In this article, the authors describe how a Java applet can help to build learners' intuitions about basic ideas of algebra. "Matchbox Algebra" is a Java applet the authors have designed to enable learners to grasp a key idea in learning algebra: that the letter "x" may be thought of as representing an as-yet-unknown number. They describe the…

During the past two decades, the popularity of computer and video games has prompted games to become a source of study for educational researchers and instructional designers investigating how various aspects of game design might be appropriated, borrowed, and re-purposed for the design of educational materials. The purpose of this paper is to…

In this review we argue that interactivity can be effective in video-based models to engage learners in relevant cognitive processes. We do not treat modeling as an isolated instructional method but adopted the social cognitive model of sequential skill acquisition in which learners start with observation and finish with independent,…

Finding ways to assure the quality of e-learning is an important endeavor. This article identifies eight quality assurance strategies in use at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. The eight strategies are reviews of instructional design, web development, editing, usability and accessibility, maintainability, copyright, infrastructure impact, and…

This study reports on the pedagogic rationale, didactic design and implications of an AHRC-funded doctoral training scheme in collaborative and digital multimedia in the humanities. In the second part of this article we discuss three areas of provision that were identified as particularly significant and/or controversial. These include (1) desktop…

A renewed focus on foreign language (FL) learning and speech for communication has resulted in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) software developed with Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR). ASR features for FL pronunciation (Lafford, 2004) are functional components of CALL designs used for FL teaching and learning. The ASR features…

An extensive research literature in education and psychology demonstrates positive effects of perspective-taking on various forms of learning. Until recently, perspective-taking has been limited to the mental simulation of how someone with different beliefs, knowledge, physical location, etc., perceives an object or event. Over the last decade…

"Making the Move to eLearning" proposes a radical truth--that online education, when taught using the methodology perfected by successful veterans of distance learning--surpasses traditional face-to-face teaching and learning. The key is for online educators to learn just what those successful methods are and how to emulate them in their…

International Council for Educational Media-Conseil International des Medias Educatifs (ICEM-CIME) brings together experts from the fields of education, media, IT, and educational media production. Since its formation in 1950, the organization has witnessed and contributed to educational media in an international forum. The 2009 ICEM conference…

The study investigated the preferences of instructors and students for design and pedagogy features of online instruction at the post-secondary level. Features were identified through a comprehensive literature review combined with focus groups. Each feature was subjected to review by subject matter experts to validate the differentiation between…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce some new functions achieved in a web-based multimedia courseware, which is developed by Flash software and used by part-time graduate students. Design/methodology/approach: The courseware uses Adobe Flash CS3 as its development software, which supports Actionscript language, FMS and FLV technology…

This article presents a virtual roundtable discussion with instructional design leaders on mobile technology application which included: (1) Jim Wolfgang, director of the Digital Innovation Group at Georgia College & State University and member of "Campus Technology's" ("CT's") editorial advisory board; (2) Michael Cottam,…

This article features Dallas Baptist University (DBU), a private, Christian, liberal arts institution located in the DFW Metroplex. With just over 5,200 students, DBU provides both traditional undergraduate, adult and graduate degrees with the enrollment almost equally divided between the three student groups. Today, DBU offers 34 degree programs…

In the Singapore primary school Mathematics curriculum, students are taught the model method that uses bar diagrams to visualize the problem structure in a given word problem. When these students progress to secondary school, they learn the algebraic way of solving word problems. Studies (e.g. Ng et al.) have shown that poor bridging of students…

In the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, there exists a deficit of compelling financial education curricula in urban schools that serve financially vulnerable working-class students. Part of a design-based research investigation aimed at creating culturally-relevant financial literacy learning environments, this study…