Learning residential electrical wiring through computer simulation: The impact of computer‐based learning environments on student achievement and cognitive load

Multimedia learning environments such as computer simulations are widely accepted as tools for supporting science learning. Although the design of multimedia learning environments can be domain specific, few studies have focused on the use of computer simulations for learning residential electrical wiring. This study aimed to determine whether students using computer simulations learned better than traditional classroom learners in the domain of residential wiring. A quasi‐experiment was implemented with 169 high school students. The simulation group participated in a series of computer simulations, whereas the control group received lectures and demonstrations from an instructor. Students' cognitive load as elevated by multimedia leaning tasks was compared with that of students learning using traditional methods. The simulation group learned significantly better and reported higher cognitive load than did the control group. Moreover, the simulation group managed cognitive resources more efficiently on transfer of learning than did the control group. Having more opportunities to interact with a simulation‐based learning environment could result in higher cognitive load. The higher cognitive load seemed to result in better performance on the achievement test and, therefore, the learners' mental effort was possibly invested mainly in meaning making in the virtual learning environments. Discussion of the results, instruments and research design, as well as suggestions for future studies are provided.     

Software‐Realized Scaffolding to Facilitate Programming for Science Learning

Abstract

Programming is an activity through which students can learn about other domains, but the difficulty of programming diminishes its usefulness as a learning activity. One approach to facilitate the use of programming for learning is to view programming as a skill like those taught through apprenticeships, and to use the apprenticeship concept of scaffolding to facilitate doing and learning through programming. Scaffolding means providing modifiable support (through fading) that communicates process, coaches, and elicits articulation. Software‐realized scaffolding embeds scaffolding in a computer‐based environment. Emile implements software‐realized scaffolding to facilitate student learning of physics by facilitating students building computer‐based models and simulations. In this article, I present Emile's features as examples of software‐realized scaffolding, and I present the results of an evaluation of Emile's effectiveness. Students were able to use Emile to create fairly sophisticated programs and gained a qualitative understanding of kinematics in the process.     

Investigating the structural relationships among organisational support,learning flow,learners' satisfaction and learning transfer in corporate e‐learning

E‐learning in corporate training has been growing rapidly because of the pursuit of time and budget efficiency in course development and delivery. However, according to previous studies, efficiency does not always guarantee training effectiveness, which is the major concern of human resource development. It is therefore necessary to identify the factors influencing the effectiveness of e‐learning courseware and understand their interrelationships. The purpose of the study is to investigate the structural relationships among organisational support, learning flow, learners' satisfaction and learning transfer. The study participants were 379 learners who completed an e‐learning courseware at a large Korean company and responded to an online survey. Based on the results of structural equation modelling, the findings suggest that organisational support and learning flow have direct effects on learning transfer and learners' satisfaction, while learning flow mediates organisational support and learners' satisfaction.     

SimPharm: How pharmacy students made meaning of a clinical case differently in paper‐ and simulation‐based workshops

Several scholars contend that learning with computer games and simulations results in students thinking more like professionals. Bearing this goal in mind, we investigated how a group of pharmacy students learnt with an in‐house developed computer simulation, SimPharm. Adopting situated cognition as our theoretical lens, we conducted a case study involving 20 undergraduate students to tease out how they made meaning of a clinical case differently in two different contexts: a typical paper‐based workshop and one enabled by SimPharm. The data collected included audio recordings of classroom discourse, focus group interviews and class observations. The findings identified differences in four areas: framing of the problem; problem‐solving steps and tools used; sources and meaning of feedback; and conceptualisation of the patient. These four areas can serve as axes along which future evaluations of educational simulations can be carried out based on their affordances.     

The difficult bridge between university and industry: a case study in computer science teaching

Recently, there has been increasing criticism concerning academic computer science education. This paper presents a new approach based on the principles of constructivist learning design as well as the ideas of knowledge transfer in communities of practice. The course ‘High‐tech Entrepreneurship and New Media’ was introduced as an interdisciplinary project management lab in which students collaborate in groups to develop software solutions for authentic problems. Main goals were the tighter integration of university and local start‐up companies, an intense knowledge transfer on software engineering methods, as well as the implementation of constructivist learning principles in academic teaching. This paper presents the background and structure of the course as well as the results of a formative evaluation. While being successful in introducing a course based on digital‐media assisted, constructivist learning arrangements, establishing lasting communities of practice between university and industry is still an open issue. After discussing several reasons, the paper concludes with a list of general recommendations on how to improve the approach and its implementation.     

