By conducting usability testing on a multilanguage Web site, this study analyzed the cultural differences between Taiwanese and American users in the performance of assigned tasks. To provide feasible insight into cross-cultural Web site design, Microsoft Office Online (MOO) that supports both traditional Chinese and English and contains an almost…

The act of note-taking offloads cognitive pressure and note-taking applications could be used as an important tool for foreign language acquisition. Its use, importance, and efficacy in a foreign language learning context could be justifiably debated. However, existing computer-assisted language learning literature is almost silent on the topic.…

This article describes the development of learning widget on m-learning and e-learning environments. A widget is a small, simple and useful application supporting user-oriented contents. The user may select and install widgets that are convenient as well as an auto-updating application including weather or calendar. These widgets are especially…

This paper attempts to harness the opportunities for mobility and the new user interfaces that handheld touch screen devices offer, in a non-formal learning context, with a view to developing spatial ability. This research has addressed two objectives: first, analyzing the effects that training can have on spatial visualisation using the…

The robotics field represents the integration of multiple facets of computer science and engineering. Robotics-based activities have been shown to encourage K-12 students to consider careers in computing and have even been adopted as part of core computer-science curriculum at a number of universities. Unfortunately, for students with visual…

Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs) that employ a model-tracing methodology have consistently shown their effectiveness. However, what evidently makes these tutors effective, the cognitive model embedded within them, has traditionally been difficult to create, requiring great expertise and time, both of which come at a cost. Furthermore, an…

Library patrons familiar with Web searching conventions often find library searching to be less familiar and even intimidating. This article describes and evaluates a series of usability research studies employing two different and popular methodologies: user-centered redesign and usability testing. Card sorting and affinity mapping were used to…

This paper reports on an ongoing work in designing and developing a personalised search tool for teachers' online searching using Google search engine (repository) for the implementation and testing of the first research prototype.

Since its humble beginning, Digital Past, a centralized local history digitization initiative at the North Suburban Library System (NSLS), a multitype consortium in Wheeling, Illinois, has now grown into a large centralized collaboration that consists of 32 libraries and a museum as its primary contributors. With Digital Past, there are various…

Describes the University of Exeter (UK), Mondex, and NatWest UK smartcard-based campus card system project. Smartcards, wallet-sized plastic cards with microprocessors, interface with network terminal devices and are programmable as data, identity, and finance cards. International standard multiple operating system (MULTOS) increases current…

How would a learning arena that promotes "just-in-time" learning in the workplace ideally be created? This was one of the most important questions the Norwegian research project, NEMLIG, aimed to illustrate through a series of work place experiments. The present article presents the evaluation of the project in the form of a number of dilemmas.…

Relates the results of pilot studies of Internet use in academic libraries to the education of users in a digital library environment. Interviews users and information professionals and reveals a need to develop user education programs that emphasize types of digital collections, interfaces, hardware and software requirements, and…

Purpose: To outline the conceptual and technical difficulties encountered, as well as the opportunities created, when developing an interlinked collection of web-based digitised primary sources on eighteenth century London. Design/methodology/approach: As a pilot study for a larger project, a variety of primary sources, including the "Old…

Background: The idea for attempting a distance tutoring project between university tutors and elementary school students using Microsoft NetMeeting was conceived: (a) to provide a new experience mentoring children for university students pursuing a teaching certificate, (b) for university students to utilize technology in pedagogy, (c) as an…

Describes a pilot project at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign reference and undergraduate libraries to test the feasibility of offering real-time online reference service via their Web site. Discusses software selection, policies and procedures, promotion and marketing, user interface, training and staffing, data collection, and…