This research concerns the design, implementation and evaluation of a blended training course for interpreter trainers. Some of the complex issues pertaining to professional development in a rich web-based learner-centered environment are addressed. Findings confirm a socio-constructivist design within which participants developed the expected…

To date, teacher perceptions of online language teaching have attracted very little attention. However, these perceptions may influence decisions regarding instructional design, teaching practices and eventually the learning experience. Furthermore, teacher perceptions can contribute to the design of teacher training programs. This study provides…

The purpose of this study was to explore effective ways to design guided practices within a web-based mathematics problem solving tutorial. Specifically, this study examined student learning outcome differences between two support designs (e.g. adaptively faded and fixed). In the adaptively faded design, students were presented with problems in…

This paper provides a theoretical framework for "reflection amplifiers" that are used in online courses. Such reflection amplifiers are intervention techniques that aim at provoking reflective practices in learning, in order to enhance the quality and effectiveness of learning and promote meta-cognition. A literature survey identified a sample of…

The present study examined students' first impressions of different aesthetic treatments for the same web-based lesson about the experiences of British soldiers during World War I as expressed through examples of trench poetry. Holding site content and functionality constant, the interface design's visual presentation was manipulated along two…

Facilitating students' critical thinking in asynchronous discussions is important in online learning environments. Since students need to be self-regulated in online learning, the instructors are expected to scaffold students by providing structure and guidance. This paper discusses critical inquiry in two groups of students' online discussions.…

In this paper we challenge designers, researchers, teachers, students, and parents to re-assess and re-envision the value of technology-mediated feedback and e-assessment by examining the innovative roles feedback and assessment played in the design of three contemporary web-based learning environments. These environments include 1) an…

The purpose of this study was to document the design and development of an adaptive system which individualizes instruction such as content, interfaces, instructional strategies, and resources dependent on two factors, namely student motivation and prior knowledge levels. Combining adaptive hypermedia methods with strategies proposed by…

Design-based research is a burgeoning research paradigm holding the promise of introducing more socially responsible studies to transform education. However, there is a lack of methodological standards and established research processes to inform this type of study. Although there are general principles and procedures on design-based research,…

Invited as a paper from E-Learn 2009 This study compared two programmes developed as a learning tool for students to practise basic laboratory procedures. One was a Flash simulation programme, the other a Second Life virtual reality programme. A cohort of 93 bioscience students participated in the between trial. A control group was used to…

Adaptive learning object selection and sequencing is recognized as among the most interesting research questions in intelligent web-based education. In most intelligent learning systems that incorporate course sequencing techniques, learning object selection is based on a set of teaching rules according to the cognitive style or learning…

Discusses learner-centered active assessment, or interactive assessment, and applies it to an instructional design course that used WebCT (a Web-based authoring/management tool) to support a face-to-face classroom setting. Highlights include a definition of classroom assessment; and results of pretests and posttests, class surveys, and course…

Describes the development of a distance education program in Brazil where students perform physics experiments in secondary schools assisted by a distance tutorial system. Discusses advantages of Web-based instruction; instructional design; public policy; student responses; teacher responses; and student performance. (Author/LRW)

Instruction gains value when measurement shows that objectives have been achieved and learning has occurred. Making the measurement an integral part of class activity allows the identification of problems and consequent improvements even while the course is ongoing. Learner-centered active assessment both provides direct objective measurement of…