The need for a hypertext instructional design methodology

Educators are showing an interest in media rich presentation systems as a means of giving additional material to a class or of showing concepts in a graphical fashion during class. Educators have concerns, however, about the length of time it takes to design and implement media rich or multimedia systems, about copyright issues, and whether the system will be used more than once. They also want to be able to design the system using sound instructional principles, but may not have any time for acquiring such specialized knowledge and, indeed, they probably did not take any education classes while working on their advanced degrees. To help educators and students design effective and instructionally sound systems quickly, a hypertext instructional design engineering process can be used to help them to concentrate on structuring their system and on monitoring design violations. The process includes a requirements stage, a specifications stage, an implementation stage, validation for each stage and evaluation of the resulting system. The products of these stages are developed with object-oriented techniques which will eventually result in a hypertext system for instructional usage     

Constructing shareable learning materials in bioengineering education

Innovations in learning sciences and technology are opening new opportunities for designing and implementing effective learning materials that can be shared between bioengineering instructors. The successful reuse of instructional materials depends on how easy it is for an instructor to adapt the materials with a similar intent of the original author. Many resource libraries are emerging that provide a searchable database of sharable, Web-based instructional materials. The materials range from lesson plans and teaching techniques to text, video, and interactive simulation resources. These digital libraries are valuable services for teachers and students to access information and participate in a community of science, mathematics, and technology. The VaNTH (Vanderbilt University; Northwestern University; University of Texas at Austin; and Health, Science and Technology at Harvard/MIT) Engineering Research Center (ERC) is exploring a similar goal to design and test learning materials for bioengineering education and construct a technology infrastructure that supports the reuse of these materials in pedagogically appropriate ways. For VaNTH, using a consistent framework that describes the instructional intent of the materials is a critical factor in helping instructors envision how to adapt the materials to their own instruction. Therefore, VaNTH has defined a design process that capitalizes on the insight of learning sciences and best practices in engineering education to construct learning materials that follow a consistent but flexible instructional model.     

Implementing CS1 with embedded instructional research design in laboratories

Closed laboratories are becoming an increasingly popular approach to teaching introductory computer science courses. Unlike open laboratories that tend to be an informal environment provided for students to practice their skills with attendance optional, closed laboratories are structured meeting times that support the lecture component of the course, and attendance is required. This paper reports on an integrated approach to designing, implementing, and assessing laboratories with an embedded instructional research design. The activities reported here are parts of a departmentwide effort not only to improve student learning in computer science and computer engineering (CE) but also to improve the agility of the Computer Science and Engineering Department in adapting the curriculum to changing technologies, incorporate research, and validate the instructional strategies used. This paper presents the design and implementation of the laboratories and the results and analysis of student performance. Also described in this paper is cooperative learning in the laboratories and its impact on student learning.     

Determination of Learning Sequences: A New Approach to Learning Diagnosis and Treatment

A new method is presented to determine how well a learner has achieved a given set of learning objectives and in what areas he is still deficient. This method permits rigorous and practical quantitative analysis of instructional data. The new method is based on the use of a hierarchy of learning objectives. Thus, it provides information on both the learner's present state (diagnosis) and the indicated subsequent learning sequence (treatment). The method is also applicable to course design and instructional program evaluations.     

An integrated virtual learning system for the development of motordrive systems

This paper describes the basic concept of an integrated virtual learning system as an instructional tool for the development of digital signal processor (DSP)-based control schemes for motor drive applications. The system is comprised of a graphical user interface (GUI) front-end and a hardware-in-the-loop custom DSP for rapid prototyping and efficient testing of digital control algorithms. The circuit design and control algorithm development of a pulse width modulation (PWM) voltage source inverter (VSI) for 3-phase brushless DC (BLDC) motor control applications is used to describe the functions of the system. It is shown that the virtual learning system provides a cost-effective learning tool for students or engineers in training and can serve as a supplement to a conventional laboratory based system     

Integrating academic services in a modern networked environment

Developments within the World Wide Web (WWW) and attendant user interfaces (e.g., Mosaic, Netscape) have produced well-defined protocols for describing, communicating, and viewing hypertext information. This ability to uniformly handle different types of information has created tremendous opportunities for re-engineering the means by which disparate data is managed and communicated among individuals and organizations. In the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the Georgia Institute of Technology, this technology is being used as the building block for integrating administrative, instructional, and research services. This paper describes tools, applications, experiences, and observations surrounding the development of the ECE Web Server     

