Instructors who use computer-generated graphics in their lectures have many options to consider when developing their presentations. Experts give different advice on which typefaces, background and letter colors, and background imagery improve communications. This study attempted to resolve these controversies by examining how short-term recall of…

This study investigated the effect of several different modes of test administration on scores and completion times. In Experiment 1, paper-based assessment was compared to computer-based assessment. Undergraduates completed the computer-based assessment faster than the paper-based assessment, with no difference in scores. Experiment 2 assessed…

Twenty-eight students (aged 9 to 17) freely explored a science Web site structured either in an outline (linear) format or "puzzle" (non-linear) format for 2.5 hours. Subjects then engaged in tasks involving locational memory and informational recall. The results indicate that presence of metacognitive skills was a necessary but not sufficient…

This study investigated whether the software Virtus WalkThrough Pro could be used to enhance middle school children's spatial ability as measured by the Paper Folding, Mental Rotations, and Eliot-Price Tests. The study also investigated whether the use of this software impacted males differently than females, or users with high spatial ability…

In this study, an interactive process in a Web-based learning environment was planned for the cultivation of students' cooperative learning skills and capacity for scientific inquiry. Based on detailed analyses of students' computer protocols, interview protocols, and test scores, this project sought to analyze the changes in students' scientific…

As increasing numbers of educational institutions implement distance learning (DL) programs, educators need to know how teaching and learning processes change when teachers and learners are no longer in the same place at the same time. Understanding the theoretical and practical implications of these changes can help teachers to compensate…

This study examined the influence of scaffolding on the development of critical thinking skills in an online course on Instructional Design. Data were collected through interviews and document artifacts from five participants of the online course. Findings indicated that participants' critical thinking moved through three stages from mirroring, to…

Recent reviews of the literature on distance learning have reached two general conclusions. First, students are about as satisfied with the quality of their education in distance-learning (DL) classes as they are in traditional or face-to-face (FTF) classes. Second, students perform about as well in DL classes as they do in FTF classes. We examine…

This article reports on how a social sciences instructor teaching contemporary global issues implemented collaborative learning among students in a virtual environment. A substantial part of this particular course was delivered at a distance with the help of the Web. The bulletin board feature of WebCT was used to implement a simulation game where…

This classroom study examined the role of low-achieving students' self-regulated learning (SRL) behaviors and their teacher's scaffolding of SRL while using a Web-based water quality simulation environment to learn about ecological systems. Forty-nine 11th and 12th grade students learned about ecology and the effects of land use on water quality…

The purpose of this study was to examine the connection between sixth graders' cognitive tool use and the cognitive processes they engage in as they solve a complex problem in a hypermedia learning environment. The three research questions were: (1) Which cognitive tools are used for which cognitive processes? (2) Is there a relationship between…

Undergraduate use, their confidence toward and expectations concerning learning from computers was surveyed over five consecutive years. Significant effects over time were found, with students from 2003 demonstrating more years of computer use and greater confidence, but no difference in hours of use. This suggests long term familiarity counts…

This research experimentally manipulated the social presence cues in instructor's messages to students. The context was an online professional development one-credit course with one-to-one mentoring of students. Additionally, student learning intentions and levels of trust were examined as factors that may mitigate the effects of social presence.…

Newtonian mechanics is a core module in technology courses, but is difficult for many students to learn. Computerized tutoring can assist the teachers to provide individualized instruction. This article presents the application of decision theory to develop a tutoring system, "iTutor", to select optimal tutoring actions under uncertainty of…

Test equivalence can be evaluated in terms of four aspects: psychometric, behavioral, experiential, and individual differences (i.e., relativity of equivalence) (Honaker, 1988). This study examined the psychometric properties of the Attitude Towards Computerized Assessment Scale (ATCAS) designed to assess one of these criteria, namely,…