Learning new uses of technology: Situational goal orientation matters

We study the decision to learn a new use of technology within a post-adoption context. This particular nuance of technology adoption is interesting because while the technology has been adopted at some level by both users and organizations, expanding technology use relies on users adopting additional tools and features within a given system on their own accord. This study addresses how situational goal orientation moderates the effects of ease of learning perceptions within the post-adoption context. We find that when a potential user has a situational learning goal orientation, they indicate intent to learn a new use of technology regardless of whether the technology is perceived to be easy or difficult to learn. However, potential users with a situational performance goal orientation indicate intent to learn the new system feature depending on ease of learning. These results have implications for future research using traditional technology acceptance parameters in the post-adoption context, and provide evidence that situational goal orientation is an effective managerial intervention for use in organizational training.     

The interplay between cognitive and motivational variables in a supportive online learning system for secondary physical education

A path model was used to test the unique and interactive effects of cognitive and motivational variables when learning in a supportive online learning system, Collaborative Inquiry System (CIS). In this student-centered learning environment, students interact with computer simulations and are assisted by online scaffolds intended to help them learn complex scientific concepts. The present study also explored the relationships between students’ motivational, cognitive, and metacognitive strategy use and online performance. In total, 178 tenth-grade students participated in the study. The statistical analyses revealed that students’ learning goals and cognitive preferences predicted metacognitive strategy use and later influenced their performance. Prior knowledge is a predictor of neither metacognitive strategy use nor learning goals and need for cognition, but is nevertheless an important determinant of online performance. Discussions on how to accommodate the different needs of students with varying levels of prior knowledge, goal orientation, and cognitive preference in a supportive learning system are provided based on the results.     

A longitudinal experimental study on the interaction effects of persuasion quality, user training, and first-hand use on user perceptions of new information technology

While prior research has investigated the main effects of external factors on user perceptions of a new IT, little work has been into the interaction effect of external factors on user perceptions. In a longitudinal experimental study, we examined the effect of the quality of persuasive argument, user training, and first-hand use on user perceptions of the new technology over time. We found that the effect of argument quality on users’ perceived ease of use was greater when users had no training. However, we did not find the same effect occurred due to perceived usefulness. We also found that first-hand use changed users’ perceived usefulness more over time when users received high quality arguments or when they had no training. While we found that first-hand use changed users’ perceived ease of use more when users received high quality arguments, first-hand use did not change users’ perceived ease of use differently whether they had or had not received prior training.     

Understanding the behavior changes in belief and attitude among experienced and inexperienced learning object users

Prior empirical studies in the implementation of general information technologies (IT) have revealed that IT adoption and usage were determined by user beliefs and attitudes. However, little is known about how user beliefs and attitudes form and change over time. To address these issues, this paper reports a study of 481 inexperienced and 120 experienced potential users on learning objects. Technology acceptance model’s constructs were used to conduct a longitudinal study across three phases (introduction, training and direct-use experience) to examine the formation and the changes in users’ beliefs and behavioral intention to use learning objects over time. The results showed that the rates of changes in users’ beliefs and behavioral intention toward learning objects usage were time-variant and were more predominant during the early stage (introduction to training) of learning objects usage than in the later stages (training to direct-use experience). The study confirmed that initial exposure through introduction and training was effective in improving inexperienced users’ beliefs and intentions to use learning objects. It also helped to reduce the belief and intention gaps that existed between experienced and inexperienced users. In addition, the influence of initial introduction and training on users’ beliefs and perceptions was sustained over time, thus further indicating their importance.     

Designing an adaptive web-based learning system based on students’ cognitive styles identified online

This study developed an adaptive web-based learning system focusing on students’ cognitive styles. The system is composed of a student model and an adaptation model. It collected students’ browsing behaviors to update the student model for unobtrusively identifying student cognitive styles through a multi-layer feed-forward neural network (MLFF). The MLFF was adopted because of its ability on imprecise or incompletely understood data, ability to generalize and learn from specific examples, ability to be quickly updated with extra parameters, and speed in execution making them ideal for real time applications. The system then adaptively recommended learning content presented with a variety of content and interactive components through the adaptation model based on the student cognitive style identified in the student model. The adaptive web interfaces were designed by investigating the relationships between students’ cognitive styles and browsing patterns of content and interactive components. Training of the MLFF and an experiment were conducted to examine the accuracy of identifying students’ cognitive styles during browsing with the proposed MLFF and the impact of the proposed adaptive web-based system on students’ engagement in learning. The training results of the MLFF showed that the proposed system could identify students’ cognitive styles with high accuracy and the temporal effects should be considered while identifying students’ cognitive styles during browsing. Two factors, the acknowledgment of students’ cognitive styles while browsing and the existence of adaptive web interfaces, were used to assign three classes of college freshmen into three groups. The experimental results revealed that the proposed system could have significant impacts on temporal effects on students’ engagement in learning, not only for students with cognitive styles known before browsing, but also for students with cognitive styles identified during browsing. The results provide evidence of the effectiveness of the adaptive web-based learning system with students’ cognitive styles dynamically identified during browsing, thus validating the research purposes of this study.     