Computer-Based Instruction on Multimedia Networking Fundamentals: Equational Versus Graphical Representation

Multimedia networking has been emerging in recent years as a strong driving force behind the expansion of the Internet. However, this topic is not commonly covered in the already content-intensive introductory networking courses. To facilitate student self-study of this novel topic the authors have developed a computer-based instructional module on the fundamentals of multimedia networking. In this paper, they describe the design and development of the module, which is aligned with Gagne's theory of instruction. They have developed two versions of the module—one with equation-based representation of the learning content and one with graph-based representation of the learning content. They have evaluated the two versions of the module with a total of 75 undergraduate, senior-level electrical engineering students, of which half were randomly assigned to the equational representation, and the other half to the graphical representation. They found that the graphical representation results in statistically significantly higher student performance on practice and post-test problems, shorter learning time, and more positive attitudes toward the computer-based instructional module.     

Assessing Virtual Laboratories in a Digital-Filter Design Course: An Experimental Study

One hundred thirty-three undergraduate students in a digital filter design course participated in an experimental study. Two independent variables which occurred in a virtual laboratory environment were studied: 1) instructional treatments (online text-only materials, online texts with illustrations, and online texts with simulations); and 2) prior Internet experience (high and low). Three dependent variables were measured: 1) a knowledge achievement test; 2) intention to use instructional treatments; and 3) interaction levels with instructional treatments. The experimental research design of the study was a 3 times 2 randomized posttest design. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze collected data. The main effects and the potential interaction of the two independent variables were examined. Results indicate that the presentation of waveform variations and the change of parameters in the course content renders significant higher learning outcomes than online text-only materials and online texts with illustrations (Lambda (8,248) = 0.637, p < 0.05).     

The promise of computer-based learning: designing for inclusivity

Computer based models of teaching and learning are receiving renewed attention in the post-secondary sector. In the province of Alberta, Canada, over $40000000 (Canadian) has been made available to the adult learning system under the Learning Enhancement Envelope (LEE) funding initiative, for alternative models of instruction and learner support. Technology will allow us to reach new learners, in new learning contexts, and potentially in new ways. Yet the new technologies in education may exacerbate the marginalization of some students if we do not attend to learning styles, learning designs, and access issues that are entangled with gender inequality. Technology and technology based models of teaching and learning, are not value-neutral; and neither are the vocabulary and prevailing metaphors which can exclude women or include them in undesirable ways. How can women negotiate and transform a world of instructional technology that is, in effect, premised on their absence? Can new learning technologies and new learning designs support new teaching and learning opportunities? The author thinks they can, and in ways that creatively promote inclusivity through representation and design, by: 1) allowing for alternative representations to support diverse learning styles; 2) including large databases of resources, inviting the inclusion of experiences of women and other marginalized groups, and supporting the interrelatedness of perspectives; 3) supporting relational ways of knowing and being in the world; 4) inviting the instructional designer to step outside linear, objectivist, traditional models of instruction to create environments reflecting knowledge that is both intuitive and rational     

Enhancing student learning through hypermedia courseware andincorporation of student learning styles

This paper outlines attempts to enhance student learning by addressing different learning styles through course hypermedia. Students learn by a variety of different learning styles. Previously, instructors were unable to effectively address these different learning styles outside the classroom. Two approaches were developed to address this problem. The first approach was the development of hypermedia courseware. This provided a wide variety of tools which students could use to prepare for lessons. In this way students retained complete control over how they prepared for a lesson and could choose those hypermedia tools that were most conducive to their learning. An assessment of the multimedia and hypertext documents in the course revealed that the value of a particular multimedia tool to a student varied widely. Each student was traversing the course material according to his/her unique learning style. Unfortunately, the plethora of tools confused some students because they were uncomfortable making active choices of what course material would be most conducive to their learning. As a result, a second approach was adopted. An adaptive hypermedia interface was developed that provided dynamic tailoring of the presentation of course material based on the individual student's learning style. By tailoring the presentation of material to the student's learning style, the authors believe students learned more efficiently and more effectively     

