nursing and optometry department. Accordingly, we will try to pay attention to adolescent health promotion curriculum, related to ethical dilemma, adolescents' needs and rights. UT WOS:000288345700048 ER PT J TI E-learning and Security Problems in Claud Computing Environment AU Mandic, D Urosevic, V Tijanic, M ED Fujita, H Sasaki, J CT 9th WSEAS International Conference on Education and Educational Technology CY OCT 04-06, 2010 CL Iwate Prefectural Univ, Iwate, JAPAN SO SELECTED TOPICS IN EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY BP 381 EP 386 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Cloud computing has emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments of the information technology industry. The ability to leverage economies of scale, geographic distribution, open source software and automated systems to drive down costs makes cloud computing an attractive option for education. Development of information technology and constantly innovating educational technology causes changes in the methods and forms of teaching and organization that would be optimal in the era of mass application of Internet and electronic sources of knowledge. Many of the advantages of cloud computing are accompanied by collateral legal, reputational and security risks having on mind e-learning material that represents intellectual property on the Internet. In contrast to traditional solutions, where the IT services are under proper physical, logical and personnel controls, cloud computing moves the application software and databases to the large data centers, where the management of the data and services may not be fully trustworthy. Cyber criminals that targets intellectual property over the Internet also see this opportunity as a way to expand their illegal activities. It is a great opportunity for them to relocate criminal resources and to hide evidence in order to invoade detection during process of stilling objects of another's intellectual efforts. Authors of this article are trying to give a preview of possible risks that cloud computing can bring to the area of e-learning, with a preview of possible risk of intellectual property that can emerge in Serbia. UT WOS:000288345700069 ER PT J TI Enterprise Service Bus Dependency Injection on MVC Design Patterns AU Rajam, S Cortez, R Vazhenin, A Bhalla, S ED Okado, T Araki, K Nishino, H CT IEEE Region 10 Conference on TENCON 2010 CY NOV 21-24, 2010 CL Fukuoka, JAPAN SO TENCON 2010: 2010 IEEE REGION 10 CONFERENCE BP 1015 EP 1020 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Paper deals with the design issues of an e-Learning Computational System based on a Task Management Model. One of the main components of the proposed e-Learning Computational Cloud is the Controller acting as an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) for absolute Model abstraction from outside references. Simultaneously, View is completely decoupled from Model and ultimate privacy and security is achieved for the business data objects. This ESB bolstered with the Dependency Injection Pattern has reinforced protocol and message transformation, service loose coupling, global service contract, service implementation autonomy, service reusability, service modularity, statelessness and dynamic discoverability of the services. The ESB uses service virtualization that archives the services together as a single deployable unit which is managed by the Orchestration Engine as a central console. This allows the user to customize e-Learning Platforms by sourcing a diverse range of e-Learning services. UT WOS:000287978600172 SN 0886-1420 ER PT J TI Offline web application and quiz synchronization for e-learning activity for mobile browser AU Ijtihadie, RM Chisaki, Y Usagawa, T Cahyo, B Affandi, A ED Okado, T Araki, K Nishino, H CT IEEE Region 10 Conference on TENCON 2010 CY NOV 21-24, 2010 CL Fukuoka, JAPAN SO TENCON 2010: 2010 IEEE REGION 10 CONFERENCE BP 2402 EP 2405 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Rapid growing of internet applications and users has led the improvement of mobile web browser technology and standards such as HTML5. Recently, HTML5 is turning to be a de facto standard after some of its features has been implemented in major mobile web browsers,. Moodle as a web based Learning Management System (LMS) has been popular in academic environment for supporting learning activities and allows teacher giving quiz online. However, some schools do not have an such expensive infrastructure to bring their LMS to the Internet. In addition, at home, some students may have difficulties to get online access. To address such problem, In this paper, we propose a prototype of offline web application and task synchronization in e-learning activity. This system utilizes the offline application capability and web storage of HTML5 enabled mobile web browser to bring an offline user interface to students. Using this system students are able synchronize their mobile phone with campus moodle for task retrieval/submission during