Journal of Information Technology and Application in Education

47-73

Authors: Alexandros Papadimitriou, Maria Grigoriadou, Georgios Gyftodimos

This paper describes the innovative, adaptive and intelligent techniques, supported by the Web-based adaptive educational hypermedia system called MATHEMA. The supported techniques by the AEHS MATHEMA are the following: curriculum sequencing, adaptive presentation, adaptive and meta-adaptive navigation support, interactive problem solving support, and adaptive group formation. These techniques answer to some open research issues such as, which is the appropriate learning style model for ad hoc domain application? How to combine individual contexts with collaborative contexts? What are effective and acceptable adaptations at the interaction, tool or content level we can implement in an adaptive educational hypermedia system used for both individual and collaborative learning? How do we incorporate problem-solving activity into adaptive educational hypermedia system? The educational purpose of the AEHS MATHEMA is to support senior high school students or novices of higher education, through an interactive and constructivist educational material, in learning Physics individually and/or collaboratively. In general, the AEHS MATHEMA is an effective learner-controlled system that dynamically generates courses according to learners’ learning goal, knowledge level on each learning goal and main concept, learning style, Web experience, preference for visual and/or verbal feedback, and preference for the kind of navigation. Summative evaluation of the AEHS MATHEMA indicated that almost all its functions are useful, usable, and user-friendly.

94-96

Authors: Virve Siirak

The rapid development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is more widely influencing all human beings, in professional and private lives. ICT and its applications are interacting with environments, roles, and processes of social and psychosocial change. New solutions for prolonging work ability and postponing aging through computer based learning and e-learning are opened. In this paper, it is argued that blended learning with computer based learning in the Moodle e-learning environment based on social constructivist learning theory is an effective tool for teaching and learning of occupational health and healthy workplaces discipline based on Ergonomic knowledge. The author has twelve years experience of computer based teaching for full time students and for students of distance learning. Students age is between nineteen and fifty-eight years. The author’s own teaching experience of the Moodle e-learning environment for creating and providing different courses in the Tallinn University of Technology, will be presented. According to the questionnaires given more to 1000 students at the end of each course, the teaching and learning in the Moodle e-learning environment as blended learning is very useful for development of a learning culture in higher education. The effectiveness and motivation for learning are higher than providing traditional methods of learning. The high appreciation of e-learning in the Moodle e-learning environment is the same of students of all ages. E-learning in the Moodle e-learning environment is one of the very perspective solutions for lifelong learning.

9-18

Authors: Chenwo Kuo

In recent years, with the vigorous development of information and communication technology, industrial, governmental, academic circles lay more emphasis upon and invest more in the E-learning research and its application. The E-learning has already taken shape in its technological development and organizational operation, which is bringing greater added value to itself. However, failures should not be neglected. Three correlative problems come up urgently, namely, evaluation of the E-learning effectiveness, plan management, test, and efficient resources distribution. Through the present research, I propose that the governmental E-learning website effectiveness evaluation should be basically arranged on four levels, which are public policies, training plan, curricula, and technological design. Evaluation tools like policy indicators, four-level pattern, and ROI (return of investment) also ought to be associated as references in order to construct an integrated E-learning evaluation frame. The object of the present research is Cultural Affairs, School of E-learning, Executive Yuan. The findings are not only appropriate to the evaluation of governmental website E-learning effectiveness but also conducive to evaluation of the same type for enterprises and academic establishments or even other organisms.

28-34

Authors: Vicente Rodríguez Montequín, Joaquín Villanueva Balsera, José Manuel Mesa Fernandez, Alberto García Nieto

IT projects follow established management methodologies governing the life cycle of the project. It is commonly accepted that the development of information systems is a complex task involving technical, human, and organizational issues. In order to instruct students, one of the most used methodologies is organizing them into small groups and provides them with a project. The groups act as project teams performing a project close to their field of professional interest. This methodology is usually named Project Based Learning (PBL). As is the case with actual projects, there are other issues in addition to the technical skills influencing the group outcomes: human aspects and personality. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) has become one of the most widely-used psychometric instruments for assessing personality characteristics regarding work environment. Learning more about team member personalities and how different personalities compliment or conflict with each other can be useful information in building and leading a project team. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the most relevant features that help create successful student project teams within Information Technology (IT) field, in relation to the MBTI personality characteristics. Three most usual profiles within the IT projects are considered: system analyst, designers, and programmers. The results of this study have the implications for setting up student groups in collaborative projects under the IT studies.