Technology, as a source of instruction, has fulfilled various purposes in foreign language learning environments. During the last decade, Robot-Assisted Language Learning (RALL) has attracted teachers' and researchers' attention due to the look and feel of humanoid robots. However, in the field of pragmatics, studies highlighting the role of RALL…

Blended learning, which combines online and face-to-face pedagogy, is a fast-growing mode of instruction as universities strive for equitable and alternative pathways to course enrollment, retention, and educational attainment. However, challenges to successfully implementing blended instruction are that "social presence," or students'…

Students are accessing graduate study online in ever-increasing numbers with interactive experiences differing from those who traditionally enroll in corresponding face-to-face (F2F) classes. Soft skills such as collaboration/teamwork, communication and presentation are important to learning but difficult to practice outside the F2F environment.…

It has been argued that clinical applications of advanced technology may hold promise for addressing impairments associated with autism spectrum disorders. This pilot feasibility study evaluated the application of a novel adaptive robot-mediated system capable of both administering and automatically adjusting joint attention prompts to a small…

Background and Objectives: The aim of this exploratory study is to test whether social stories presented by a social robot have a greater effect than ones presented on a computer display in increasing the independency in expressing social abilities of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Although much progress has been made in developing…

This study focused on an intelligent robot which was viewed as a language teaching/learning tool to improve children's reading ability, reading interest, and learning behavior. The iRobiQ, with its multimedia contents, was employed to encourage children to read, speak, and answer questions. Fifty-seven pre-kindergarteners participated in this…

This study proposes a platform to provide a near-authentic environment, context, and situation for task-based learning. The platform includes two projection screens (a vertical and a horizontal screen) combined for situated or authentic learning. The horizontal screen extends the vertical screen scene to form a space for learning activities and…

The ability to understand another person's action and, if needed, to imitate that action, is a core component of human social behaviour. Imitation skills have attracted particular attention in the search for the underlying causes of the social difficulties that characterize autism. In recent years, it has been reported that people with autism can…

Chapters in this book include: (1) E-Learning Indicators: A Multidimensional Model for Planning Developing and Evaluating E-Learning Software Solutions (Bekim Fetaji and Majlinda Fetaji); (2) Barriers to Effective use of Information Technology in Science Education at Yanbu Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Abdulkareem Eid S. Alwani and Safeeullah Soomro);…