This paper shows how to use design patterns for building educational multimedia applications. The first section summarizes design issues related to organizing the information, the organization of the interface, and implementation. Navigating through information is covered in the second section, including problems, motivations, and solutions, and…

This paper presents a CD-ROM computer tutorial titled "Higher Mathematics," that contains 17 educational mathematical programs and is intended for use in Russian university engineering education. The first section introduces the courseware climate in Russia and outlines problems with commercially available universal mathematical…

The quality of World Wide Web-based learning depends on several critical success factors. In particular, course materials on the Web should not represent a one-to-one transfer of written lecture notes; added values (e.g., interaction and dialogue components, training modules) should be provided. This paper introduces the approach of multimedia…

This study investigated the relationships between hypermedia users' information processing styles and navigational patterns. Three aspects of navigational patterns were investigated: navigational depth patterns that reveal how comprehensively users access; navigational path patterns that display what sequences users follow; and navigational method…

A new Courseware Development Environment (CoDE) is currently being developed for Hyperwave World Wide Web servers. CoDE provides instructional designers with an easy-to-use yet powerful environment to develop online training; students have the ability to access this training using a standard Web browser. Functionality of the Hyperwave server is…

The University of Canberra (Australia) has made courseware on the subject of computer operating systems available on the World Wide Web for a number of years, using a very simple hypertext format. Server logs have previously been analyzed to determine the amount of student usage. This paper reports on a restructuring of the courseware designed to…

This paper describes IRI (Interactive Remote Instruction), a computer-based system built at Old Dominion University (Virginia) in order to support distance education. The system is based on the concept of a virtual classroom where students at different locations have the same synchronous class experience, using networked computers to communicate…

Users of content-based software programs, including hypertexts and instructional multimedia, rely on the navigation functions provided by the designers of those program. Typical navigation schemes use abstract symbols (arrows) to label basic navigational functions like moving forward or backward through screen displays. In a previous study, the…

This paper proposes a framework for supporting the authoring process of distance learning courses. An overview of distance learning courses and the World Wide Web is presented. The proposed framework is then described, including: (1) components of the framework--a hypermedia design methodology for authoring the course, links to related Web sites,…

This paper describes a solution to the user identification and tracking problem within an educational World Wide Web environment. The paper begins with an overview of the Teaching Support System project at the University of Girona (Spain); the main objective of the project is to create an integrated set of tools for teachers to use to create and…

Empirical evaluations of learning with hypertext have shown contradictory results. Adaptive hypertext was introduced to solve some problems when learning with hypertext. This paper reports on two empirical studies comparing different forms of adaptive hypertext. In the first experiment, four treatments were realized by a combination of adaptive…

This paper presents interface guidelines from research at the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) School of Information Sciences in developing a collaborative, problem-based learning environment for the World Wide Web. The lessons learned are based on student use and evaluation of three interface prototypes over the course of 3 years and…

A study of first-year college students (n=121) in Taiwan investigated the effects of navigation maps and learner cognitive styles on performance in searches for information, estimation of course scope, and the development of cognitive maps within a hypertext learning course. Students were tested to determine level of perceptual field dependence…

This paper describes an authoring tool, Visual Constructor, that is being developed to help users without technical knowledge to create and organize World Wide Web-based course contents. The following goals of Visual Constructor are highlighted: (1) it does not require any knowledge of evolving Web technology; (2) the user interface is easy to…

This paper outlines CLEW (collaborative learning environment for the Web). The project combines MUD (Multi-User Dimension), workflow, VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) and educational concepts like constructivism in a learning environment where students actively participate in the learning process. The MUD shapes the environment structure.…