The role of experience and innovation characteristics in the adoption and continued use of e-learning websites

With the advent of e-learning technologies in the past decade, the accessibility of training, teaching, and learning has drastically increased. The challenge for the education enterprise now is how to attract learners to their e-learning services. In this study, a technology adoption model is developed to predict the users’ intention of adoption and their continued use behavior. The results show significant evidence in support of the hypothesis. The findings indicate that perceptions of relative advantage and compatibility are significantly related to users’ intention to use e-learning. Also, the intention is significantly related to their actual use of e-learning. Furthermore, the technology adoption of learners with prior e-learning experience is different from those without prior e-learning experience. These findings may contribute to deeper understanding of e-learning users’ perceptions in terms of adoption and continued use behavior.     

A note of caution regarding anthropomorphism in HCI agents

Universal usability is an important component of HCI, particularly as companies promote their products in increasingly global markets to users with diverse cultural backgrounds. Successful anthropomorphic agents must have appropriate computer etiquette and nonverbal communication patterns. Because there are differences in etiquette, tone, formality, and colloquialisms across different user populations, it is unlikely that a generic anthropomorphic agent would be universally appealing. Additionally, because anthropomorphic characters are depicted as capable of human reasoning and possessing human motivations, users may ascribe undue trust in these agents. Trust is a complex construct that exerts an important role in a user’s interactions with an interface or system. Feelings and perceptions about an anthropomorphic agent may impact the construction of a mental model about a system, which may lead to inappropriate calibrations of automation trust that is based on an emotional connection with the anthropomorphic agent rather than on actual system performance.     

Age related differences in learning to use a text-editing system

The increased use of computer technology in most occupations means that many middle-aged and older workers who lack computer experience will need to acquire skills to interact with this technology. This study examined age-group differences in learning to use a text-editing system. One hundred and thirty-five females ranging in age from 25 to 70 participated in the study. They received training under one of three training conditions: instructor-based, online or manual-based. Age differences were assessed by comparing performance on criterion tasks. Results indicated significant differences among the groups in learning success, younger learners being the most successful. There were no significant age by training interactions. The findings indicate a need to develop more effective training strategies to teach older learners to use computer technologies. They also indicate the need for changes in system design because computer applications are difficult for novice users to learn.     

Seeking and providing assistance while learning to use information systems

Throughout their lives, people are faced with various learning situations, for example when they learn how to use new software, services or information systems. However, research in the field of Interactive Learning Environments shows that learners needing assistance do not systematically seek or use help, even when it is available. The aim of the present study is to explore the role of some factors from research in Interactive Learning Environments in another situation: using a new technology not as a means of acquiring knowledge but to realize a specific task. Firstly, we present the three factors included in this study (1) the role of the content of assistance, namely operative vs. function-oriented help; (2) the role of the user’s prior knowledge; (3) the role of the trigger of assistance, i.e. help provided after the user’s request vs. help provided by the system. In this latter case, it is necessary to detect the user’s difficulties. On the basis of research on problem-solving, we list behavioral criteria expressing the user’s difficulties. Then, we present two experiments that use “real” technologies developed by a large company and tested by “real” users. The results showed that (1) even when participants had reached an impasse, most of them never sought assistance, (2) operative assistance that was automatically provided by the system was effective for novice users, and (3) function-oriented help that was automatically provided by the system was effective for expert users. Assistance can support deadlock awareness and can also focus on deadlock solving by guiding task. Assistance must be adapted to prior knowledge, progress and goals of learners to improve learning.     

基于模板匹配和SVM的草图符号自适应识别方法

在草图符号的自适应学习中,不同用户的训练样本数量可能不同,保持在不同样本数量下良好的学习效果成为需要解决的一个重要问题.提出一种自适应的草图符号识别方法,该方法采用与训练样本个数相关的分类器组合策略将模板匹配方法和SVM统计分类方法进行了高效组合.它通过利用支持小样本学习的模板匹配方法和支持大量样本学习的SVM方法,并同时利用草图符号中的在线信息和离线信息,实现了不同样本个数下自适应的符号学习和识别.基于该方法,文中设计并实现了支持自适应识别的草图符号组件.最后,利用扩展的PIBGToolkit开发出原型系统IdeaNote.评估表明,该方法可以在24类草图符号分别使用1到20个训练样本时具有较高的识别正确率和较好的时间性能.     