Assessing reflective thinking in solving design problems: The development of a questionnaire

Reflection is a critical factor in solving design problems. Using good methods to observe designers' reflection is essential to inform the design of the learning environments that support the development of design problem‐solving skills. In this study, we have developed and validated a novel self‐reporting questionnaire as an efficient instrument to explore reflection, called Assessing Reflective Thinking in Solving Design Problems (ARTiD). This questionnaire has been developed based on the three‐dimensional model for reflective thinking: the timing, the objects and the levels of reflection. A total of 294 undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of engineering, computer science and instructional design were recruited to participate in one of four iterative, formative tests through which reliability and validity analyses were performed to revise and confirm the questionnaire. Examples of participants' reflection patterns were demonstrated to show the practical value of this questionnaire. In conclusion, the final version of ARTiD was presented as a valid instrument to explore students' reflection for research and educational practice. In addition, we found that ARTiD can be used as an effective learning tool to guide student designers' reflections toward better learning and performance.     

Web 2.0 and Transfer: Trainers' Use of Technology to Support Employees' Learning Transfer on the Job

We steer transfer research in a new direction by examining the use of Web 2.0 technologies for supporting learning transfer resulting from formal training. We report survey results from training professionals (N = 83) on how their organization uses such methods to cue and support workers’ application of learned knowledge and skills on the job. Guided by the technology acceptance model (TAM) theory, we examined predictor variables found to influence technology use based on empirical and theoretical support in the information technology (IT) literature. Results indicate that trainers are influenced by several individual factors (computer experience, computer anxiety, and computer self‐efficacy), as well as their organization's learning climate, to use Web 2.0 tools to support transfer of learning. Trainers also prefer to use social media, networking applications, and visual media to support transfer among learners. We discuss implications for using Web 2.0 technologies in support of learning transfer and provide directions for future workplace learning research.     

Formative computer‐based assessment in higher education: the effectiveness of feedback in supporting student learning

A formative computer‐based assessment (CBA) was one of three instruments used for assessment in a Bachelor of Education course at Queen’s University (Ontario, Canada) with an enrolment of approximately 700 students. The formative framework fostered a self‐regulated learning environment whereby feedback on the CBA was used to support rather than measure student learning. The four types of feedback embedded in the CBA included: (a) directing students to a resource, (b) rephrasing a question, (c) providing additional information and (d) providing the correct answer. Although students originally reported positive experiences with the formative CBA, two follow‐up surveys revealed that they found the four types of feedback to be moderately effective in supporting their learning.     

The Relationship Between Learning Approaches to Part‐Time Study of Management Courses and Transfer of Learning to the Workplace

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between students’ learning approaches to study on part‐time, distance‐learning management courses, and transfer of their learning to the workplace. The relationship between these two variables has rarely been considered before, as they emanate from research areas that have remained distinct. Three learning approaches are identified by ASSIST, the instrument used in this study: the deep approach, the strategic approach, and the surface‐apathetic approach. Transfer of learning was measured by student self‐report. The deep approach was closely related to transfer of learning from the course to the workplace but strategic and surface‐apathetic approaches did not show a significant association. Contrary to expectations, academic grades also showed no significant association with transfer of learning. The findings are discussed in relation to cognitive changes proposed to occur during transfer of learning.     

