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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of user’s learning style (including accommodators, divergers, convergers, and assimilators) on user’s satisfaction on the web-based learning system and their learning effectiveness.

This experimental research used the college students from a technology institute in Taiwan as the subject sources. By using the Kolb’s learning style model, the students are classified as four types of learners: convergers, divergers, assimilators, and accommodators. The authors analyzed the relationships among the different learning styles with their effectiveness of learning and satisfaction of using the web-based learning system. The mediation effect of gender is also presented.

This research indicates that: first, the satisfaction of the web-based learning system has significant influence on the learning performance of learners; second, different learning styles learners have no significant effect to the satisfaction on using the web-based learning system; third, learning effectiveness has significant difference among different learning style learners on the web-based learning system; the learning effectiveness of accommodators and divergers was significantly higher than the assimilators; fourth, different learning styles learners show significant difference in gender proportion. In addition to accommodators, whose proportion of women is higher than men, the other three learning styles’ proportions in men are higher than women.

This study was grounded in the Kolb’s learning style theory. The authors provide implications for academic studies in e-learning research stream that aimed at understanding the role of learning style as well as gender differences in the asynchronous web-based learning system.

Results from this study provided the implications for students, educators, and e-learning system designers. The design of teaching materials as well as functions of e-learning systems should take learners’ learning style into consideration to ensure the best learning outcome.

This study examined the students’ learning style as well as gender differences in the asynchronous web-based learning system. An experiment was conducted to ensure the data were collected in a controlled environment, thus, offer the value that most of the prior study lacks.

The purpose of this paper is to examine factors that predict students’ continued usage intention of web-based learning management systems (LMS) in Tanzania, with a specific focus on the School of Business of Mzumbe University. Specifically, the study investigated major predictors of actual usage and continued usage intentions of e-learning system, and challenges of using the e-learning system.

Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of 300 third year undergraduate students, with a rate of return of 77 per cent. A total of 20 faculty members were also interviewed. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) was utilized in the study.

The results show that actual usage was determined by self-efficacy, while continued usage intentions of web-based learning system was predicted by performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, self-efficacy, and actual usage. Challenges for using web-based LMS were related to information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure barrier, LMS user interface was not user friendly, weak ICT policies, management and technical support, limited skills, lack of awareness, resistance to change, and lack of time to prepare e-content and use the e-learning system.

The study findings are useful to e-learning managers and university management to identify important factors and develop appropriate policies and strategies to encourage long-term usage of e-learning systems for future studies and lifelong learning.

By using UTAUT in the context of continued usage intentions and the integration of an additional construct (“self-efficacy”), the extended UTAUT model fits very well in the web-based learning systems in Tanzania, in particular where such studies are scant. The findings can be used in other institutions with similar conditions in investigating the continued usage intentions of e-learning systems.

The purpose of this research is to investigate student engagement in guided web‐based learning systems. It looks into students' engagement and their behavioral patterns in two types of guided learning systems (i.e. a fully‐ and a partially‐guided). The research also aims to demonstrate how the engagement evolves from the beginning towards the end of the interactions; which enables analysis to be performed on the quality of engagement.

An experimental study was conducted on 41 students from a public university in Malaysia using two web‐based systems as the main learning tools. The students' engagement data were captured three times during the interactions and once at the end of the experimental study using student self‐report.

The main outcome of this study suggests that student engagement was changing over time either in positive or negative patterns. The directions of change in both types of guided learning were mainly influenced by the students' background of knowledge.

This study demonstrates that student engagement is dynamic. Therefore, progressive assessment is a practical approach to obtain the engagement data which can be used to regulate and improve student engagement in web‐based systems. As a result, an adaptive and intelligent web‐based learning environment can be created.

This research proposes a new approach to improve students' engagement in web‐based instruction, that is, through a progressive assessment of their current experience.

This paper aims to review the literature on the utility of employing the construct of cognitive style in understanding behaviour in web‐based learning environments.

The paper initially examines whether the web architecture may be matched to an individual's cognitive style in order to facilitate learning, before progressing to assess whether different architectures influence a web users' internal representations of web‐based learning systems, as measured by concept map drawings. Other issues explored are users' web navigation and users' sense of learning community when receiving instruction via web‐based learning environments.