their time in campus. and later doing the task at home without having to get online. Besides giving the concept, a prototype has been implemented to show its functionality. UT WOS:000287978600406 SN 0886-1420 ER PT J TI INTERACTIVITY OF E-LEARNING MATERIALS IN THE MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM AU Repolusk, S Zmazek, B Hvala, B SO DIDACTICA SLOVENICA-PEDAGOSKA OBZORJA VL 25 IS 3-4 BP 110 EP 129 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Interactivity is one of the key features and the main advantage of e-learning materials as compared to the printed learning materials. However, there is no commonly accepted definition of interactivity in scientific literature. An original approach to the concept of interactivity as an attribute of communication process and to interactivity of an object is presented in the article. The proposed definition can help the designers and evaluators in the evaluation of interactivity and of educational value of e-learning materials. The relevance of presented concept of interactivity is verified on the case of interactivity of e-learning materials E-um, which are currently the most widely used online educational materials for learning mathematics in Slovenian elementary school and gymnasium. UT WOS:000287948500008 SN 0353-1392 ER PT J TI A Case Study in Experiential Learning: Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Management on Wheels AU Vesper, J Kartoglu, U Bishara, R Reeves, T SO JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS VL 30 IS 4 BP 229 EP 236 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Introduction: People who handle and regulate temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products require the knowledge and skills to ensure those products maintain quality, integrity, safety, and efficacy throughout their shelf life. People best acquire such knowledge and skills through "experiential learning" that involves working with other learners and experts. Methods: The World Health Organization developed a weeklong experiential learning event for participants so they could gain experience in how temperature-sensitive products are handled, stored, and distributed throughout the length of the distribution supply chain system. This experiential learning method enabled participants to visit, critically observe, discuss and report on the various components of the cold chain process. An emphasis was placed on team members working together to learn from one another and on several global expert mentors who were available to guide the learning, share their experiences, and respond to questions. Results: The learning event, Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Management on Wheels, has been conducted once each year since 2008 in Turkey with participants from the global pharmaceutical industry, health care providers, national regulatory authorities, and suppliers/vendors. Observations made during the course showed that it was consistent with the principles of experiential and social learning theories. Questionnaires and focus groups provided evidence of the value of the learning event and ways to improve it. Discussion: Reflecting the critical elements derived from experiential and social learning theories, five factors contributed to the success of this unique experiential learning event. These factors may also have relevance in other experiential learning courses and, potentially, for experiential e-learning events. UT WOS:000288401700004 SN 0894-1912 DI 10.1002/chp.20087 ER PT J TI A Targeted E-Learning Program for Surgical Trainees to Enhance Patient Safety in Preventing Surgical Infection AU McHugh, SM Corrigan, M Dimitrov, B Cowman, S Tierney, S Humphreys, H Hill, A SO JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS VL 30 IS 4 BP 257 EP 259 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Introduction: Surgical site infection accounts for 20% of all health care-associated infections (HCAIs); however, a program incorporating the education of surgeons has yet to be established across the specialty. Methods: An audit of surgical practice in infection prevention was carried out in Beaumont Hospital from July to November 2009. An educational Web site was developed targeting deficiencies highlighted in the audit. Interactive clinical cases were constructed using PHP coding, an HTML-embedded language, and then linked to a MySQL relational database. PowerPoint tutorials were produced as online Flash audiovisual movies. An online repository of streaming videos demonstrating best practice was made available, and weekly podcasts were made available on the iTunes (c) store for free download. Usage of the e-learning program was assessed quantitatively over 6 weeks in May and June 2010 using the commercial company Hitslink. Results: During the 5-month audit, deficiencies in practice were highlighted, including the timing of surgical prophylaxis (33% noncompliance) and intravascular catheter care in surgical patients (38% noncompliance regarding necessity). Over the 6-week