ERIC Number: EJ1156570
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1939-1382
EISSN: N/A
The Development of an Interaction Support System for International Distance Education
Yueh, Hsiu-Ping; Lin, Weijane; Liu, Yi-Lin; Shoji, Tetsuo; Minoh, Michihiko
IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, v7 n2 p191-196 Apr-Jun 2014
This paper reports on the implementation of a learner identification system developed to facilitate real-time interaction in an international distance course. To increase the teacher immediacy and social presence, it proposes an integrative system for incorporating technology to improve the learning involvement, teaching effectiveness, and quality of interaction in the context of distance education. After the system was implemented in a formal international distance course involving universities in Japan and Taiwan for a semester, the results of the formative evaluation suggested that a perceived integrative classroom environment was achieved. The instructors and learners agreed that the system effectively and seamlessly integrated synchronous and asynchronous learning through the computing components of face and speech recognition. It was also found that the improved interaction led to a better sense of learning community and improved performance. This study concludes that the system could be useful in improving interactions and reducing students' feelings of isolation in distance courses by increasing their social presence. Suggestions for future studies and system development are also provided.
Descriptors: Distance Education, Interaction, Integrated Learning Systems, Formative Evaluation, Classroom Environment, Synchronous Communication, Asynchronous Communication, Pattern Recognition, Foreign Countries, Undergraduate Students, College Faculty, International Programs, Videoconferencing, Student Attitudes, Teacher Attitudes
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854. Tel: 732-981-0060; Web site: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=4620076
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Japan; Taiwan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A