The studies reviewed indicate that cognitive style is a pertinent factor for consideration when assessing the success with which users engage with web‐based learning systems.

Some of the studies reviewed here are small‐scale and caution is urged in generalising the findings.

In terms of the practical implications, however, it is suggested that web‐based systems should be designed with consideration to individual differences in user characteristics, as this is related to the success with which users learn, navigate and interact socially in an online environment. However, it is concluded that more research is required in order to produce general rules relating cognitive style to the use of web‐based learning systems.

The findings from the numerous studies on the implications of considering the function of individual differences in using web‐based learning are notable and useful in the context of web‐based instruction.

Short-term motivation encompasses specific, challenging and attainable goals that develop in the limited timespan. On the other hand, long-term motivation indicates a sort of continuing commitment that is required to complete assigned task. As short-term motivational problems span for a limited period of time, such as a session, therefore, they need to be addressed in real time to keep the learner engaged in the learning process. Similarly, long-term learners’ motivation plays an equally important role to retain the learner in the long run and minimize the risk of dropout. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to incorporate a comprehensive learner motivation model that is based on short-term and long-term aspects of the learners' motivation. This approach enables Web-based educational systems to identify the real-time motivational state of the learner and provide personalized interventions to keep the learners engaged in learning process.

Recent research regarding personalized Web-based educational systems demonstrates learner’s motivation to be an essential component of the learning model. This is because of the fact that low motivation results in either students’ less engagement or complete drop out from the learning activities. A learner motivation model is considered to be a set of perceptions and beliefs that the system has developed about a learner. This includes both short-term and long-term motivations of leaners.

This study proposed a framework of a domain independent learners’ motivation model based on firm educational theories. The proposed framework consists of two modules. The primary module deals with real-time identification of motivation and logging off activities such as login, forum participation and adherence to assessment deadline. Secondary module maintains the profile of leaners associated with both short-term and long-term motivation. A study was conducted to verify the impact of learners’ motivation model and personalized interventional strategies based on proposed model, using Systematical Information Education Method assessment standards. The results show an increase in motivational index and the characteristics associated with motivation during the conducted study.

Motivational diagnosis is important for both traditional classrooms and Web-based education systems. It is one of the major elements that contribute in the success of the learning process. However, dropout rate among online students is very high, which leads to incorporate motivational elements in more personalized way because motivated students will retain the course until they successfully complete it. Hence, identifying learner’s motivation, updating learners’ motivation model based on this identification and providing personalized interventions are the key for the success of Web-based educational systems.

Universities across the globe are spending an increasing amount of their budgets to offer web-based services to cater information need especially off-campus students. However, the success of web-based services depends on how well the target users are satisfied with the use of the web services. The purpose of this paper is to assess students’ satisfaction with the use of the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) web-based services.

Pilot tested questionnaire-based survey was administered to collect data from a sample of 388; selected through systematic sampling technique from the study’s population consisted of master level students belonged to 11 different academic departments of the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities at the AIOU from all over Pakistan.

Based on 318 useful questionnaires, response rate 82 percent, the results show that majority of the students were satisfied with the use of at the AIOU web-based services except for online mailing books tracking system, library web OPAC and web radio service. However, t-test analysis shows that no difference was found in the opinion of male and female respondents in terms of their satisfaction with the use of the web services. ANOVA results indicate that there was no significant difference depicted in satisfaction with the use of the web services among the respondents enrolled in different disciplines of the faculty. Similarly, no significant difference was found among different age groups. Moreover, the respondents belonging to all five provinces; Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Baluchistan, Gilgit Baltistan, and Federal Capital territory showed the same level of satisfaction with the use of the services. The results of regression analysis (R²=0.226) denote that both perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use significantly predicted, 22.6 percent, in students’ satisfaction with the use the web services.

The study provides valuable recommendations which may be helpful for web administration of the university to improve AIOU web-based services.

To the best knowledge, this is the first study conducted to investigate the satisfaction with the use of the university web-based services in distance education’s perspective of Pakistan.

