Describes electronic performance support systems (EPSSs) that can enhance performance and reduce training times and costs. Provides examples of EPSSs; explains why instructional designers and trainers should be interested in EPSSs; and discusses design considerations, including part task/whole task support, embedded versus linked, and user…

Do students learn more deeply from a passage when they attempt to construct their own graphic organizers (i.e., learning by doing) than when graphic organizers are provided (i.e., learning by viewing)? In 3 experiments, learners were tested on retention and transfer after reading a passage with author-provided graphic organizers or when asked to…

The European Students' Union (ESU) feels the need to face the current crisis and to foster the student voice of all students across Europe. In this context its main priorities for 2012 will be: (1) Education as a public good; (2) Internal development; (3) Social dimension; and (4) Bologna and European cooperation. It is of great importance for ESU…

Instructional elements remain the foundation of current instructional design practice. Practice is the instructional element provided after learners have been given information required to master an objective and Navigation is the non-instructional element guides the learner on the sequence of instruction. Linear Navigation can be referred to as…

Audit trail analysis can provide valuable insights to researchers and evaluators interested in comparing and contrasting designers' expectations of use and students' actual patterns of use of educational technology environments (ETEs). Sequence analysis techniques are particularly effective but have been neglected to some extent because of real…

The European Students' Union's (ESU's) vision regarding the Student Centered Learning concept stems from the fundamental belief that the learning process should have at its core learning objectives as they are prioritized by each individual students, also that each (potential) student should be empowered to define those objectives and progress…

Research findings in recent years provide compelling evidence of the importance of encouraging student control over the learning process as a whole. The socially based tools and technologies of the Web 2.0 movement are capable of supporting informal conversation, reflexive dialogue and collaborative content generation, enabling access to a wide…

Robertson (2006b) surveyed Australian vocational teachers to propose that the criteria of newness, complexity, compatibility and locus of control are influential in shaping the frequency of online functionality use. The current paper tests and further refines this proposition by comparing the likelihood that online functionalities will be used at…

Educational designers often develop a "powerful learning environment" that is subsequently implemented by teachers. Due to a lack of cooperation with teachers they may receive limited feedback on the quality of their design and the way it is implemented. This study focuses on teachers' perceptions of a Dutch innovative learning…

The advent of Video-On-Demand (VOD) brought promises of rich video libraries, robust interactive lessons, and powerful tools for the curriculum developer. VOD has brought the excitement of a new media form, but with this excitement comes the confusion that accompanies any new field. This paper will discuss the nature of Video-on-Demand, and…

Discusses the distance learning process that occurs when computer-mediated communication is used and presents a conceptual framework based on the theoretical principles developed by Gavriel Salomon. Characteristics of the technology are identified, including active user participation, activation of cognitive skills related to information…

Compares learner control capabilities of two forms of communication currently in use in distance education in the United Kingdom: the Electronic White Board, a form of audio conferencing combined with a visual display; and computer conferencing, or computer-mediated communication. CoSy, the computer conferencing system used by the Open University,…

This second installment in a series of edited transcripts based on a conference held at Utah State University in 1987 reviews the main points of Merrill's Learning Theory. The performance content matrix is explained, primary presentation forms are described, and the concepts of student responsibility and learner control are discussed. (Three…

Discussion of cognitive psychology focuses on two types of cognitive tools--power tools and assimilatory tools--which are geared to information acquisition. The distinction between accommodation and assimilation is explained, implications for the design of intelligent computer-assisted instruction (ICAI) are suggested, and the question of learner…

Investigated the effect of goal-setting instructional materials on graduate students randomly assigned to either goal-setting instruction or analysis of classroom vignettes. Pretests and posttests showed significant effects for goal-setting instruction on goal-analysis skills but no significant effects for perceptions of self-regulated learning or…