Search results

The present study focused on examining the effects of a multimedia-based Internet extensive reading program on promoting the receptive skills of Iranian university students.

In the quantitative section of this explanatory sequential mixed-method study, a pretest-posttest design was used to compare the performance of three groups of Iranian university students in terms of their degrees of improvement in receptive proficiency. Besides, the differences in the levels of motivation among the learners were sought. The three classes under study included linear text extensive reading for the first experimental group, a multimedia-based Internet extensive reading group for the other and a control group. The qualitative phase of this study included a semi-structured interview and an open-ended questionnaire.

Analysis of the results revealed that the multimedia-based Internet extensive reading group outperformed the two other groups in terms of proficiency in receptive skills. They also had a higher level of motivation for reading. The findings of the qualitative phase showed that the participants preferred working with multimedia material rather than working with linear texts, or, in other words, printed books. University EFL instructors may be the most beneficiaries of the present study, as they can gain insights into applying Internet-based extensive reading programs into their courses.

Although some studies have been carried out in this area, the paper provides its readers with a new procedure and methodology.

Due to the lack of standard and research-based frameworks in evaluating the content designed in electronic courses, there appears a need to examine some existing theoretical models like the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) developed by Richard Mayer on real occasions. To confirm the effectiveness of the seven principles of the model driven from this theory in different educational settings, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the present study was conducted in the contexts of two universities in Iran for comparison purposes.

The present research is a descriptive one for which a survey method was considered to collect data. A measurement instrument was developed based on the seven principles mentioned in the last edition of the book written by Clark and Mayer (2016) as well as an extensive review of the related literature. The data gathered from 524 online questionnaires returned by students of a public university Shahid Beheshti University (SBU) and a private one Ruzbahan University (RU) were then analyzed through partial least squares using SmartPLS 3.0.

The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that convergent and discriminant validities, as well as model fit indices, had the reliability of the theoretical model at the 99% confidence level. Based on the path coefficients found for testing hypotheses, modality and coherence principles were the first and last priorities, respectively. Moreover, the comparative study showed that t-statistics values for multimedia, contiguity, modality, redundancy and personalization but not for coherence, and segmenting and pretraining principles are significantly different between the two universities.

This study can be considered a pioneering research in Iran so as to increase the quality of multimedia design, instruction and learning at university levels in future research while emphasizing the importance of Mayer’s principles in the design of electronic content.

Successful technology integration into the teaching of social studies is imperative in the twenty-first century classroom. This study sought to answer the following questions: do synchronous and asynchronous technology integration increase a student’s understanding of social studies content? Are synchronous technology-integrated social studies lessons more effective than asynchronous technology-integrated social studies lessons? How do students perceive the effectiveness of a synchronous technology-integrated lesson vs the effectiveness of an asynchronous technology-integrated lesson? The paper aims to discuss these issues.

This paper presents the results of a quasi-experimental research project comparing the learning outcomes of students who participated in synchronous and asynchronous technology-augmented lessons.

The results of this study found that synchronous and asynchronous technology-enhanced lessons are both viable pedagogies for increasing a student’s understanding of social studies content. The results also yielded no statistical significance between the effectiveness of the synchronous instruction vs asynchronous instruction. However, a statistical significance exists when analyzing a student’s perception of their own learning. Students participating in synchronous technology-integrated instruction reported a higher confidence in the lesson’s ability to teach them, when compared to that of the asynchronous population.

By continuing to seek new ways to integrate technology effectively into classrooms, social studies teachers can design lessons more effectively to meet the needs of today’s social studies students. The need to understand the learning outcomes of various technology-integrated approaches will continue to grow as more technologies become available to social studies teachers.

The purpose of this paper is to outline the critical success factors for crafting a strategic architecture for e‐learning at HP University.

A descriptive survey type of research design was used. An empirical study was conducted on students enrolled with the International Centre for Distance and Open Learning who were attending personal contact programs (PCPs) in professional courses so as to elicit the importance of e‐learning in distance education programs.

From the research questions for implementing e‐learning it was found that the current practices of instruction are satisfactory, the centers where PCPs are not sufficiently equipped for the training of learners and resource persons at PCPs do not have interest in the ICT program although the learners are ICT savvy, but there is no regular electricity supply, sufficient facilities and consumables for the usage.

Although an empirical study was conducted, the respondents, the students, sometimes disclose the information and do not reply to the questions in good faith.

The article addresses the critical success factors in crafting a strategic architecture for e‐learning at HP University so as to implement e‐learning for the benefit of the staff and the students.

The article addresses the critical success factors for implementing e‐learning in a traditional university environment.

This paper uses a quasi-experimental approach to test the impact of textbook-related chapter videos and companion quizzes as the pre-lecture resources in an entry-level accounting course. Two side-by-side sections of an introductory Management Accounting class, at a large university, establish the control and treatment groups. The results indicate that with the availability of pre-lecture resources (chapter-related videos), students in the treatment group exhibit significantly better final exam performance results and self-report a higher rate of pre-reading before each class lecture. Students reported the videos were helpful and clear. This paper contributes to the literature by examining the effect of “nudging” and rewarding students for completing pre-lecture learning activities on cumulative final exam performance. In so doing, this paper also provides insight into what can be an effective pre-lecture, or supplemental, resource in the accounting classroom.

