Who needs to do what where?: Using learning management systems on residential vs. commuter campuses

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are web-based systems allowing instructors and/or students to share materials and interact online. This study compared differences in LMS use between instructors and students at a large residential campus with students at a smaller commuter campus. Responses to an online survey about LMS activities and tools were categorized by three different interaction types: Learner–Instructor (LI), Learner–Content (LC), and Learner–Learner (LL). Aggregated log data was also analyzed to see if students’ use was consistent with their beliefs. Respondents from both campuses rate highly all activities and tools within the LMS. Findings suggest that residential students value activities and tools supporting LC interaction more than commuter students, while commuter students value activities and tools fostering LL interactions more than residential students. The aggregated log data was consistent with the survey data showing a higher level of activity in the most heavily used LC-oriented tools for the residential campus and higher activity in the LL-oriented tools for the commuter campus.     

Assessing the determinants of flow experience in the adoption of learning management systems: the moderating role of perceived institutional support

Information technology has moved the focus of students and instructors from blackboards to online learning platforms. In the emerging e-learning revolution, the success of quality education depends on the right use of information and communication technology, including the creation of participants’ flow experience while using learning systems, which are rightly considered a backbone of contemporary education. There is a gap in the e-learning literature, reflecting a lack of understanding of students’ flow experience while using online interactive systems. This paper presents a study investigating the key factors (interpersonal factors and atmospheric cues) affecting flow experience and highlights its massive role in the use of any learning management system (LMS). Moreover, the study examines the moderating role of perceived institutional support (PIS) on student adoption of LMS. Using a survey, data were collected from university students in Pakistan and the data were analysed through structural equation modelling. We found that interpersonal factors and LMS atmospherics have significant effects on the flow experience. It was also found that PIS moderates the relationship between flow experience and the use of LMS. This study contributes to the literature by helping institutions and policy-makers know key factors of effective learning systems that students value and enjoy.     

Sage,guide, both,or even more? An examination of instructor activity in online MBA courses

This study examined faculty characteristics and behaviors in 46 MBA courses conducted over a two-year period. We found that both formal instructor activities, referred to in the online learning literature as teaching presence, and informal instructor activities, known as immediacy behaviors, were positive predictors of student perceived learning and satisfaction with the educational delivery medium. We also found that instructor login intensity, the average amount of time spent per login session, was a negative predictor of perceived learning. Collectively, these findings suggest the need for instructors to structure and organize their courses beforehand so they can focus on efficient engagement with their students while the class is in session. Although teaching presence and instructor immediacy were significant predictors of delivery medium satisfaction, they explained only 6% of the variance. This finding should help instructors avoid taking unnecessary responsibility for students’ attitudes toward online learning. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications for training of online instructors and the appropriate use of multilevel analytical tools in online learning and education research.     

Sharing instructors experience of learning management system: A technology perspective of user satisfaction in distance learning course

The use of educational technology increased rapidly in higher education. Learning Management System (LMS) is the most popular educational technology system used in distance learning. There are only a few studies have been carried out to measure instructors satisfaction in distance learning courses, although instructors satisfaction is considered as very important for the course involvement and increasing the students interactions with the course content. Hence, this study proposed a detailed framework to measure instructors’ satisfaction of using LMS. The findings prove that perceived usefulness and service quality are taking the highest share on affecting the instructor satisfactions. This study limited to higher education’s instructors and used a questionnaire survey to collect the data. Hence, the LMS should be designed based on the needs of the instructors as well as the students, by adopting the latest technologies. In the contrary, building LMS without taking the instructors’ satisfaction into account will affect negatively the distance learning course outcomes.     

