The authors investigated the effects of student spatial ability, as measured by Raven's Progressive Colored Matrices (J. C. Raven, 1938) and type of instructional program on geometry achievement. Sixth-grade students worked through either 6 instructional activities in Geometer's Sketchpad (Key Curriculum Press, 1993), a dynamic geometry program,…

Comprehension of an illustrated document can involve complex visual scanning in order to locate the relevant information on the screen when this is evoked in spoken explanations. The present study examined the effects of two types of attention-guiding means (color change or step-by-step presentation of diagram elements synchronized with a spoken…

This paper looks at the diffusion and applications of mobile phone technology in Asia and Africa, compared with North America. It indicates that Asian distance education can be the global leader in the development of educational uses for the mobile phone; and it considers the potential for mobile learning in Africa and other developing regions.…

In this article we describe the emerging area of text classification research focused on the problem of collaborative learning process analysis both from a broad perspective and more specifically in terms of a publicly available tool set called TagHelper tools. Analyzing the variety of pedagogically valuable facets of learners' interactions is a…

A unique resource in course management systems (CMSs) is that they offer faculty members convenient access to a variety of integrated features. Some features allow faculty members to provide information to students, and others allow students to interact with each other or a computer. This diverse set of features can be used to help meet the…

This paper investigates the uses of various kinds of hypermedia format for history learning, which specifically emphasizes on the role of causal reasoning about history accounts. Three different groups in the last school year of Secondary Education (aged 16) studied the same materials about the Discovery of America in three different formats: (a)…

This article describes challenges and benefits of modeling learner variability in Computer-Assisted Language Learning. We discuss the learner model of "E-Tutor," a learner model that addresses learner variability by focusing on certain aspects and/or features of the learner's interlanguage. Moreover, we introduce the concept of phrase descriptors,…

This study addresses the challenges faced by Modern Foreign Language teacher trainees when asked to investigate the potential of a Personal Digital Assistant to support them both in their learning and in their teaching during their training year. Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) such as the Windows Pocket PCs used in this study have previously…

There has been increasing interest in informal learning in recent years alongside interest in how such learning can be supported by technology. However, relatively little is known about the extent to which adults make use of their own mobile devices to support informal learning. In this study, a survey was used to investigate whether, and to what…

Serious games open up many new opportunities for complex skills learning in higher education. The inherent complexity of such games, though, requires large efforts for their development. This paper presents a framework for serious game design, which aims to reduce the design complexity at conceptual, technical and practical levels. The approach…

This paper focuses on the interaction patterns of learners studying in pairs who were provided with multimedia learning material. In a previous article, we reported that learning scores were higher for dyads of an "animations" condition than for dyads of a "static pictures" condition. Results also showed that offering a persistent display of one…

In this article, the author poses what might seem to be a heretical question: Has CALL (Computer-Assisted Language Learning) already begun to lose its identity as a field of inquiry or of practice? And if the answer is a puzzled "maybe," what is CALICO's role to be in, say, the next 25 years? She notes that because most of the tools that support…

Learning a second language is a challenging endeavor, and, for decades now, proponents of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) have declared that help is on the horizon. As documented not only in the "CALICO Journal" over its 25-year history but also in other scholarly venues, research has demonstrated the value of CALL. Nevertheless,…

This study explored whether hypermedia annotation presentation in different locations of the text facilitates EFL vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension. It also examined participants' preferences for the location of hypermedia-annotated text (at the end of the text, in the margin, at the bottom of the screen, or in a pop-up window).…

Globalization is enabling transnational provision of post-secondary education. The leadership of higher education needs to attend to issues of quality and accreditation. (Contains 1 figure.)