I-Chun Hung

On the design of online synchronous assessments in a synchronous cyber classroom

Online learning has been rapidly developing in the last decade. However, there is very little literature available about the actual adoption of online synchronous assessment approaches and any guidelines for effective assessment design and implementation. This paper aims at designing and evaluating the possibility of applying online synchronous assessments in a formal credit course. Relying on the four dimensions of knowledge taxonomy, this paper describes four different online synchronous assessments for conducting a formal mid-term exam, including synchronous quiz, synchronous practicum, synchronous essay and synchronous oral assessments. The designs were implemented and evaluated in a synchronous cyber classroom for an online credit course. This study identified the challenges and potential issues while conducting the online synchronous assessments, including (1) the extent of monitoring and cheating; (2) the lack of suitable software tools specifically for supporting online synchronous assessments; and (3) the need for a variety of online synchronous assessment methods for different subject matter. This paper concludes with some possible solutions, such as a short time limit for answering questions and a well analysed need of a software tool, to address all the issues.

Learning with the Body: An Embodiment-Based Learning Strategy Enhances Performance of Comprehending Fundamental Optics

Theories of embodied cognition argue that mental modal simulations in the brain, body, environment and situated actions are composed of central representations in cognition. Based on embodied cognition, body movements of performing natural science experiments can provide learners with external perceptions for better knowledge construction. At present, the way of using a keyboard/mouse to conduct simulation exercises just reproduces physical experimental procedures on a computer. However, it lacks for utilizing environmental factors and bodily states as external information to help brain constructing knowledge during the experiment simulation processes. For example, learners interact with the multimedia content of fundamental optics simulation exercises by using conventional controller-based methods such as moving a mouse or pressing a hot key. Using a controller as a routine interaction device while learners associate their external bodily perceptions with internal knowledge schema does not benefit cognitive processing. To cope with this problem, an embodiment-based learning strategy is designed to provide simulated practices by learners’ gestures so that they can interact with the digital content directly. Through the learning system, fundamental optics knowledge can be constructed using holistic schematization of mental modal simulations in the brain, body, environment and situated actions. A total of 51 fifth-year students were divided into ‘embodiment-based learning group’and ‘keyboard–mouse learning group’ for a quasi-experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.This study designed an embodiment-based learning strategy to help learners perform optics simulation exercises and improve their learning performance. The result shows that the embodiment-based learning group outperformed the keyboard–mouse learning group on learning performance. Besides, learners usually need to invest additional mental effort before they overcome the run-in period to getting used to a new technology. No significant difference in cognitive load between the two groups was found, which implies the embodiment-based learning strategy is an effective learning design.

Designing a robot teaching assistant for enhancing and sustaining learning motivation

Although many researchers have pointed out that educational robots can stimulate learners’ learning motivation, the learning motivation will be hardly sustained and rapidly decreased over time if the amusement and interaction merely come from the new technology itself without incorporating instructional strategies. Many researchers have identified that the sustainability of the learning motivation is closely related to the instructional strategies. Accordingly, learners must be well guided by suitable instructional strategies to enhance and sustain their learning motivation. In other words, suitable instructional strategies are required even if introducing educational robots to learners can stimulate learning motivation at the beginning of learning activities. Literature also suggests that systematic instructional strategies can be designed with the use of the Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction (ARCS) model. As the rapid development of robotics, it has become feasible to apply the educational robot for enhancing learning. A robot teaching assistant (RTA) was designed to enhance and sustain learning motivation for the learning of English reading skills. A quasi-experimental design and the Instructional Material Motivational Survey questionnaire were used for data collection and evaluation. The findings showed that the design of the RTA-based learning activities guided by the ARCS model for learning English reading skills can significantly improve learners’ learning motivation, learning performance, and continuance intention.

Developing Ubiquitous Learning System with Robots for Children's Learning

An advanced learning system architecture with several flexible, mobile and joyful ICT features for the ubiquitous learning is proposed in this research based on experiential learning theory, constructivism learning theory and joyful learning feature. The architecture consists of five hardware key elements and supporting software to form a brand-new ubiquitous learning system. We call the designed system as Ubiquitous Open-structured Neo-tech Edutainment (u-ONE System) which comprises learning robot, sensing input device, mobile computing device, mobile output device, wireless local network and u-ONE Software. Three different application modes including instruction, collaborative learning and self-learning are supported by u-ONE Software for realizing the broad sense of ubiquitous learning. The aim of this research is to design and develop a prototype of u-ONE System consists of hardware and software components for supporting children’s learning by using robot and RFID. The experiment results show most learners could arouse good learning motivations and more concentration on learning activities by using u-ONE System.

An Embodied Design with Collective Intelligence for Creating Interactive Video Lectures

In pursuit of quality learning, instructors continually strive to improve learning designs and apply appropriate learning strategies correspondingly. At the same time, a variety of lecture types are emerging, owing to the advances of information and communication technologies. Recently, flipped classroom and Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) have gained popularity as learning models because of their learner-centered and interactive focus. Interactive video lectures play an important role of these learning models and have also started to rise prominence by means of meaningful interactions for getting better learners’ comprehension when watching the learning content. Hence, this study proposes a new approach to create interactive video lectures by exploiting the power of collective intelligence and the features of natural user interaction.

Augmentation Strategies for Paper-Based Content Integrated with Digital Learning Supports Using Smartphones

Up to the twenty-first century, paper is still widely adopted for recording and reading. However, paper-based materials are fully capable of presenting abstract concepts and complicated knowledge with static text and figures. Learners usually need timely and adequate supports when encountering difficulties during learning. With a consideration of applying technologies, the learning tool must have a certain mobility and accessibility for acquiring facilitative resources. Using the networking capability of smartphone to access digital content from the Internet to enrich conventional paper-based learning activities is worth investigating. This chapter introduces an augmentation-enhanced learning context with an integration of digital content into paper-based materials in order to facilitate learning. Constructive feedback, scaffolding questioning, and procedural scaffolding are three strategies applied into the instructional designs and learning system. Quasi-experiments for personal learning and collaborative learning were also conducted to evaluate the effects on learning performance. The results suggest that the three instructional designs had significantly positive effects on individual’s learning performance. Team’s learning performance and team’s discourse levels were promoted as well. This chapter lays out a strong foundation for researchers to further explore how to better design different learning strategies for different learning subjects in the augmentation-enhanced learning context using smartphones. It is hoped that educational practitioners are able to obtain concrete ideas and solutions on how to better leverage the benefits of both paper-based content and digital learning materials in a real blended learning environment.

Designing Dynamic Scaffolding Strategy for Improving Video-Based Learning in a Gesture and Speech-Based Learning Configuration

With the advancement of information and communication technologies, a great deal of learning resources can be easily accessed over the Internet, especially video-based materials. Most of them are recordings of speeches and instructions. Learners can also provide their feedback on a specific website or a learning management system. Besides, natural user interface (NUI) has become affordable which sheds a light on the new form of human-computer interaction. A new research issue regarding how to effectively use the large amount of existing video-based learning resources and related feedback by leveraging the NUI interface is worth of exploration. This study aims to explore and propose a new effective scaffolding strategy to facilitate video-based learning by applying NUI-based technologies with an integration of existing constructive feedback generated by the crowd. In this paper, a preliminary design and corresponding examples of this idea will be delineated.