Abstract. In this paper we present an Adaptive Educational Hypermedia prototype, named INSPIRE. The approach employed in INSPIRE emphasizes the fact that learners perceive and process information in very different ways, and integrates ideas from theories of instructional design and learning styles. Our aim is to make a shift towards a more “learning-focused ” paradigm of instruction by providing a sequence of authentic and meaningful tasks that matches learners ’ preferred way of studying. INSPIRE, throughout its interaction with the learner, dynamically generates learner-tailored lessons that gradually lead to the accomplishment of learner’s learning goals. It supports several levels of adaptation: from full system-control to full learner-control, and offers learners the option to decide on the level of adaptation of the system by intervening in different stages of the lesson generation process and formulating the lesson contents and presentation. Both the adaptive and adaptable behavior of INSPIRE are guided by the learner model which provides information about the learner, such as knowledge level on the domain concepts and learning style. The learner model is exploited in multiple ways: curriculum sequencing, adaptive navigation support, adaptive presentation, and supports system’s adaptable behavior. An empirical study has been performed to evaluate the adaptation framework and assess learners ’ attitudes towards the proposed instructional design.

In this paper we investigate two different ways in which learners construct personal semantic maps, expressed by navigational behaviours. The first of them concerns the usage of hypermedia structures nonsequentially, i.e. without following a strict order within two nodes; the second one concerns the usage of glossaries and concepts maps. A data driven approach, described in the paper, is used. The dataset is made by 254 sessions realized by learners interacting with the WINDS Advanced Learning Environment. The results show that the differences in two behaviours are statistically significant;that the usage of maps and glossaries is less frequent than the usage of hypertextual structure; that the usage of maps and glossaries is clustered above all around a single course; that when different from zero, the two behaviours have statistically significant opposite trends. We can conclude that the presence of two different behaviours of non sequential navigation in Electronic Learning Environments is likely, and that the corresponding strategies are likely to be learned. The results and the implications are analysed and discussed.

Inaugural Address Symposium Can we support CCSL? Educational, social and technological affordances for learning

Each year, a substantial portion of educational institutions ’ budgets are allocated to supporting the integration of computers into instruction under the assumption that computers benefit teaching and learning, and can improve student academic performance. Educational research and practice, however, demonstrate that different ways of integrating computer technology and the context in which computers are used have varied effects on student learning. This article explores computer-assisted instruction (CAI), a learning environment that supports a one-on-one interaction between a learner (or several learners) and a computer program. It also demonstrates how the two polar characteristics of CAI, which indicate whether the learner or the program has primary control over the content and direction of instruction--learner control (LC) and program control (PC)--affect instructional delivery and outcomes. While trying to explain the inconsistency of research findings, the article argues that LC theory needs a stronger theoretical framework in order for LC studies to yield more definitive conclusions about the effectiveness of LC and CAI in general.

With the advancement of Web technology, hypermedia learning systems are becoming more widespread in educational settings. Hypermedia learning systems present course content with non-sequential formats, so students are required to develop learning paths by themselves. Yet, empirical evidence indicates that not all students can benefit from hypermedia learning. Research into individual differences suggests that prior knowledge has significant effects on student learning in hypermedia systems, with experts and novices showing different preferences to the use of hypermedia learning systems and requiring different levels of navigation support. It is therefore essential to develop a mechanism to help designers understand the needs of experts and novices. To address this issue, this paper presents a framework to illustrate the needs of students with different levels of prior knowledge by analyzing the findings of previous research. The overall aim of this framework is to integrate students ’ prior knowledge into the design of hypermedia learning systems. Finally, implications for the design of hypermedia learning systems are discussed.