Web-based learning: effects on learning process and outcome

Educators have witnessed lately a proliferation of Web-based learning applications. These Web-learning environments have made learning much more convenient by stretching the spatial and temporal barriers. Their effectiveness, however, remains to be examined. In this research, the authors study the relative effectiveness of two different types of Web-learning environments: distributed passive learning (DPL) versus distributed interactive learning (DEL) environments. In the DPL environment, the Web is only used to deliver linear learning material, such as Word files and PowerPoint slides. In the DIL environment, however, the learning material is in hypertext format, providing the learner with more exploration and interactivity capabilities. The results of an empirical study show that the DIL environment is superior to the DPL environment in terms of both the learning process and the learning outcome.     

Continuing education in power electronics

Continuing education has become an increasingly important part of the mission of higher education in the United States and around the world. The objective of engineering continuing education is to help practicing engineers stay current with technological advances relevant to their current or future job assignments. This work presents the strategies and guidelines for continuing education in power electronics. Critical issues pertaining to engineering education, such as how to identify learning needs, define learning outcomes, design course contents, select instructional methods, assess student performance, and conduct course evaluation, are discussed in detail.     

Design-Oriented Approach to Learning

This paper describes an instructional method that has been tried with remarkable success in some traditionally theoretical senior-level and graduate courses. The objective of the instructional approach is to enable the students to tackle practical design problems and carry the solution to the stage of prescribing enough details to fabricate the "product" if need be. In class contact the subject material is covered by first describing its typical applications and developing important concepts in the context of the solution of practical problems. The students read on their own the course notes prior to the discussion on each chapter. Because of the tremendous saving of class time normally expended in theoretical derivations, etc., the contact time is utilized in presenting several possible solutions to real life problems and their comparative evaluation. Particularly difficult theoretical concepts are the only ones covered in class, using no more than 10 to 15 percent of the contact time. Because of the applications-oriented nature of the problems, the students consider their learning experience "excellent." The results of anonymous surveys dramatically bear out the student confidence in this approach to learning.     

An APL Laboratory for Power System Engineering Education

Supplementary use of the digital computer in power-system engineering education can provide an effective learning environment for introductory as well as advanced studies. In addition, sufficient exposure to the computer as a design tool is consistent with the expanding application of these devices in power-system planning. Presented is an approach to the creation of such a learning situation through application of an APL interactive programming system. Present instructional modules are oriented towards load-flow, fault, and transient-stability analyses, but may also be applied to other system problems which can be formulated in a bus frame of reference. Students utilizing this system in a computation session are required to define or set-up a problem, analyze results and to decide upon and evaluate any proposed system modifications. A portion of the material presented was developed with the support of the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Mines under USBM Grant G0155003.     

A multimedia manual on the World Wide Web for telecommunicationsequipment

An interactive multimedia educational manual on the Internet through the World Wide Web for commercial optical fiber telecommunications equipment is described. The Telecommunications Laboratory Manual is a vehicle for enhancing engineering education with realistic laboratory or virtual laboratory experience. The manual provides a brief system tutorial, operating instructions, online help, and multimedia experimental demonstrations. It incorporates block diagrams, photographic images, and hypertext links that are mouse clickable, allowing users to access documents or links describing components or processes in any order. An experimental section guides students through laboratory experiences, demonstrates selected equipment characteristics, and provides for direct instructor contact through e-mail. Other remote resources on the Internet are linked to create a global multimedia library. This paper describes the manual, its multimedia design, its use in the curriculum, and its further potential     

Introducing TCAD Tools in a Graduate Level Device Physics Course

The impact that project complexity, student prior academic achievement, and quality of instructional materials might have on student academic achievement was studied during a required device physics course, in which technology computer-aided design (TCAD) tools were introduced to first-year graduate students. Preliminary analysis of student performance and project complexity showed that students who attempted the most complex projects had the lowest student academic achievement, despite there being no significant differences in prior academic achievement as measured by grades in the first exam in the course. Further analysis of student achievement data from other electrical engineering courses taught in a similar open laboratory format, for which enhanced instructional materials were developed, suggest that when well-developed learning resources are easily accessible to students, project complexity has no negative impact on student academic achievement and can sometimes enhance student academic performance. Cognitive load theory was used to explain why well-developed instructional tools, such as enhanced tutorials, can help students better learn or work with complex material.