教育游戏“农场狂想曲2”中的学习迁移

教育仿真游戏是否对学生的迁移具有作用?本文采用个案法研究农场狂想曲2中学生的学习迁移,结果发现,有提示问题的个案发生了远迁移,迁移的知识层次达到了分析、综合和评价的高阶思维水平,而没有提示问题的个案即发生了近迁移或者没有迁移。     

Supporting hypothesis generation by learners exploring an interactive computer simulation

Computer simulations provide environments enabling exploratory learning. Research has shown that these types of learning environments are promising applications of computer assisted learning but also that they introduce complex learning settings, involving a large number of learning processes. This article reports on an instrument for supporting one of these learning processes: stating hypotheses.The resulting instrument, an hypothesis scratchpad, was designed on the basis of a conceptual representation of the simulation model and tested in an experimental study. In this study three versions of the scratchpad, varying in structure, were compared. It was found that support offered for identifying variables, in the form of a selection list, is relatively successful: students who used this list were better in differentiating different types of variables. For identifying relations, a selection list of relations offered to the students proved unhelpful in finding accurate relations: students using this list stated their hypotheses mainly at a very global level.The research reported was conducted in the project SIMULATE. SIMULATE was part of SAFE, a R&D project partially funded by the CEC under contract D1014 within the Exploratory Action of the DELTA programme. The work of SIMULATE is continued in the DELTA main phase project SMISLE.     

Developing simulations in multi‐user virtual environments to enhance healthcare education

Computer‐based clinical simulations are a powerful teaching and learning tool because of their ability to expand healthcare students' clinical experience by providing practice‐based learning. Despite the benefits of traditional computer‐based clinical simulations, there are significant issues that arise when incorporating them into a flexible, co‐operative and collaborative learning environment. Unlike traditional technologies; immersive multi‐user virtual environments such as Second Life can incorporate comprehensive learning materials with effective learning strategies, allowing healthcare students to obtain a simulated clinical experience in an immersive social environment. The purpose of this research was to investigate how a simulation could be optimised in Second Life to encourage teamwork and collaborative problem solving based on the habits, experiences and perceptions of nursing students towards Second Life as a simulation platform. The research was conducted by placing groups of nursing students in separate locations and exposing them to a series of clinical simulation developed in Second Life. The simulation involved a series of problem‐based scenarios, which incorporated concepts of technical skills, patient interaction, teamwork and situational awareness. Using qualitative feedback from a series of evaluative case studies, the study determined good practices and issues involved with a virtual computer‐based clinical simulation. A common theme which emerged from this research, which is discussed in this paper, was the student's ability to work in an artificial social structure where they could actively co‐construct mental models of technical and interpersonal skills through experiencing human interaction in a computer‐based simulated environment.     

Encouraging IT students to get serious about assignment writing: evaluation of a Web-based initiative

Traditionally, students attending university have received support for their assignment writing within a face-to-face framework. Academic writing support delivered via the Internet needs to be rendered in very subject-specific terms for the resource to be perceived as valuable. This paper reports on a project involving writing support staff and a computer science subject leader to develop and evaluate a Web-based academic skills tutorial. The tutorial sought to provide online learning support for interpreting an information technology (IT) assignment topic, extracting information from sources, and integrating the material into a report with the support of online lexical tools. The evaluation sought to determine whether the students found the resource helpful, if improvements were still required, and what implications there were for integrating the resource with subject teaching. Students perceived most value in those sections of the resource that provided them with examples and models, and least in those that required them to engage in interactive activity.     

Situational and Demographic Influences on Transfer System Characteristics in Organizations

Transfer theories, which are closely related to evaluation theory, have been developed from a holistic perspective, but most of empirical transfer research has not effectively utilized holistic models to investigate transfer of learning until the late 1990s. Additionally, little has been done in examining the relationship between situational variables, demographic variables, and transfer system characteristics. This study contributes to transfer research by examining the combined effects of situational and demographic variables on a holistic model of perceived organizational transfer systems. A key finding was that demographic variables make only a marginal contribution to predicting transfer system characteristics when compared to situational variables. It seems clear that the differences in transfer system characteristics depend on diverse situational influences, primarily due to types of training programs and types of organizational cultures. This finding does not support one‐size‐fits‐all transfer interventions. Future research may focus on investigating benchmark transfer practices in certain types of organizations or industries to empirically identify the true leverage points of a diagnosing instrument of transfer—the Learning Transfer System Inventory—for interventions and change.     