assessment of the educational material, the SurgInfection.com Web pages were accessed more than 8000 times; 77.9% of the visitors were from Ireland. The most commonly accessed modality was the repository with interactive clinical cases, accounting for 3463 (43%) of the Web site visits. The average user spent 57 minutes per visit, with 30% of them visiting the Web site multiple times. Discussion: Interactive virtual cases mirroring real-life clinical scenarios are likely to be successful as an e-learning modality. User-friendly interfaces and 24-hour accessibility will increases uptake by surgical trainees. UT WOS:000288401700008 SN 0894-1912 DI 10.1002/chp.20091 ER PT J TI AN INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM FOR E-LEARNING AU Barbu, T Dragomir, M CT 10th International Multidisciplinary Scientific Geoconference SGEM 2010 CY JUN 20-26, 2010 CL Albena, BULGARIA SO 10TH INTERNATIONAL MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENTIFIC GEOCONFERENCE: SGEM 2010, VOL II BP 1033 EP 1038 PY 2010 TC 0 AB An information retrieval technique that could be used successfully in the E-Learning domain is provided in this article. The described system is based on a relevance-feedback scheme. It retrieves relevant documents from an information database, those documents being useful in the learning process. The proposed system is an interactive one, the human user being involved in the retrieving process. UT WOS:000288622300142 ER PT J TI Qualification and Certification of Research-Entrepreneur Skills Using the ECQA Platform AU Draghici, A Draghici, G Izvercianu, M Riel, A Tichkiewitch, S Messnarz, R ED QuintelaVarajao, JE CruzCunha, MM Putnik, GD Trigo, A CT International Conference on ENTERprize Information Systems CY OCT 20-22, 2010 CL Viana do Castelo, PORTUGAL SO ENTERPRISE INFORMATION SYSTEMS PT II VL 110 BP 249 EP 258 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The paper presents a specific approach for defining a new job role so call Research-Entrepreneur that have to be trained and certified at the European level. These processes are supported by an e-learning platform developed by the European Certification and Qualification Association in the last ten years. After a brief description of the Research-Entrepreneur skill card definition there are presented the skills acquisition within the platform, the methodology of the skill sets provision and the qualification and certification procedures. Also, the link with a national e-learning platform in the same field is described. UT WOS:000288485400025 SN 1865-0929 ER PT J TI ESEIG Mobile: An m-Learning Approach in a Superior School AU Queiros, R Pinto, M ED QuintelaVarajao, JE CruzCunha, MM Putnik, GD Trigo, A CT International Conference on ENTERprize Information Systems CY OCT 20-22, 2010 CL Viana do Castelo, PORTUGAL SO ENTERPRISE INFORMATION SYSTEMS PT II VL 110 BP 355 EP 363 PY 2010 TC 0 AB In recent years, mobile learning has merged as an educational approach to decrease the limitation of learning location and adapt the teaching-learning process to all type of students. However, the large number and variety of Web-enabled devices poses challenges for Web content creators who want to automatic get the delivery context and adapt the content to mobile devices. In this paper we study several approaches to adapt the learning content to mobile phones. We present an architecture for deliver uniform m-Learning content to students in a higher School. The system development is organized in two phases: firstly enabling the educational content to mobile devices and then adapting it to all the heterogeneous mobile platforms. With this approach, Web authors will not need to create specialized pages for each kind of device, since the content is automatically transformed to adapt to any mobile device capabilities from WAP to XHTML MP-compliant devices. UT WOS:000288485400036 SN 1865-0929 ER PT J TI E-Learning as a Shared Service in Shared Services Centers AU Pinto, AS ED QuintelaVarajao, JE CruzCunha, MM Putnik, GD Trigo, A CT International Conference on ENTERprize Information Systems CY OCT 20-22, 2010 CL Viana do Castelo, PORTUGAL SO ENTERPRISE INFORMATION SYSTEMS PT II VL 110 BP 364 EP 373 PY 2010 TC 0 AB An organization is an entity of systemic nature, consisting of one or more people interacting with each other to achieve common goals, being one of its greatest challenges the attempt to follow the evolution of their environment. Adoption of Technologies and Information Systems enables organizations to improve their information flow and, when used strategically positively differentiates, providing competitive advantages, for the dissemination and updating of organizational knowledge. This dissemination in a global world requires the adoption of distance communication procedures, e-learning. Shared Services an organizational management model, continue to be implemented in Economic Groups and Public Administration, with the aim to provision of services appropriate to each Internal Customer or Organizational