Online learning (eLearning) has become a global phenomenon as many organizations and educational institutions worldwide have entered the field in an attempt to enhance the students' experience of learning. While numerous studies have focused on the effectiveness and benefits of eLearning, few have focused on understanding and measuring the user experience and relating this to the actual student usage of the eLearning system. This study addresses this gap by conceptualizing and measuring the eLearners' experience from two integrated perspectives: (1) the learners' affective perceptions using the flow model and (2) the learners' technology acceptance using the Technology Acceptance Model. The integrated perspective proposes that the users' acceptance and the affective responses toward a particular system are two important factors in determining the users' intentional and actual behaviors, which in turn, influence user participation and engagement with the system. The data was collected in 2004 directly from 964 students using a Web-based eLearning system called CECIL (http://www.cecil.edu) at the University of Auckland. The conclusions drawn from the results of the study using a structural equation model support the use of the integrated model for investigating eLearner behavior. The research implications of our findings are discussed.

Conceptualizing and Measuring the Optimal Experience of the eLearning Environment

Globalization is bringing about a radical "rethink" regarding the delivery of graduate management education. Today, many students entering a residential MBA program do not possess an undergraduate degree in business. As a result, many business schools are increasingly turning to the Internet to provide "customized" instructional content to ensure that students can remain competitive throughout the program. The purpose of this paper is threefold: 1) to estimate student performance in a residential MBA program; 2) to outline a process for identifying specific learning support resources based on student backgrounds and capabilities; and 3) to illustrate the screening process in providing business statistics support content to students requiring additional preparation. The results show that neural net based classification techniques can effectively identify students for the purpose of providing additional learning resources. Business statistics is one area in which this screening process has been used to deliver specialized content to students with a variety of backgrounds enrolled in a MBA residential program.

Customized Content Delivery for Graduate Management Education: Application to Business Statistics.

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Addressing business needs: A creative module for teaching data macros in an accounting information systems course

This research explores the effects of providing on-time automated assessment in a co-located collaborative system for Entity-Relationship design. In addition, students' perceptions about the validity and usefulness of this automated assessment, and its potential for reflection were analyzed. Thirty undergraduate students from computer science participated in the study, a quasi-experimental pre-post test design was conducted. Short quizzes for measuring students' learning performance were used and the perceptions of students were gathered by means of questionnaires. Results showed that on-time assessment positively affected students' learning performance in the study. Finally, students perceived that the system assessment is valid and useful and has the potential to generate mechanisms for reflecting about individual learning and group performance. The study concludes with steps for further research.

Exploring on-time automated assessment in a co-located collaborative system

This chapter focuses on technology toolsets for the secondary classroom—with an additional focus on accelerative options for gifted and talented education (GATE) students. It identifies top instructional practices being used by various online resources. It attempts to generalize the current types of educators and gives input on professional development for new educators’ integration of technology in the classroom. It is relevant for professors of teacher education, elementary and secondary educators in any setting of education including, online, hybrid, blended, and traditional classrooms. It informs school district administrators, pre-service teacher support providers, and developers of online educational platforms. Technology for Gifted Students in MixedAbility Classrooms

Technology for Gifted Students in Mixed-Ability Classrooms

Teaching and learning database design is difficult for both instructors and students. Students need to solve many problems with feedback and corrections. A Web-based specialized expert system was created to enable students to create designs online and receive immediate feedback. An experiment testing the system shows that it significantly enhances student learning. The system also provides a more neutral learning environment in terms of personal factors such as gender and prior class work.

Thomas G. Whisenand

Papers

An Expert System Helps Students Learn Database Design.