In today’s knowledge economy, technology is utilized more than ever to deliver instructional material to the learner. Nonetheless, information may not always be presented in a manner that maximizes the learning experience, resulting in a negative impact on learning outcomes. Drawing on the Task-Technology Fit model, a research framework was developed to investigate the influence of vividness, interactivity, task complexity, and learning style on performance, satisfaction, interest, and perceived mental effort in the context of learning how to use an office productivity tool via a computer-mediated learning environment. It was hypothesized that vividness and interactivity would increase satisfaction and interest and that the affects of vividness and interactivity on performance and perceived mental effort would vary depending on the complexity of the task. It was also hypothesized that vividness and learning style would interact to influence performance and perceived mental effort when a task was more complex. A laboratory experiment was employed to test the research model. The experiment manipulated two levels of vividness, interactivity, and task complexity, resulting in six unique treatment conditions. In each of these treatment conditions, subjects viewed a computerbased tutorial on how to complete a task using a specific tool in Microsoft Excel. Subjects were

Web enjoyment has been regarded as a component of system experience. However, there has been little targeted research considering the role of web enjoyment alone in student learning using web-based systems. To address this gap, this study aims to examine the influence of web enjoyment on learning performance and perceptions by controlling system experience as a variable in the study. 74 students participated in the study, using a web-based tutorial covering subject matter in the area of ‘Computation and Algorithms’. Their learning performance was assessed with a Pre-Test and a Post-Test and their leaning perceptions were evaluated with a questionnaire. The results indicated that there are positive relationships between the levels of web enjoyment and perceived usefulness and non-linear navigation for users with similar, significant levels of system experience. The implications of these findings in relation to web-based learning are explored and ways in which the needs of students who report different levels of web enjoyment might be met are discussed.

Abstract—One of the major features of hypermedia learning is its non-linear structure, allowing learners, the opportunity of flexible navigation to accommodate their own needs. Nevertheless, such flexibility can also cause problems such as insufficient navigation and disorientation for some learners, especially those with Field Dependent cognitive styles. As a result students learning performance can be deteriorated and in turn, they can have negative attitudes with hypermedia learning systems. It was suggested that visual elements can be used to compensate dilemmas. However, it is unclear whether these visual elements improve their learning or whether problems still exist. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of student’s cognitive styles and visual elements on student’s learning performance and attitudes in hypermedia learning environment. Cognitive Style Analysis (CSA), Learning outcome in terms of pre and post-test, practical task, and Attitude Questionnaire (AQ) were administered to a sample of 60 university students. The findings revealed that FD students preformed equally to those of FI. Also, FD students experienced more disorientation in the hypermedia learning system where they depend a lot on the visual elements for navigation and orientation purposes. Furthermore, they had more positive attitudes towards the visual elements which escape them from experiencing navigation and disorientation dilemmas. In contrast, FI students were more comfortable, did not get disturbed or did not need some of the visual elements in the hypermedia learning system. Keywords—Hypermedia learning; cognitive styles; visual elements; support; learning performance; attitudes and perceptions. I.

In collaborative learning there is often potential use for technology. However, because of the various problems that technology implicates, there are few successful applications. This paper presents a computer application that supports collaborative text comprehension training. A “minimal design ” was chosen for the user interface. Thereby the learners ’ activities are guided and usability problems are avoided. Two user studies in seminars showed that the students ’ motivation and subjective effort were equal in the application setting and in the control setting in which pen and paper were used. Furthermore, the usability ratings were satisfactory and 75 % of the students stated they would prefer to use the application rather than pen and paper in the future.

Prior knowledge is often argued to be an important determinant in hypermedia learning, and may be thought of as including two important elements: domain expertise and system expertise. However, there has been a lack of research considering these issues together. In an attempt to address this shortcoming, this paper presents a study that examines how domain expertise and system expertise influence students ’ learning performance in, and perceptions of, a hypermedia system. The results indicate that participants with lower domain knowledge show a greater improvement in their learning performance than those with higher domain knowledge. Furthermore, those who enjoy using the Web more are likely to have positive perceptions of non-linear interaction. Discussions on how to accommodate the different needs of students with varying levels of prior knowledge are provided based on the results.