Unit, collaborative and virtual, supported by a single technology platform and enterprise architecture service-oriented. The implementation model of shared services proposed here, three-layer model, adds e-learning as a shared service. UT WOS:000288485400037 SN 1865-0929 ER PT J TI Quality in Learning Objects: Evaluating Compliance with Metadata Standards AU Vidal, C Segura, A Campos, P Sanchez-Alonso, S ED SanchezAlonso, S Athanasiadis, IN CT 4th International Conference on Metadata and Semantic Research CY OCT 20-22, 2010 CL Univ Alcala, Alcala de Henares, SPAIN SO METADATA AND SEMANTIC RESEARCH VL 108 BP 342 EP 353 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Ensuring a certain level of quality of learning objects used in e-learning is crucial to increase the chances of success of automated systems in recommending or finding these resources. This paper aims to present a proposal for implementation of a quality model for learning objects based on ISO 9126 international standard for the evaluation of software quality. Features indicators associated with the conformance sub-characteristic are defined. Some instruments for feature evaluation are advised, which allow collecting expert opinion on evaluation items. Other quality model features are evaluated using only the information from its metadata using semantic web technologies. Finally, we propose an ontology-based application that allows automatic evaluation of a quality feature. IEEE LOM metadata standard was used in experimentation, and the results shown that most of learning objects analyzed do not complain the standard. UT WOS:000288484900031 SN 1865-0929 ER PT J TI The Benefits and Future of Standards: Metadata and Beyond AU Stracke, CM ED SanchezAlonso, S Athanasiadis, IN CT 4th International Conference on Metadata and Semantic Research CY OCT 20-22, 2010 CL Univ Alcala, Alcala de Henares, SPAIN SO METADATA AND SEMANTIC RESEARCH VL 108 BP 354 EP 361 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This article discusses the benefits and future of standards and presents the generic multi-dimensional Reference Model. First the importance and the tasks of interoperability as well as quality development and their relationship are analyzed. Especially in e-Learning their connection and interdependence is evident: Interoperability is one basic requirement for quality development. In this paper, it is shown how standards and specifications are supporting these crucial issues. The upcoming ISO metadata standard MLR (Metadata for Learning Resource) will be introduced and used as example for identifying the requirements and needs for future standardization. In conclusion a vision of the challenges and potentials for e-Learning standardization is outlined. UT WOS:000288484900032 SN 1865-0929 ER PT J TI Investigating Student Satisfaction from Environmental and Architectural Design Elements of 3D Educational Facilities within 3D Virtual Worlds AU Saleeb, N Dafoulas, G ED Lytras, MD DePablos, PO Ziderman, A Roulstone, A Maurer, H Imber, JB CT 3rd World Summit on the Knowledge Society CY SEP 22-24, 2010 CL Corfu Island, GREECE SO ORGANIZATIONAL, BUSINESS, AND TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY PT II VL 112 BP 175 EP 185 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Evolving online virtual worlds are intensely being utilised as 3D Virtual Learning Environments (3D VLEs) by hundreds of universities worldwide. However, there is inadequate academic research depicting satisfaction of users from the environmental design factors of 3D virtual buildings used within these virtual worlds. Specifically, there is no research evidence representing satisfaction of educational facilities' users, namely students and faculty, from the architectural design characteristics of their 3D virtual university campuses. This research focuses explicitly on capturing the contentment levels of students towards specified variations of certain architectural design elements of the 3D virtual learning spaces, where educational sessions are conducted in 3D VLEs. This hence provides preliminary guidelines on how to enhance the design of these spaces to augment e-learning experiences of students within 3D VLEs; achieved by analysing survey results representing students' opinions towards different architectural features of the learning spaces within different university 3D virtual campuses. UT WOS:000288466500019 SN 1865-0929 ER PT J TI An Adaptive Web-Based Support to e-Education in Robotics and Automation AU Di Giamberardino, P Temperini, M ED Lytras, MD DePablos, PO Ziderman, A Roulstone, A Maurer, H Imber, JB CT 3rd World Summit on the Knowledge Society CY SEP 22-24, 2010 CL Corfu Island, GREECE SO ORGANIZATIONAL, BUSINESS, AND TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY PT II VL 112 BP 254 EP 265 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The paper presents the hardware and software architecture of a remote laboratory, with robotics and automation applications, devised to support e-teaching and e-learning