Tertiary institutions are increasingly providing Web‐based courses to learners both on‐campus and off‐campus, enabling more students to take these courses and get the most recent information. Students can also learn more interactively with the new types of instruction methods used online. Synchronous or asynchronous communication via computer networks can also greatly facilitate the learning process. In order to help the teachers and administrators of the Web‐based learning systems to improve the effectiveness of their instruction and design better online learning software, we have implemented an exploratory investigation of the behaviour of the students in the Web‐based learning environment. Multiple approaches were adopted to collect data, which included questionnaires, posted documents, online logs, interviews and observations. Comparison and analyses are also made between students in different semesters, and under different instruction methods. Some viewpoints on the construction of the Web‐based learning systems are proposed.

This study aims to examine university students’ acceptance of e-learning systems in Pakistan. A Web-based learning system is a new form of utilizing technological features. Although, developed countries have initiated and established the concept for e-learning, developing countries require empirical support to implement e-learning.

This paper further explains a conceptual model that is based on the technology acceptance model (TAM). Earlier theories such as the theory of reasoned action (TRA), theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and decomposed theory of planned behaviour (DTPB) have been conducted on user behavioural intention (BI). TAM is considered as the most relevant framework in a Web-based context. To analyse the present study’s hypothesized model, structural equation modelling (SEM) has been used to statistically analyse self-reported sample data from 424 university students.

The results revealed that TAM, with the combination of new constructs, explains university students’ acceptance of the e-learning system reasonably well. Additionally, work life quality (WLQ) and facilitating conditions (FC) have a greater influence on the BI and the actual use (AU) of the e-learning system, respectively.

The study has also provided valuable implications for academics and practitioners for ways to enhance the acceptance of the e-learning system in the higher education of Pakistan.

This paper aims to evaluate Web-based applications for teaching critical media literacy. It proposes modeling for criteria to evaluate Web-based applications for critical media literacy learning. The study aims to critically analyze the applications based on their potential for critical media literacy learning (CMLL), learner compatibility, authenticity, beneficial impact, practicability, engagement and support.

The paper was addressed by the walkthrough method, which provides underpinning analysis of the applications combined with content analysis to gain further deeper insight into users’ applications and application appropriation to accommodate critical media literacy instructions. The applications are organized according to their utilization in each sort of CMLL, namely, media understanding and analysis, and media production.

The paper describes how to select appropriate applications for critical media literacy instruction. It suggests a list of applications that can help teachers integrate critical media literacy into their classroom instruction, as well as the results of each application’s evaluation. In summary, the results indicated the importance of meticulous selection criteria and evaluations of applications used for critical media literacy integration in teaching.

Because technology and applications are constantly evolving, ongoing research in this area is always required. Furthermore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed hypotheses further.

The paper discusses the implications for technology selection in teaching, the development of selection criteria and managing the balance between technological advancement and teaching. In a nutshell, this paper practically contribute to shed light on the framework for CMLL application selection and adoption.

The paper provides comprehensive guidance for teachers on how to select applications for critical media literacy integration teaching, as well as lists of application evaluations that they can easily use.

This paper fills a gap in the literature by investigating how digital media and technologies can be used in the classroom and how they are chosen based on the needs of teachers and students.

Mixed-initiative interaction is a naturally-occurring feature of human-human interactions. It is characterised by turn-taking, frequent change of focus, agenda and control among the "speakers". This human-based mixed-initiative interaction can be implemented through mixed-initiative systems. This is a popular approach to building intelligent systems that can collaborate naturally and effectively with people. Mixed-initiative systems exhibit various degrees of involvement with regards to the initiatives taken by the user or the system. In any discourse, the initiative may be shared between either, a learner and a system agent, or between two independent system agents. Both the parties in question establish and maintain a common goal and context, and proceed with an interaction mechanism involving initiative taking that optimises their progress towards the goal. However, the application of mixed-initiative interaction in web-based learning is very much limited. This paper discusses the design and implementation of a web-based learning system through mixedinitiative system known as JavaLearn. JavaLearn allows the interaction between the system (in the form of a software agent) and the individual learner. Here, the system supports the learning through a problem solving activity by demanding active learning behaviour from the learner with minimal natural language understanding by the agent and embodies the application-dependent aspects of the discourse. It guides the learner to solve the problem by giving adaptive advice, hints and engages the learner in the real time interaction in the form of "conversation". The principal features of this system are it is adaptive and is based on reflection, observation and relation. The system acquires its intelligence through the finite state machine and rule-based agents.