The role of experience and innovation characteristics in the adoption and continued use of e-learning websites

With the advent of e-learning technologies in the past decade, the accessibility of training, teaching, and learning has drastically increased. The challenge for the education enterprise now is how to attract learners to their e-learning services. In this study, a technology adoption model is developed to predict the users’ intention of adoption and their continued use behavior. The results show significant evidence in support of the hypothesis. The findings indicate that perceptions of relative advantage and compatibility are significantly related to users’ intention to use e-learning. Also, the intention is significantly related to their actual use of e-learning. Furthermore, the technology adoption of learners with prior e-learning experience is different from those without prior e-learning experience. These findings may contribute to deeper understanding of e-learning users’ perceptions in terms of adoption and continued use behavior.     

The effects of organizational learning environment factors on e-learning acceptance

Workplace learning is an important means of employees’ continuous learning and professional development. E-learning is being recognized as an important supportive practice for learning at work. Current research on the success factors of e-learning in the workplace has emphasized on employees’ characteristics, technological attributes, and training design elements, with little attention to workplace contextual effects. The study aims to investigate the impacts of organizational learning environment factors, including managerial support, job support, and organizational support, on employees’ motivation to use a workplace e-learning system. A model was proposed based on the expectancy theory of training motivation and the social influences and facilitating conditions in technology acceptance models. The model was tested on sample data collected from mainland China using Structural Equation Modeling and Moderated Structural Equation Modeling. The results suggested that employees’ perceived managerial support and job support had a significant impact on their perceived usefulness of the e-learning system for individual learning, and that perceived organizational support had a significant influence on the perceived usefulness of the e-learning system for social learning. Perceived usefulness for individual learning was found to completely mediate the environmental influences on individuals’ motivation to use the system, while perceived usefulness for social learning made partial mediation in the effects of the environmental factors on intention to use. In addition, perceived job support was found to have moderating effects on the relationship between employees’ perceived usefulness of the e-learning system and their intention to use the system. Consistent with previous findings, employees’ perceptions about the usefulness of the e-learning system have significant effects on their intention to use the system in the work setting.     

Protecting location privacy in mobile geoservices using fuzzy inference systems

Mobile geoservices, especially location-based services (LBSs), are becoming more popular each day. The most important goal of these services is to use a user’s location to provide location-aware services. Because the user’s spatial information can be abused by organizations or advertisers, and sometimes for criminal purposes, the protection of this information is a necessary part of such services. There has been substantial research on privacy protection in LBSs and mobile geoservices; most studies have attempted to anonymize the user and hide his/her identity or to engage the user in the protection process. The major defects of these previous approaches include an increased complexity of system architecture, a decrease in service capabilities, undesirable processing times, and a failure to satisfy users. Additionally, anonymization is not a suitable solution for context-aware services. Therefore, in this paper, a new approach is proposed to locate users with different levels of spatial precision, based on his/her spatio-temporal context and a user’s group, through fuzzy inference systems. The user’s location and the time of the request determine the spatio-temporal context of the user. A fuzzy rule base is formed separately for each group of users and services. An interview is a simple method to extract the rules. The spatial precision of a user’s location, which is obtained from a fuzzy system, goes to a spatial function called the conceptualization function, to determine the user’s location based on one of the following five levels of qualitative precision: geometrical coordinates, streets, parish, region, and qualitative location, such as the eastern part of the city. Thus, there is no need to anonymize users in mobile geoservices or to turn the service off. The applicability and efficiency of the proposed method are shown for a group of taxi drivers.     

Teachers’ attitudes toward information and communication technologies: the case of Syrian EFL teachers

Based on the new technology initiative in Syrian education, this study explored the attitudes of high school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in Syria toward ICT. In addition, the study investigated the relationship between computer attitudes and five independent variables: computer attributes, cultural perceptions, computer competence, computer access, and personal characteristics (including computer training background). The findings suggest that teachers have positive attitudes toward ICT in education. Teachers’ attitudes were predicted by computer attributes, cultural perceptions and computer competence. The results point to the importance of teachers’ vision of technology itself, their experiences with it, and the cultural conditions that surround its introduction into schools in shaping their attitudes toward technology and its subsequent diffusion in their educational practice.     