activities, at an undergraduate level in computer engineering. The hardware is composed by modular structures, based on the Lego Mindstorms components: they are reasonably sophisticated in terms of functions, pretty easy to use, and sufficiently affordable in terms of cost. Moreover, being the robots intrinsically modular, wrt the number and distribution of sensors and actuators, they are easily and quickly reconfigurable. A web application makes the laboratory and its robots available via internet. The software framework allows the teacher to define, for the course under her/his responsibility, a learning path made of different and differently complex exercises, graduated in terms of the "difficulty" they require to meet and of the "competence" that the solver is supposed to have shown. The learning path of exercises is adapted to the individual learner's progressively growing competence: at any moment, only a subset of the exercises is available (depending on how close their levels of competence and difficulty are to those of the exercises already solved by the learner). UT WOS:000288466500027 SN 1865-0929 ER PT J TI Teaching a Foreign Language to Deaf People via Vodcasting & Web 2.0 Tools AU Drigas, A Vrettaros, J Tagoulis, A Kouremenos, D ED Lytras, MD DePablos, PO Ziderman, A Roulstone, A Maurer, H Imber, JB CT 3rd World Summit on the Knowledge Society CY SEP 22-24, 2010 CL Corfu Island, GREECE SO ORGANIZATIONAL, BUSINESS, AND TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY PT II VL 112 BP 514 EP 521 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper presents the design and development of an e-learning course in teaching deaf people in a foreign language, whose first language is the sign language. The course is based in e-material, vodcasting and web 2.0 tools such as social networking and blog The course has been designed especially for deaf people and it is exploring the possibilities that e-learning material vodcasting and web 2.0 tools can offer to enhance the learning process and achieve more effective learning results. UT WOS:000288466500060 SN 1865-0929 ER PT J TI Establishing an Informed S-BPM Community AU Schmidt, W Stary, C ED Buchwald, H Fleischmann, A Seese, D Stary, C CT 1st Workshop on Subject-Oriented Business Process Management CY OCT 22, 2009 CL Karlsruhe, GERMANY SO S-BPM ONE-SETTING THE STAGE FOR SUBJECT-ORIENTED BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT VL 85 BP 34 EP 47 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Modeling and executing business processes in a subject-oriented way can be considered as a paradigmatic shift in Business Process Modeling and Management. To be effective, traditional functional flow-oriented approaches have to be overlaid and superseded with patterns of actor interactions and the exchange of messages relevant for accomplishing tasks. However, subject-oriented Business Process Management (S-BPM) will only get substantial momentum once the mindset of organization designers and developers has started to change from thinking in terms of functions to thinking in terms of actor interaction. In this paper we propose an initiative designed to trigger that shift in a Community of Practice based on skillful education. In this way, revisiting traditional business process modeling and management can be coupled with experiencing alternatives effectively. UT WOS:000288470400004 SN 1865-0929 ER PT J TI Dematerialization and Deformalization of the EFL/ESL Textbook - Literature Review and Relevant Issues AU Meurant, RC ED Kim, TH Pal, SK Grosky, WI Pissinou, N Shih, TK Slezak, D CT International Conferences on Signal Processing, Image Processing and Pattern Recognition/Multimedia, Computer Graphics and Broadcasting CY DEC 13-15, 2010 CL Jeju Island, SOUTH KOREA SO SIGNAL PROCESSING AND MULTIMEDIA VL 123 BP 235 EP 244 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Rapid development and critical convergence of Information Communication Technologies is radically impacting education, particularly in second language acquisition, where the sudden availability of multimedia content and immediacy of distance communication offer specific advantage. The language classroom is evolving to integrate computer-mediated learning and communication with traditional schooling; digitization and the Internet mean the textbook is evolving from inert hard copy that is consumed, to dynamic e-texts that students participate in. The emergence of English as a Global Language, with the primary role of English on the Internet, means that the transition from fixed hard copy to fluid online digital environment is particularly evident in EFL/ESL. I review research, trace ways in which this transition occurs, and speculate on how, under the impact of ICTs and their convergence, the EFL/ESL textbook will reform, and may even disappear as a stand-alone entity. UT WOS:000288518400028 SN 1865-0929 ER PT J TI Flexible Ubiquitous Learning Management System Adapted to Learning Context AU Jeong, JS Kim, M Park, C Yoo, JS Yoo, KH ED Kim, TH