Attitudes towards the use of information and communication technology in management education

Information and communication technology (ICT) tools are being increasingly used to facilitate teaching in educational institutions. This study examined the attitudes of students and instructors towards using ICT tools in management education. Immediately after conducting workshops that introduced 11 ICT tools used in classroom settings, questionnaires were administered to students and instructors from three public universities in Taiwan. Responses of 242 students and 46 instructors regarding 5 domains of ICT tools – feedback, classroom mobility, publishing, collaboration, and social media – were analysed to investigate their attitude towards the use of ICT. The results revealed that students perceived the ICT tools of collaboration and social media to be helpful in learning and in increasing their future employment; in addition, the teachers found these ICT tools to be useful. Therefore, by integrating collaboration and social media in teaching and course design, teachers can enhance student participation and link students’ learning to their future employment.     

Developing Engagement in the Learning Management System Supported by Learning Analytics

Learning analytics is an emerging technique of analysing student participation and engagement. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the role of learning management systems (LMSs). LMSs previously only complemented face-to-face teaching, something which has not been possible between 2019 to 2020. To date, the existing body of literature on LMSs has not analysed learning in the context of the pandemic, where an LMS serves as the only interface between students and instructors. Consequently, productive results will remain elusive if the key factors that contribute towards engaging students in learning are not first identified. Therefore, this study aimed to perform an extensive literature review with which to design and develop a student engagement model for holistic involvement in an LMS. The required data was collected from an LMS that is currently utilised by a local Malaysian university. The model was validated by a panel of experts as well as discussions with students. It is our hope that the result of this study will help other institutions of higher learning determine factors of low engagement in their respective LMSs.     

An interactive concept map approach to supporting mobile learning activities for natural science courses

Mobile and wireless communication technologies not only enable anytime and anywhere learning, but also provide the opportunity to develop learning environments that combine real-world and digital-world resources. Nevertheless, researchers have indicated that, without effective tools for helping students organize their observations in the field, the mobile learning performance could be disappointing. To cope with this problem, this study proposes an interactive concept map-oriented approach for supporting mobile learning activities. An experiment has been conducted on an elementary school natural science course to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The experimental results show that the proposed approach not only enhances learning attitudes, but also improves the learning achievements of the students.     

An interactive whiteboard student survey: Development,validity and reliability

The interactive whiteboard (IWB) has become a popular technology for instructors over the last decade. Though research asserts that the IWBs facilitate learning in different ways, there is a lack of studies examining actual IWB use in classroom settings based on learners’ perspectives by means of valid instruments. The purpose of this study is to develop a valid and reliable interactive whiteboard student survey in order to evaluate the IWB use based on perceptions of students who have been taught with IWBs. In establishing the theoretical base of the survey, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and constructivist learning theories were considered. In addition, with respect to IWB use in classrooms, a number of studies emanated from countries such as the UK, the USA, and Australia were examined, and similar research questionnaires and findings and also reflections of students about IWBs were utilized to create an item pool. A 39-item survey was conducted among middle school students (N = 263) from the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Collected data was exposed to exploratory factor analysis and resulted in a 26-item, three-factor survey, whose factors were named as the perceived efficiency of IWB, perceived learning contribution and motivation, and the perceived negative effects of IWB. The results of the analyses illustrated that this new IWB student scale, which explains 50% of the total variance with a good level of Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient (0.93) is a valid and reliable instrument designed specifically for measuring the use of IWBs in real classroom settings. Besides, theoretical foundations of interactive whiteboard use, the development process of the instrument, and results of validity and reliability analyses were discussed in detail.     

Exploring quadrilaterals in a small group computing environment

Though cooperative learning has been a topic of considerable interest in educational research, there has been little study specific to learning in the mathematics content area of geometry. This paper seeks to address that gap through a design experiment featuring a novel small-group computing environment for supporting student learning about quadrilaterals. In this design, each student controls a unique point in a shared geometric space, and those points are linked such that a group of four students collectively forms a quadrilateral. We first present results from pre- and post-measures to show how the students learned from the activities and developed in terms of geometric reasoning. We then present three episodes, elaborated with the notion of appropriation, to explain how students took up ways of using the technological tools and of talking about geometric concepts from one another in the interactive environment. Our study found that students achieved learning gains in this novel environment, that the environment provided rich opportunities for peer interaction around geometric objects, and that student learning opportunities and interactions were characterized by processes of appropriating ways of talking about and using software features.     

