Instructional Media Design Commons^™

Revealing Online Learning Behaviors And Activity Patterns And Making Predictions With Data Mining Techniques In Online Teaching, Jui-Long Hung, Ke Zhang

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study was conducted with data mining (DM) techniques to analyze various patterns of online learning behaviors, and to make predictions on learning outcomes. Statistical models and machine learning DM techniques were conducted to analyze 17,934 server logs to investigate 98 undergraduate students’ learning behaviors in an online business course in Taiwan. The study scientifically identified students’ behavioral patterns and preferences in the online learning processes, differentiated active and passive learners, and found important parameters for performance prediction. The results also demonstrated how data mining techniques might be utilized to help improve online teaching and learning with suggestions for online …

Challenges And Questions Concerning “Culturally-Sensitive Design”, Ross Perkins

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since the inception of the field of anthropology, scholars have debated the definition for the word "culture." Lonner and Adamapoulos (1997) note that "there are 200 or more definitions of 'culture' in the literature of the social sciences, not one of which has been embraced by a substantial number of social scientists" (p. 76). Strauss and Quinn (1997) provide an overview of four schools of thought regarding the interpretations of "culture":

"Geertzian interpretivists have stressed the publicness of meaning, cognition, and culture. Foucauldian postmodernists have argued for the constructedness of culture and of the self. Some contemporary historical materialists highlight …

Real-World Industry Collaboration Within A Mechatronics Class, Vidya Nandikolla, Susan Shadle, Patricia Pyke, John Gardner, Robert Grover, Suhas Pharkute

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper describes the implementation and assessment of an innovative senior/graduate level mechatronics (robotics) module that integrated structured and unstructured learning experiences, in collaboration with an industry partner. With real-world constraints and expectations, students designed and delivered a product as the final project. In fall 2007, the corporate partner provided state-of-the-art, programmable robotic kits with a user-friendly programming environment. The assigned project was to design a biomedical robot to work in a hospital intensive care unit (ICU) to perform tasks such as transporting supplies or delivering paperwork. Students with diverse skills and majors were grouped in ten teams, two to …

Enhancing Precalculus Curricula With E-Learning: Implementation And Assessment, Janet Callahan, Seung Youn Chyung, Joanna Guild, William Clement, Joe Guarino, Doug Bullock, Cheryl Schrader

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

During Fall semester of 2007, a semester-long, quasi-experimental study was conducted at Boise State University to investigate the effectiveness of a systematically sequenced and managed, self-paced e-learning activity on improving students’ academic performance and motivation. A total of 125 students enrolled in 3 different sections of a Precalculus class participated in the study. The e-learning activity was implemented in 2 of the 3 sections as a required homework assignment. Students enrolled in one of the 2 selected sections were all engineering majors. The 3^rd section was a control group that did not use the e-learning activity. A pre-test, measuring …

Factors That Influence Informal Learning In The Workplace, Shelley A. Berg, Seung Youn Chyung

Organizational Performance and Workplace Learning Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose – The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that influence informal learning in the workplace and the types of informal learning activities people engage in at work. More specifically, the research examined (1) the relationship between informal learning engagement and the presence of learning organization characteristics, and (2) perceived factors that affect informal learning engagement.

Methodology – Workplace learning and performance improvement professionals were invited to respond to an anonymous online survey, and 125 professionals volunteered to participate in the study.

Findings – This study did not find a significant correlation between informal learning engagement and the …

Computer-Based Instruction And Cognitive Load, Jui-Long Hung, Brandon Randolph-Seng, Kittikunanant Monsicha, Steven M. Crooks

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Following cognitive load theory, we used a computer-based software training paradigm to determining the optimal number of steps or information chunks to present before practice opportunities. Results demonstrating that the size of information chunks presented and the type of practice used individually influenced participants' ability to effectively learn via computer-based instruction. These findings contribute to the literature by showing the importance of practice and optimal segment sizes for learning via a computer.