Course management systems (CMS) have an increasing role in information technologies found in all schools and learning environments today. Commonly, the backbone for how faculty teach distance education, CMS also has a role in classroom activities as faculty and instructors mount curriculum for students to consult and use at their own level and pace.

This article suggests that CMS is a mainstream technology for academic libraries as they introduce and utilize a range of courseware products adopted for their students and academic programs.

Course management software and systems allow libraries to serve teaching faculty in ways that cooperation was not practiced until such products were available. Librarians became more integrated in the teaching process and now commonly support this technology and guide faculty in how best to use it for their teaching needs.

Still at an early stage of collaboration between proponents of library technology and CMS, it is clear that this technology will grow deeper roots in library services and platforms will increasingly include CMS.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the critical time window for pro-active construction accident prevention and response. Large to small organisations throughout the entire construction supply chain continue to be challenged to adequately prevent accidents. Construction worker injuries and fatalities represent significant waste of resources. Although the five C’s (culture, competency, communication, controls and contractors) have been focusing on compliance, good practices and best-in-class strategies, even industry leaders have only marginal improvements in recorded safety statistics for many years.

Right-time vs real-time construction safety and health identifies three major focus areas to aid in the development of a strategic, as opposed to tactical, response. Occupational safety and health by design, real-time safety and health monitoring and alerts and education, training and feedback leveraging state-of-the-art technology provide meaningful predictive, quantitative and qualitative measures to identify, correlate and eliminate hazards before workers get injured or incidents cause collateral damage.

The current state and development of existing innovative initiatives in the occupational construction safety and health domain are identified. A framework for right-time vs real-time construction safety and health presents the specific focus on automated safety and health data gathering, analysis and reporting to achieve better safety performance. The developed roadmap for right-time vs real-time safety and health is finally tested in selected application scenarios of high concern in the construction industry.

A strategic roadmap to eliminate hazards and accidents through right-time vs real-time automation is presented that has practical as well as social implications on conducting a rigorous safety culture and climate in a construction business and its entire supply chain.

This paper is an outcome of the study made for designing the multimedia‐based orientation programme of the Dyal Singh College Library (DSCL), New Delhi, India. The purpose of this paper is to enlighten the new students and to create insight into the operations of the DSCL.

Macromedia Flash software is used in designing and developing the multimedia‐based library orientation programme of the DSCL. In this study, the quality and usefulness of the information provided is evaluated through feedback. The structure of the programme is divided into 227 snapshots lasting for 20 min. A survey was conducted using structured feedback comprising of five questions.

Regarding the implementation of multimedia‐based library orientation programme and the responses received from the respondents regarding usefulness of information presented in the programme, except “library online public access catalogue & internet browsing”, all other features are found to be either excellent or very good. The quality features, such as, easy to understand (76.44 per cent), programme content (60.23 per cent), programme graphics, sound and special effects (46.76 per cent) are rated as excellent; and the length of the programme (72.28 per cent) and comprehensiveness (51.74 per cent) are rated as good. The overall evaluation of the programme is rated as very good (62.55 per cent).

This paper is not conceived to replace live college library tours, but rather to supplement them. In its present non‐linear form, the programme allows the user to start at the beginning and run through to the end. However, users cannot interact with the video but they can stop, forward and backward the programme.

Highly useful for new students who face the constraints of inconvenient timings and format; reduces the burden of the library staff of imparting physical library orientation and improves the library image in this age of information; and helps the user in overcoming the geographical and language barriers.

The paper provides the advantages of multimedia‐based library orientation in college libraries. The multimedia‐based library orientation programme has been developed as an effective means of conveyance and makes information handy and accessible on the college site as “virtual tour”. The entire programme can be viewed at and develops creativity among college librarians in designing such programmes.

Examines co‐operative learning, the concept that has generated a great deal of excitement in recent years. Discusses the benefits of co‐operative learning and the reasons why it has been enthusiastically adopted. Considers its role in higher achievement and assesses whether or not it is actually no more than just an educational fad.

The chapters in this book focus on using different types of multimodal, multimedia, and transmedia technologies to create technology-rich learning environments that have the potential to enable higher levels of academic motivation, participation, and engagement. Developments in relatively low cost and abundant digital technologies, coupled with the improvements in contemporary learning theories and pedagogical practices, are quickly enhancing and transforming the way we teach and learn in the 21st century and changing our understanding of what it means to teach and learn in a highly web-based multimedia world. At the individual, group, and institutional levels, these technologies are being used in a variety of ways for a variety of purposes. In teaching and learning, they offer promising and innovative ways to create more interesting and enjoyable academic environments and offer more meaningful and authentic ways to better engage the senses of learners. Mayer (1997) states that multimedia-based teaching and learning offers many benefits to educators (e.g., a variety of instructional options, more effective learning, and more efficient use of instructor time especially for very large classes). This is based on the core multimedia principle posited by Mayer (2005): people tend to learn more deeply with both words and images than from words alone.