Feedback plays a critical role in student learning and performance. However, providing students with effective feedback is challenging in online environments because of physical separation between students and instructors. Technologies can be used to enhance the effectiveness of feedback in online courses. In this article, we propose effective…

While multimedia-based training is prevalent in education, previous studies do not reach consensus on its application. This discrepancy might be due to the fact that multimedia programs implemented in various training programs are very diverse. A multimedia program might include graphics, animation, video, audio, and interactive exercises. This…

When visualization tools utilized in computer programming education have been evaluated empirically, the results have remained controversial. To address this problem, we have developed a model of short-term effects of program animation, and used it in a series of experiments. In the current experiment, we varied visual representation of an…

This article is a review of the pedagogical experience obtained with systems for algorithmic animation. Algorithms consist of a sequence of operations whose effect on data structures can be visualized using a computer. Students learn algorithms by stepping the animation through the different individual operations, possibly reversing their effect.…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is often promoted in response to the current need of offering authentic and effective professional education. Traditionally, PBL is used in face-to-face learning environments, with a facilitator guiding collaborative teams of students in solving a problem. This article reports the use of PBL in Web-based instruction…

Reviews research on uses of computer sound and suggests how sound might be used effectively by instructional and interface designers. Topics include principles of interface design; the perception of sound; earcons, both symbolic and iconic; sound in data analysis; sound in virtual environments; and guidelines for using sound. (70 references) (LRW)

Course management systems (CMSs), such as Blackboard, Desire2Learn, or WebCT, have become a common resource at universities, colleges, and distance learning organizations. Research into how these systems are used for learning is in an early state. Currently, this research focuses on technical features in a CMS more than research about how people…

This study compares the effectiveness of multiple-choice (MC) and constructed-response (CR) study tasks both with feedback. Graduate students (n = 46) completed a computer-delivered vocabulary lesson on instructional design terms followed by cued recall and recognition posttests. The CR study task was significantly more effective than the MC study…

This article discusses the difficult issues of balancing faculty and university rights and responsibilities regarding courseware developed either as commissioned or non-commissioned work in higher education. The article addresses the varied concerns among university personnel and higher education institutions, reviews two major models for…

The web has the potential to offer an environment that can support standardized medical education to students dispersed in time or place and, in the process, respond to reduced availability of patients for practice. This exploratory article describes how we evaluated critical thinking in an online collaborative Problem-based Learning (PBL)…

The purpose of this study was to compare traditional classification training for a set of abstract concepts with multiple-relations training consisting of inference practice and the use of a content diagram. To examine this, 200 undergraduate and graduate psychology students completed a Web-based tutorial covering the abstract concepts of a…

This article describes the implementation and evaluation of a learning objects based computer aided system for an advanced engineering course at Ghent University, Belgium. A new syllabus concept was introduced: students had access to a Web-delivered component and received an identical printed component as two sources of information additional to…