Developing an instrument to assess student readiness for online learning: a validation study

Given the continued growth in online learning as well as reports of high attrition rates in it, understanding student readiness for online learning is necessary. Over the years several surveys have been developed to assess student readiness as a predictor of success in online programs; however, a review of the literature yielded limited results of their translation and criterion‐referenced validity. The researchers of this article sought to develop a more rigorous survey instrument for students to self‐assess readiness for online learning. The authors report on findings from a three‐phase study during which the instrument was developed, evaluated, and validated. Through the process of validation, the researchers systematically engaged in an iterative process to refine the instrument, which resulted in not only a more rigorous instrument but one that more clearly defines ready and situates it within the literature on learner characteristics, digital divide, and information and communications technology (ICT) engagement.     

Cognitive Tools for Writing: Scaffolding the Performance of Students through Technology

Abstract. This study entailed the implementation and evaluation of a Web‐based technology designed to support the writing performance of fourth‐ and fifth‐grade students with learning disabilities (LD). The technology, Technology‐Enhanced Learning Environments on the Web (TELE‐Web), was implemented in a resource room setting involving 12 students with LD in the upper elementary grades. To evaluate the effects of the scaffolds on performance, students wrote personal news stories in three conditions: Scaffolded Personal News, Unscaffolded Personal News, and paper and pencil. The results revealed that the scaffolding condition significantly improved writing performance, particularly with respect to students' abilities to produce organized texts.     

Computer‐based learning: Interleaving whole and sectional representation of neuroanatomy

The large volume of material to be learned in biomedical disciplines requires optimizing the efficiency of instruction. In prior work with computer‐based instruction of neuroanatomy, it was relatively efficient for learners to master whole anatomy and then transfer to learning sectional anatomy. It may, however, be more efficient to continuously integrate learning of whole and sectional anatomy. A study of computer‐based learning of neuroanatomy was conducted to compare a basic transfer paradigm for learning whole and sectional neuroanatomy with a method in which the two forms of representation were interleaved (alternated). For all experimental groups, interactive computer programs supported an approach to instruction called adaptive exploration. Each learning trial consisted of time‐limited exploration of neuroanatomy, self‐timed testing, and graphical feedback. The primary result of this study was that interleaved learning of whole and sectional neuroanatomy was more efficient than the basic transfer method, without cost to long‐term retention or generalization of knowledge to recognizing new images (Visible Human and MRI). Anat Sci Educ. © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.     

Computer based simulation of laboratory experiments

The author is currently developing computer based simulations of practical laboratory experiments in engineering. He takes the view that the aim of computer based simulations is to provide a learning experience as close to that of the lab as possible. This requires that the learning outcomes and methodology of practical work be established.
The paper starts with a review of published opinions on the intended learning outcomes of practical work. The views of staff and students of the School were established by conducting an internal survey. The paper then outlines the types of simulations possible on the computer before concentrating on the development of the operational simulations being used in the present context. The approach to obtaining fidelity in operation forms the main part of the paper.
The author is currently engaged in evaluating the effectiveness of one of the packages. He discusses the approach being taken and his views on the advantages and disadvantages of simulation. It is hoped that a subsequent paper will publish the results of the evaluation.     

Promoting academic writing/referencing skills: Outcome of an undergraduate e-learning pilot project

Future health care professionals will require self‐directed learning skills. e‐Learning is a tool to assist in this process and therefore there is a need to develop the capacity and readiness to utilise e‐learning within educational programmes. The aim of this study was to determine if extra‐curricular online referencing and anti‐plagiarism lectures would be utilised and would ultimately improve 1st‐year undergraduate health sciences students’ performance in written assessments. A series of six online archived multimedia lectures (asynchronous) were offered. Adult learning theory principles guided the resource design. Pre‐ and post‐testing of knowledge, attitudes and computer skills was carried out. In‐person tutorials and online email support were also offered. Less than 36% (self‐report) of students accessed the online resources. The poor uptake revealed in this study is consistent with a number of other studies. These findings indicate the need for more careful scrutiny of the learning theory applied in e‐learning design. Prochaska's transtheoretical model is suggested as a framework with strong potential for e‐learning initiatives.