Predicting older adults’ perceptions about a computer system designed for seniors

Although computer technology may be particularly useful for older adults (e.g., for communication and information access), they have been slower adopters than their younger counterparts. Perceptions about computers, such as perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, can pose barriers to acceptance and universal access (Davis in MIS Q 13(3):319–340, 1989). Therefore, understanding the precursors to these perceptions for older adult non-computer users may provide insight into the reasons for their non-adoption. The authors examined the relationship between perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of a computer interface designed for older users and demographic, technology experience, cognitive abilities, personality, and attitudinal variables in a sample of 300 non-computer-using adults between the ages 64 and 98, selected for being at high risk for social isolation. The strongest correlates of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were technology experience, personality dimensions of agreeableness and openness to experience, and attitudes. The emotional stability personality dimension was significantly correlated with perceived ease of use though not perceived usefulness. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that attitudes (i.e., self-efficacy, comfort, and interest) remained predictive of perceptions of usefulness and ease of use when technology experience and personality variables were accounted for. Given that attitudes are more malleable than other variables, such as demographic and cognitive abilities, these findings highlight the potential to increase technology acceptance through positive experiences, appropriate training, and educational campaigns about the benefits of computers and other technologies.     

Linking learning goals and educational resources through interactive concept map visualizations

Concept browsing interfaces can help educators and learners to locate and use learning resources that are aligned with recognized learning goals. The Strand Map Service enables users to navigate interactive visualizations of related learning goals and to request digital library resources aligned with learning goals. These interfaces are created using a programmatic Web service interface that dynamically generates interactive visual components. Preliminary findings suggest that these library interfaces appear to help users stay focused on the scientific content of their information discovery task, as opposed to focusing on the mechanics of searching.     

Neurophysiological correlates in interface design: An HCI perspective

Objective: The current study examines the changes in functional connectivity that occurs when expert users adapt to an alternate mapping. Background: Research has indicated that interfaces that are similar will result in more errors and may contribute to confusion. Methods: Six volunteers were recruited to determine the neurophysiological changes that occur when users are exposed to an alternate mapping once an internal mental model is formed. Results: The results indicated a change in synchronization after alterations to the button mappings occurred. By altering the layout or order of the task, a difference in the activation pattern was observed. New areas became synchronized while synchronized activity that was present in the developed internal model became desynchronized. Altering the complexity of the task resulted in different patterns of activation recorded on the quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG). Conclusion: Users often form a schema when learning a device and subsequent interactions are compared to the mental model formed during the initial learning phase. If the newer interface differs significantly a new schema is formed, resulting in a different pattern of synchronization recorded on the QEEG. Application: The use of this knowledge can assist in the development of new interfaces. If the intent is to create a similar interface design, the activation pattern should remain the same indicating that the old schema can be applied. An interface that displays a different cognitive pattern will indicate that a new schema was developed.     

A user-adaptive city guide system with an unobtrusive navigation interface

In this paper, we describe an intelligent location-aware city guide system, which adapts to each user’s preferences, and uses an intuitive “metal detector” interface for navigation. Our system analyzes each user’s past location data history to estimate individual preferences, and allows users to find shops that match their tastes in the same way a metal detector would be used to detect metal objects. The procedure with which the system picks out shops that match each user’s preferences includes a newly developed place learning algorithm, which can efficiently find frequented places, complete with their proper names (e.g. “The Ueno Royal Museum”). We have conducted a series of evaluation tests at a popular shopping district inside Tokyo, and the results validate the effectiveness of our overall approach.     

A new environment for education? The computer in the home

This paper derives from an interdisciplinary research project which is studying the engagement of young people with different aspects of techno-popular culture. The focus is on the young person and the significance of digital technologies in their lives as a whole. Drawing on cultural studies research we are investigating the ways in which the contexts for computer use are structured by the different discourses present within the family, and the ways in which these discourses may provide a framing context for children’s interactions with digital technology. Drawing on socio-cultural research we take the view that learning is learning to do something with a cultural or cognitive tool. Our analysis of data from case studies of 16 families shows that the context of home computer use amongst young people is far from a simple and uniform phenomenon and is structured by the different discourses present within the family. What young people learn through interaction with computers is thus as much framed by the context of use as by the affordance of the technology.     

A usability study on human–computer interface for middle-aged learners

“Usability” is considered to be inherent in human–computer interface because it expresses the relationship between end users and computer applications. In this paper, we conducted a study to examine the usability of human–computer interface for middle-aged learners in Taiwan. There are two phases contained in the study: (1) an elementary computer-training task, and (2) a usability analysis of human–computer interface. Making use of a questionnaire survey, correlation analysis, and the grey relational model, some user characteristics and learning behavior were derived. For example, regarding middle-aged learners, the usability of present mouse and monitor devices is preferable to that of the keyboard device and a Windows-based software interface. Educational level is the major factor influencing middle-aged learners’ use of computer interfaces. To unemployed middle-aged learners, more males than females were found to exhibit the phenomenon of computerphobia. The younger age learners show lower anxiety and hold more positive attitudes toward computer learning than the older-aged ones. Besides, the higher education learners hold much more positive expectation toward computer learning while the lower education learners pay more attention to their learning capability and deficiency.