Ma, JH Fang, WC Park, BJ Kang, BH Slezak, D CT International Conference on U- and E-Service, Science and Technology CY DEC 13-15, 2010 CL Jeju Island, SOUTH KOREA SO U- AND E-SERVICE, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY VL 124 BP 48 EP 59 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper proposes a u-learning management system (ULMS) appropriate to the ubiquitous learning environment, with emphasis on the significance of context awareness and adaptation in learning. The proposed system supports the basic functions of an e-learning management system and incorporates a number of tools and additional features to provide a more customized learning service. The proposed system automatically corresponds to various forms of user terminal without modifying the existing system. The functions, formats, and course learning activities of the system are dynamically and adaptively constructed at runtime according to user terminals, course types, pedagogical goals as well as student characteristics and learning context. A prototype for university use has been implemented to demonstrate and evaluate the proposed approach. We regard the proposed ULMS as an ideal u-learning system because it can not only lead students into continuous and mobile 'anytime, anywhere' learning using any kind of terminal, but can also foster enhanced self-directed learning through the establishment of an adaptive learning environment. UT WOS:000288518100006 SN 1865-0929 ER PT J TI EFL/ESL Textbook Selection in Korea and East Asia - Relevant Issues and Literature Review AU Meurant, RC ED Tomar, GS Grosky, WI Kim, TH Mohammed, S Saha, SK CT 2nd International Conference on Adv Sci and Technol/4th Int Conf on Informat Security and Assurance/2nd Int Conf on Adv Commun and Networking/Int Conf on Ubiquitous Computing and Multimedia CY JUN 23-25, 2010 CL Miyazaki, JAPAN SO UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING AND MULTIMEDIA APPLICATIONS VL 75 BP 89 EP 102 PY 2010 TC 1 AB EFL/ESL departments periodically face the problem of textbook selection. Cogent issues are that non-native speakers will use L2 English mainly to communicate with other non-native English speakers, so an American accent is becoming less important. L2 English will mainly be used in computer-mediated communication, hence the importance of L2 Digital Literacy. The convergence of Information Communication Technologies is radically impacting Second Language Acquisition, which is integrating web-hosted Assessment and Learning Management Systems. EFL/ESL textbooks need to be compatible with blended learning, prepare students for a globalized world, and foster autonomous learning. I summarize five papers on EFL/ESL textbook evaluation and selection, and include relevant material for adaptation. Textbooks are major sources of contact with the target language, so selection is an important decision. Educators need to be systematic and objective in their approach, adopting a selection process that is open, transparent, accountable, participatory, informed and rigorous. UT WOS:000288518300009 SN 1865-0929 ER PT J TI Introduction: Learning and teaching in electronic networks based on asynchronous written communication AU Coll, C Castello, M SO CULTURA Y EDUCACION VL 22 IS 4 BP 389 EP 394 PY 2010 TC 0 AB The paper introduces the monograph and presents the rest of the papers that integrate it. To this end, we undertake a brief analysis of the characteristics associated with electronic networks based on asynchronous written communication, and the prominence that they have acquired over the past years in the development of e-learning proposals, both within the framework of distance and blended education or of face-to-face education. Furthermore, this analysis emphasises those questions to which research in this field has not given a clear and satisfactory response. In order to make progress in explaining some of these questions, about a year ago Cultura & Educacion issued an open call for papers with the purpose of publishing a monograph issue on the subject. The papers that were finally selected for publication present research work carried out in diverse settings and educational levels, together with studies dealing with theoretical-methodological reflection and systematised experiences, preferably within the context of higher education. These studies help us understand the current state of research in our context. UT WOS:000288497800001 SN 1135-6405 ER PT J TI A Proposed Study on the Use of ICT and Smart Meters to Influence Consumers' Behavior and Attitude towards Renewable Energy AU Fung, CC Tang, SC Wong, KP CT PES General Meeting CY JUL 25-29, 2010 CL Minneapolis, MN SO IEEE POWER AND ENERGY SOCIETY GENERAL MEETING 2010 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Recently, use of Renewable Energy (RE) and development of RE technologies are being promoted by many countries. Policies have also been developed to facilitate and encourage consumers to adopt RE. However, the availability of technologies alone does not