MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) have been a new form of online courses and becoming a mainstream delivery channel in higher education. In order to provide concretely academic references to developers for better video quality, this study aimed to explore the effects of the advance organizer design for MOOC videos on learners' achievement and…

Video comprehension involves interpreting both sounds and images. Research has shown that processing an aural text with relevant pictorial information effectively enhances second/foreign language (L2) listening comprehension. A hypothesis underlying this mixed-methods study is that a visual-only silent film used as an advance organiser to activate…

Most second/foreign language (L2) learners have difficulty understanding listening input because of its implicit and ephemeral nature, and they typically have better reading comprehension than listening comprehension skills. This study examines the effects of using an interactive advance-organizer activity on the DVD video comprehension of L2…

The study compared participant comprehension of foreign language video content using two advance organizer (AO) strategies while exploring the benefits of AOs as proficiency increases. Participants were 50 advanced-beginner Spanish college students in three sections. Collaborative reading condition participants read a target language narrative…

Authentic language learning materials become prevalent in foreign and second language (L2) classrooms. Since these materials are not altered to suit the proficiency level or needs of L2 learners, they are likely to cause difficulties in comprehension. The purpose of this research was to examine the effect of advance organizers in conjunction with…

An experimental field study at a German university was conducted in order to test the effectiveness of an integrated learning environment to improve the acquisition of knowledge about empirical research methods. The integrated learning environment was based on the combination of instruction-oriented and problem-oriented design principles and…

It is not enough to be great at sharing information in a large classroom setting. To be an effective teacher you must be able to meaningfully engage your students with their peers and with the content. And you must do this regardless of class size or content. The issues of teaching effectively in large classroom settings have presented ongoing…

This study investigated the effects of using two types of written advance organizers, key sentences and key vocabulary, on the improvement of EFL learners' listening comprehension. 108 second year university students at the higher and lower listening proficiency levels were randomly assigned to one control group and two experimental groups. Prior…

As technology continues to evolve, authentic multimedia-based teaching materials are widely used in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. However, they may lie beyond most language learners' proficiency level. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of advance organizers in conjunction with the cognitive theory of…

This study examines student preferences and behavior when navigating online multimedia modules dedicated to teaching cultural aspects associated with an L2, and the contribution of the online multimedia format of the modules to raising interest in these cultural topics. It focuses on student options regarding reading texts on the modules' main…

College students who read material with advance organizers presented either before the passage or interspersed in the text did not recall significantly more information than did a control group presented with the text only. (MM)

Two experiments involving 139 college students investigated how text memory was influenced by organizational signaling devices. Signals frequently did not affect how much was recalled from the text, but they did systematically affect what was remembered, supporting a hypothesis that signals aid in construction of a topic structure representation.…

Multi-textbook college courses demand the use of a systematic expository textbook study technique. As explained in this article, E.S.P. (Enlighten/Study/Preview) is designed to increase speed and ensure accuracy in comprehension by providing the student with continuous feedback of his or her understanding of the material. (Author)

In three experiments, subjects listened to a taped lecture on the topic of exposure meters for 35-mm cameras and were tested after one, two, or three presentations. Results suggest that repetition produces both a quantitative increase in amount learned and a qualitative change in the reader's processing strategy. (Author/LMO)

Two experiments investigate whether advance organizers (1) help subjects with good reasoning skills compensate for poor memory or information overload; and (2) compensate for distractions. Findings suggest that the organizer technique does not help compensate for processing deficits related to information overload or distracting study conditions.…