Supply chain simulator: A scenario-based educational tool to enhance student learning

Simulation-based educational products are excellent set of illustrative tools that proffer features like visualization of the dynamic behavior of a real system, etc. Such products have great efficacy in education and are known to be one of the first-rate student centered learning methodologies. These products allow students to practice skills such as critical thinking and decision-making. In this paper, a case is presented where a scenario-based e-learning product namely ‘supply chain simulator’ is developed at KFUPM for an introductory technology course. The product simulates a supply chain – a network of facilities and distribution systems that carries out the task of procurement and transformation of materials from manufacturer to customer. The product was put to test during four semesters and results of the survey conducted by the instructors and the students are presented. The results clearly suggest the benefits of using such a tool in enhancing student learning.     

Understanding the ways in which design features of educational websites impact upon student learning outcomes in blended learning environments

This study investigated the effectiveness, in terms of the attainment of relevant learning outcomes, of the types of learning promoted by educational features commonly incorporated in course management systems. Twenty-one courses with significant use of the Internet, but with face-to-face teaching as the predominant instructional mode, were investigated. Five hundred and ninety-five students taking these 21 courses completed a questionnaire which gave feedback on the extent of use of and quality of implementation of internet features, as well as their perception of the attainment of outcomes relating to approaches to learning, communication skills and understanding of content. A confirmatory factor analysis of scales pertinent to information presentation and constructive dialogue features showed a very poor fit to the data, indicating that the two types of function did not act in concert. Structural equation modelling was used to test instructional models in presage–process–product format for ‘information’ and ‘dialogue’ features. The information one showed a marginal fit to the data, but the dialogue one a very good fit. This shows that using the Internet for presenting information in a blended environment does not seem to effectively help students achieve learning outcomes. Using features which promote constructive dialogue and interactive learning activities encourages a deep approach to learning, the development of communication skills and enhanced understanding of content.     

Teachers’ opinion survey on the use of ICT tools to support attendance-based teaching

The present paper reports on the results obtained from a teachers’ opinion survey on the use of ICT tools to support of attendance-based teaching. In order to carry out this study, it was necessary to design a questionnaire to collect data among all in-service teachers with access to the university virtual campus. The findings show that respondents keep an open mind on incorporating ICT tools into their daily practices, on that point, this research has significantly contributed to the educational institution by providing accurate information about ICT use. The survey has also encouraged the university in its work on the integration of ICT in every area where it is possible, with the aim objectives of increasing access to learning, providing equal educational opportunities for all and ensuring lifelong learning, which are the mainstays of the Bologna Declaration.     

Computer support for learning mathematics: A learning environment based on recreational learning objects

In this paper, we introduce an electronic collaborative learning environment based on Interactive Instructors of Recreational Mathematics (IIRM), establishing an alternative approach for motivating students towards mathematics. The IIRM are educational software components, specializing in mathematical concepts, presented through recreational mathematics, conceived as interactive, recreation-oriented learning objects, integrated within the environment. We present the architecture of the learning environment which integrates communication services that support the interaction processes of the learning community, through instant messaging, chat rooms, and multi-player math games. Through the environment’s interface of their personal workspace, students have access to several easy-to-use mechanisms that allows them to customize its content, its layout, and its appearance. At internal levels, the functionality of IIRM is enhanced with features supported by the environment infrastructure. We evaluated different aspects of the learning environment in three short, motivation-oriented math courses given to Mexican high-school students. The results indicate that the use of the IIRM-based electronic learning environment, positively affects student attitudes towards mathematics. We believe that this approach has the potential to promote the mathematics learning process, basically on its motivational aspects.     

