Tzu-Chi Yang

Conducting Situated Learning in a Context-Aware Ubiquitous Learning Environment

Digital technology is an important factor for the development of modern education systems, especially the wireless communication technology and the sensor technology, which make the evolution of learning environments from Web-based learning to mobile learning or ubiquitous learning. In this paper, a context-aware ubiquitous learning environment which utilizes mobile devices, sensors and wireless networks to conduct situated learning. Moreover, a series of learning activities of a butterfly ecology unit of the natural science course for K-4th students has been developed and conducted in the learning environment, in which students are guided to observe real-world objects with personalized supports from the system. Some preliminary experimental results have shown the effectiveness of the novel approach.

Analysis of a ubiquitous performance support system for teachers

This paper describes a Ubiquitous Performance Support System for Teachers (UPSST) and its implementation model. Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) were used as the platform to support high‐school teachers. Based on concepts of Electronic Performance Support Systems and design‐based research, the authors conducted an iterative process of analysis, design, development, and evaluation. Besides the data collected from the two initial users during the iterative process, 12 teachers were recruited for evaluating the functions and interface design of the UPSST. The participants mostly reported positive attitudes toward the functions and interface, but some expressed concerns. Explanations of the concerns and suggestions for future studies are provided.

A Computer-Assisted Approach for Designing Context-Aware Ubiquitous Learning Activities

Recent advance of wireless communication and sensor technologies has leaded the educational conception to a new area, called context-aware ubiquitous learning. The new conception of learning not only depicts significant advantages, but also reveals the difficulty of applying it. The major difficulty is owing to the lack of procedural guidance that assists the teachers in designing learning activities that bring the new learning conception into full play. To cope with this problem, this study proposes a procedural knowledge acquisition strategy for designing context- aware ubiquitous learning activities. In addition, a practical application is presented to show the effectiveness of the innovative approach.

Creating e-portfolio in U-learning Environment: A Framework of Could-based e-portfolio Service

The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework (CEP) of processing learning portfolios (e-portfolios, eP) based on ubiquitous learning activities. The cloud technology is employ to conduct context-aware u-learning environment and provide proper service through cloud platform as a service (PaaS) approaches. CEP was integrated into the course structure as an assistant tool to enhance learning outcomes. The advantages and efficiency of CEP were discussed in this study.

Incorporating digital games into anti-drug material: non-drug-addicted learners vs. drug-addicted learners

Drug abuse causes serious problems around the world. Thus, anti-drug material has been increasingly developed and used. However, conventional anti-drug material has until today shown insufficient effects on preventing drug abuse, especially for drug-addicted users. To this end, this study proposes a game-based anti-drug material and examines how drug-addicted people and non-drug-addicted people interact with the game-based anti-drug material. A lag sequential analysis approach was applied to analyze their different behavior patterns. The results revealed that the experience of drug addiction influenced the way individuals access drug information, complete tasks and reach goals during their gaming process. Based on the findings, some suggestions are proposed for the development of adaptive game-based anti-drug material that can accommodate the needs of drug-addicted and non-drug-addicted people to achieve the goal of universal access.

A Computer-Assisted Approach for Conducting Information Technology Applied Instructions.

The growing popularity of computer and network technologies has attracted researchers to investigate the strategies and the effects of information technology applied instructions. Previous research has not only demonstrated the benefits of applying information technologies to the learning process, but has also revealed the difficulty of applying them effectively. One of the major difficulties is due to the lack of an easy-to-follow procedure for inexperienced teachers to design course content with proper use of suitable information technologies. In this paper, a model for conducting information technology applied instructions is proposed. The novel approach can assist teachers in designing information technology applied course content based on the features of subject materials and the learning status of the students. An experiment on a Chemistry course in a junior high school was conducted to evaluate the performance of our novel approach.