guarantee their widespread adoption. Numerous reports have identified the barriers are due to lack of knowledge and awareness towards the new technologies. This paper proposes a study and the development of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) learning tool incorporating the use of smart meters in order to provide knowledge, increase awareness and to influence consumers' behavior and attitude in adopting RE. This proposed research is based on quantitative and qualitative approach and the study will be carried out among residents from a local council in Western Australia. It is expected that results from this study will provide insights and understanding to encourage RE adoption through the use of ICT and smart meters. UT WOS:000287611903046 ER PT J TI A Model of System Re-Configurability and Pedagogical Usability in an E-Learning Context: A Faculty Perspective AU Wang, JF Doll, WJ Deng, XD SO JOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL AND END USER COMPUTING VL 22 IS 3 BP 66 EP 81 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Course management systems (CMSs) enable institutions to engage users efficiently, increase enrollment without major facilities investments, and serve geographically dispersed student markets on an ongoing basis. The full benefits of technology cannot be realized if faculty do not adopt the new technology and use it to achieve their instructional design objectives. From a faculty perspective, pedagogical usability of the software is an important factor affecting technology adoption and effective implementation. Pedagogical usability is measured using Chickering and Gamson's seven principles of good educational practice. In a distance learning context, this paper provides an initial exploratory study of how faculty perceptions of CMS software characteristics like content re-configurability, interaction re-configurability, and modularity design help faculty implement good pedagogical principles. Additionally, a model is presented that links CMS software design characteristics like content re-configurability, interaction re-configurability, and modularity design with the pedagogical usability assessments of faculty. This model is tested using a sample of 56 faculty members using WebCT at a mid-western university. UT WOS:000288140000004 SN 1546-2234 DI 10.4018/joeuc.2010070104 ER PT J TI Context Aware Management Plateform to Invoke Remote or Local e Learning Services: Application to Navigation and Fishing Simulator AU Monfort, V Felhi, F ED Augosto, JC Corchado, JM Novais, P Analide, C CT 1st International Symposium on Ambient Intelligence (ISAmI 2010) CY JUN 16-18, 2010 CL Guimaraes, PORTUGAL SO AMBIENT INTELLIGENCE AND FUTURE TRENDS - INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON AMBIENT INTELLIGENCE (ISAML 2010) VL 72 BP 157 EP 165 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Many companies aim to use Web services to integrate heterogeneous and/or remote application in SOA (service oriented architecture) contexts. The SaaS (Software as a Service) economical model allows to link service consumption and pricing. We aim to consider c learning as a set of services, hosted according to Cloud Computing techniques. Moreover, we are convinced some local or remote services may be invoked according to context and training orchestration may be dynamically adapted on run time. We developped a concrete industrial product development based on Web services and WComp plate form for adaptability. UT WOS:000289033000019 SN 1867-5662 ER PT J TI IMPLEMENTATION OF INTERNATIONAL ENERGY ENGINEERING E-COURSES FOR PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABILITY BUILDINGS AND COMMUNNITIES AU Gonzalez, MJ Montero, E Aguilar, F ED Hajek, P Tywoniak, J Lupisek, A Ruzicka, J Sojkova, K CT Conference on Central Europe towards Sustainable Building CY JUN, 2010 CL Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC SO CESB 10: CENTRAL EUROPE TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE BUILDING - FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE BP 745 EP 748 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Buildings have an impact on long-term energy consumption and new buildings should therefore meet minimum energy performance requirements tailored to the local climate. Within the context of an Intelligent Energy - Europe, ten partners coming from four central and southern European countries have developed concrete pilot actions planned and implemented towards building integrated model of sustainable communities, based on an analysis of the local framework conditions and on data collected in energy audits. One of the most important barriers detected in promoting sustainable communities is the need of an adequate training of the engineers and technicians usually involved in the energy efficiency and renewable energy supply projects in buildings. This paper presents a case study of teaching an international, postgraduate engineering course addressed to engineers, architects and local authorities