How students and instructors using a virtual learning environment perceive the fit between technology and task

Abstract   Virtual learning environments (VLEs) are widespread in higher education today, typically used to deliver instructional materials and facilitate communication within a course. This study aimed to investigate the task–technology fit of VLEs for their two main groups of users: instructors and students, using the VLE WebCT. Task–technology fit, user satisfaction, attitude towards use and anticipated consequences of use were found to be significantly higher for students than for instructors. Instructors were found to have higher perceptions of social norms and higher perceptions of facilitating conditions than students. However, there was no difference between the instructors and students in level of utilization of the VLE. Students perceived that the VLE had higher impacts on their learning compared with instructors' perceptions regarding their teaching. These results suggest that despite high levels of support acknowledged by instructors, they may still be unsure about the contribution of VLEs to their teaching.     

Community-organizing agent: An artificial intelligent system for building learning communities among large numbers of learners

Web-based (or online) learning provides an unprecedented flexibility and convenience to both learners and instructors. However, large online classes relying on instructor-centered presentations could tend to isolate many learners. The size of these classes and the wide dispersion of the learners make it challenging for instructors to interact with individual learners or to facilitate learner collaborations. Since extensive literature has confirmed that the substantial impact of learner interaction on learning outcomes, it is pedagogically critical to help distributed learners engage in community-based collaborative learning and to help individual learners improve their self-regulation. The E-learning lab of Shanghai Jiaotong University created an artificial intelligence system to help guide learners with similar interests into reasonably sized learning communities. The system uses a multi-agent mechanism to organize and reorganize supportive communities based on learners’ learning interests, experiences, and behaviors. Through effective award and exchange algorithms, learners with similar interests and experiences will form a community to support each others’ learning. Simulated experimental results indicate that these algorithms can improve the speed and efficiency in identifying and grouping homogeneous learners. Here, we will describe this system in detail and present its mechanism for organizing learning communities. We will conduct human experimentations in the near future to further perfect the system.     

The technical framework of interactive functions for course-management systems: Students’ perceptions,uses, and evaluations

This study explores the interactivity of course-management systems (CMSs). First, this study reviews the concepts of interactivity, interactivity dimension, and interaction type on the basis of related theories and studies. Second, this study analyzes the interactive functions attributable to the six major CMSs in Taiwan colleges and universities, and re-constructs a technical framework containing five interaction types, nine interactivity dimensions, and 83 possible interactive functions. This study has found that a total of 21 interactive functions were featured in the six CMSs, while six functions identified from theories and research were not. In terms of interaction type, the results indicate that these six CMSs possessed the highest percentage of possible interactive functions for facilitating human interactions (e.g., learner–learner interaction and learner–instructor interaction), followed by learner–interface interaction and learner–self interaction, with the lowest percentage corresponding to learner–content interaction. In terms of interactivity dimension, these six CMSs seemed more likely to feature a learner-centered design approach than a system-centered one. Also, this study conducted user surveys on students’ perceptions, use, and evaluation of these interactive functions. A total of 491 valid sets of data were collected from six CMS user groups. The results indicate that, for their online learning, students considered the function of “Assignment handling” to be the most known, frequently used, and useful function. In addition, students were well familiar with, and made use of, any functions that would help them monitor or track their learning process. Students required more content-related interactive functions than were currently available in CMSs. Last, the regression results indicate that the more positively the students perceived the CMS interactivity, the usefulness of CMS for learning, and the interactive functions, the more positively these students perceived their CMSs.     

Virtual reality for collaborative e-learning

In the past, the term e-learning referred to any method of learning that used electronic delivery methods. With the advent of the Internet however, e-learning has evolved and the term is now most commonly used to refer to online courses. A multitude of systems are now available to manage and deliver learning content online. While these have proved popular, they are often single-user learning environments which provide little in the way of interaction or stimulation for the student. As the concept of lifelong learning now becomes a reality and thus more and more people are partaking in online courses, researchers are constantly exploring innovative techniques to motivate online students and enhance the e-learning experience. This article presents our research in this area and the resulting development of CLEV-R, a Collaborative Learning Environment with Virtual Reality. This web-based system uses Virtual Reality (VR) and multimedia and provides communication tools to support collaboration among students. In this article, we describe the features of CLEV-R, its adaptation for mobile devices and present the findings from an initial evaluation.     

