This paper is linked to a study aiming to provide a theoretical rationale for the methodological foundations of the use of interactive learning technology in institutions of higher learning and undertakes to describe the process of practical implementation of this approach and analyze the outcomes. The authors examine the views expressed by…

This study investigated whether orthographic consistency and individual learner differences including working memory (WM), first language (L1) background, and second language (L2) proficiency affect Chinese L2 learners' literacy acquisition. Seventy American college students in beginning or intermediate Chinese classes participated in a character…

Background: Transactive communication means referring to and building on a learning partner's idea, by, for example, extending the partner's idea or interlinking the partner's idea with an idea of one's own. This transforms the partner's idea into a more elaborate one. Previous research found a positive relationship between students' transactive…

It is a challenge for business students or even employees to understand business processes and enterprise software usage without involvement in real-world practices. Many business schools are using ERP software in their curriculum, aiming to expose students to real-world business practices. ERPsim is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)…

The traditional JAVA course examination is just a list of questions from which we cannot know students' skills of programming. According to the eight abilities in curriculum objectives, we designed an assessment standard of JAVA programming course that is based on employment orientation and apply it to practical teaching to check the teaching…

Based on cognitive load theory, it is well known that when studying a diagram that includes explanatory text, optimal learning occurs when the text is physically positioned close to the diagram as it eliminates the need for learners to split their attention between the two sources of information. What is not known is the effect on learning when…

Learning to argue is prerequisite to solving complex problems in groups, especially when they are multidisciplinary and collaborate online. Environments for Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) can be designed to facilitate argumentative knowledge construction. This study investigates how argumentative knowledge construction in…

Gestalt psychologists proposed two distinct learning mechanisms. Associative learning occurs gradually through the repeated co-occurrence of external stimuli or memories. Insight learning occurs suddenly when people discover new relationships within their prior knowledge as a result of reasoning or problem solving processes that re-organize or…

Analogous thinking has been commonly discussed as being an inherent and distinguishing characteristic of human cognition (e.g., Gentner, 2010; Goldstone, Day, & Son, 2010; Holyoak, in press; Rittle-Johnson & Star, in press). Gentner (2003) has argued that as part of the human cognitive toolbox, comparison accompanied by the relational language to…

Self-explaining is a domain-independent learning strategy that generally leads to a robust understanding of the domain material. However, there are two potential explanations for its effectiveness. First, self-explanation generates additional "content" that does not exist in the instructional materials. Second, when compared to…

SIX SEPARATE STUDIES, ALL CONCERNED WITH GUIDED TRIALS DURING THE LEARNING PROCESS, WERE REPORTED. SPECIFIC ASPECTS COVERED BY THE RESEARCH INCLUDE--(1) GUIDANCE AND SYMBOLIC LEARNING AND (2) GUIDANCE AND SEQUENTIAL LEARNING. VARYING NUMBERS OF COLLEGE UNDERGRADUATES WERE USED AS SUBJECTS IN THE SIX EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES. THESE INCLUDED--(1)…

The study attempted to measure the impact of diverse instructional methods on individuals whose learning styles tended to fall along a concrete-symbolic continuum as measured by a learning activities questionnaire. Two assumptions were made: (1) those with highly concrete learning styles learn best by direct contact type activities and (2)…

The faculty learning community project at Howard University involved a diverse group of men and women, tenured, tenure-track, and future faculty across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The purpose of the group was to engage in the scholarship of teaching and learning by learning about teaching, reflecting on…

To investigate the effectiveness of three variables in machine mediated small-group instruction, a three-year study is being conducted with 90 undergraduate and graduate students divided into groups of 15. Forms of media presentation, levels of learning and forms of feedback are varied among the groups, and their interactive as well as independent…