technicians who wish to become specialized in the field of renewable energy sources applications in buildings. The learning content management system of the University of Burgos for on-line teaching has been used for the delivery of the course. Besides electronic books and links to technical web sites, some multimedia presentation with interactive exercises and questionnaires, technical video and hypermedia tools were included to promote active learning. Engineers and technicians coming from Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria and Spain will be involved in the course. Increase of the overall energy conservation levels and of the share of the renewable energies in the overall local energy supply grid, especially in public buildings and/or industry and agriculture are the expected outcomes of the project. UT WOS:000288408300177 ER PT J TI SUSTAINABLE BUILDING EDUCATION AT CZECH TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY IN PRAGUE AU Hajek, P Kabele, K Ruzicka, J Tywoniak, J ED Hajek, P Tywoniak, J Lupisek, A Ruzicka, J Sojkova, K CT Conference on Central Europe towards Sustainable Building CY JUN, 2010 CL Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC SO CESB 10: CENTRAL EUROPE TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE BUILDING - FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE BP 749 EP 750 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Faculty of Civil Engineering at CTU in Prague has started regular education in sustainable building several years ago with the ambition to become a leading university in this branch in Czech Republic and to become one of the recognized universities teaching sustainable building at international scale. A brief overview about educational activities at the CTU in Prague dealing with sustainability agenda and its implementation to building design and construction is presented. UT WOS:000288408300178 ER PT J TI One Tool-Many Paradigm: Creativity and Regularity in Youngsters' Hyperstories AU Garzotto, F Herrero, E Salgueiro, F ED Aylett, R Lim, MY Louchart, S Petta, P Riedl, M CT 3rd Joint Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling CY NOV 01-03, 2010 CL Edinburgh, SCOTLAND SO INTERACTIVE STORYTELLING VL 6432 BP 44 EP 49 PY 2010 TC 0 AB We investigated 101 online hyperstories created at school by students aged 4-18 using the same authoring tool, to discover recurring characteristics of youngers' hypermedia. narratives and their underlying creative process. The findings of our empirical study offer a contribution to the digital storytelling field from a conceptual and a practical perspective. They provide a deeper understanding of digital storytelling activities performed by youngsters in educational settings, highlighting a tension between regularity and creativity that has some correlations with authors' age and school context. In addition, the discovered recurrent features can be used as classification means for digital stories and can be translated into guidelines to support the authoring process and to improve the functionalities of storytelling tools. UT WOS:000289028400008 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Teaching English as a Second Language Utilizing Authoring Tools for Interactive Digital Storytelling AU Muller, W Iurgel, I Otero, N Massler, U ED Aylett, R Lim, MY Louchart, S Petta, P Riedl, M CT 3rd Joint Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling CY NOV 01-03, 2010 CL Edinburgh, SCOTLAND SO INTERACTIVE STORYTELLING VL 6432 BP 222 EP 227 PY 2010 TC 0 AB This paper presents first results from an ongoing research initiative to develop an interactive storytelling application to support teaching English as a second language for children in schools. Considering the necessity to accommodate to both students' and teachers' needs, we provide a summarized review of relevant systems and discuss the envisioned challenges concerning the specific aim we are addressing. Furthermore, we present different usage scenarios closely related to the concept of role playing and its application within this problem space. UT WOS:000289028400028 SN 0302-9743 ER PT J TI Using Highly Interactive Drama to Help Young People Cope with Traumatic Situations AU Szilas, N Richle, U Boggini, T Dumas, J ED Aylett, R Lim, MY Louchart, S Petta, P Riedl, M CT 3rd Joint Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling CY NOV 01-03, 2010 CL Edinburgh, SCOTLAND SO INTERACTIVE STORYTELLING VL 6432 BP 279 EP 282 PY 2010 TC 0 AB Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability and has a devastating impact on all family members. The goal of our project is to design, develop, and evaluate a pedagogical interactive drama to support uninjured youths aged 12 to 19 years who have a parent or sibling with a TBI. We used IDtension, a highly interactive drama engine, to develop a text-based interactive game, in which young users play the role of Frank, who has to prepare a dinner with Paul, his father, who suffers from a TBI. UT WOS:000289028400042 SN 0302-9743 ER EF