Serious games and learning effectiveness: The case of It’s a Deal!

Although the value of serious games in education is undeniable and the potential benefits of using video games as ideal companions to classroom instruction is unquestionable, there is still little consensus on the game features supporting learning effectiveness, the process by which games engage learners, and the types of learning outcomes that can be achieved through game play. Our aim in this discussion is precisely to advance in this direction by providing evidence of some of the factors influencing the learning effectiveness of a serious game called It’s a Deal! This serious game was created for the purpose of teaching intercultural business communication between Spaniards and Britons in business settings in which English is used as the lingua franca. This paper hypothesizes that the immersive, all-embracing and interactive learning environment provided by the video game to its users may contribute to develop and enhance their intercultural communicative competence. The study attempts to answer three main research questions: (a) after playing It’s a Deal!, did the students sampled improve their intercultural awareness, intercultural knowledge and intercultural communicative competence in business English? (b) If they improved their intercultural learning, what are the factors influencing such improvement? And (c) if they did not improve their intercultural learning, what are the factors influencing such failure? The game participants who volunteered to take part in the study were all students of English Studies at the University of Alicante in the academic year 2010-2011. One hundred and six students completed both the pre-test and the post-test questionnaires, and played It’s a Deal! A sample of fifty students was selected randomly for the empirical study. The results obtained in the tests performed were compared and contrasted intra-group, both qualitatively and quantitatively, for the purpose of finding any statistically significant difference that may confirm whether or not there was an improvement in the students’ intercultural communicative competence in business English as a result of the implementation of the It’s a Deal! serious game. Findings of this study demonstrate that the video game is an effective learning tool for the teaching of intercultural communication between Spaniards and Britons in business settings in which English is used as the lingua franca. In particular, whereas the game had a small learning effect on intercultural awareness and a medium learning effect on intercultural knowledge, it had a large learning effect on intercultural communicative competence. The study also documents correlating factors that make serious games effective, since it shows that the learning effectiveness of It’s a Deal! stems from the correct balance of the different dimensions involved in the creation of serious games, specifically instructional content, game dimensions, game cycle, debriefing, perceived educational value, transfer of learnt skills and intrinsic motivation.     

Virtual reality simulations and animations in a web-based interactive manufacturing engineering module

This paper presents a web-based interactive teaching package that provides a comprehensive and conducive yet dynamic and interactive environment for a module on automated machine tools in the Manufacturing Division at the National University of Singapore. The use of Internet technologies in this teaching tool makes it possible to conjure visualisations that cannot be achieved using traditional teaching materials such as transparencies. Virtual reality simulations and animations were developed and appropriately placed in the teaching materials to enhance the student understanding of complex concepts. This is especially useful in teaching automated machine tools, which deals primarily with the numerical control (NC) of the motions of automated machine tools. These virtual reality simulations and animations provide the capability of training students in NC programming and operations without the need to work on actual NC machines in the laboratory. The simulations are suitably placed in the package to engage the students and enhance their concentration, while at the same time generate interactions. Customised question types were also designed and implemented with a tutorial monitoring application.     

Improving the authentic learning experience by integrating robots into the mixed-reality environment

The main aim of the modern popular teaching method of authentic learning has been to provide students with everyday-life challenges that develop knowledge and skills through problem solving in different situations. Many emerging information technologies have been used to present authentic environment in pedagogical purpose. However, there are few studies that have been discussed the sense of authenticity and characters in scene and how students interact with the characters involved in the task. We designed a system, RoboStage, with authentic scenes by using mixed-reality technology and robot to investigate the difference in learning with either physical or virtual characters and learning behaviors and performance through the system. Robots were designed to play real interactive characters in the task. The experiment of the study conducted with 36 junior high students. The results indicated that RoboStage significantly improved the sense of authenticity of the task and also positively affected learning motivation. Learning performance was conditionally affected by RoboStage.