Double‐fading support — a training approach to complex software systems

Abstract A new approach to software training is presented, the so‐called Double‐Fading Support (DFS) approach. According to this approach, which is based on Carroll's training‐wheels idea and on cognitive theories of skill acquisition, two types of user support when learning to use a complex software system — locking the software's functionality and detailed guidance — are faded out gradually during the training course, so that the learners are able to use the complex software with minimal instructional support at the end of the training. Two 30‐hour training experiments with two different CAD software systems and CAD‐inexperienced university students were conducted. The results of Experiment 1 with 88 participants indicate the effectiveness of the DFS‐approach for CAD software with a deeply structured menu system. Participants working with the initially reduced software outperformed participants of the full software functionality group; additionally, participants of the slowly faded guidance group outperformed participants receiving medium, fast or no fading of guidance at all. Results of Experiment 2 with 120 participants, however, indicate less effectiveness of the DFS‐approach for an icon‐based CAD software in which most of relevant functions are permanently visible to the user. It seems that the two factors (fading out the locking of software's functionality and fading out detailed guidance) overcompensate each other.     

IT in post-graduate teacher training

Abstract  The IT capabilities expected of all students training to be teachers are now laid down in government guidelines but time on one year postgraduate courses is limited. It is therefore important to be aware of the IT skills that students bring with them to help develop the courses on offer. A questionnaire survey of nearly 400 PGCE primary and secondary students was completed for a 1989/90 cohort. This study set out to find what prior IT experience students brought with them, and what they perceived as their IT training needs. Two thirds of these students were found to have little experience of using computers either at home, school, college or work, and there was a very low level of experience of some of the more high priority National Curriculum software packages (e.g. electronic communications, modelling software, control software). Most students gave high training priority to learning how computers can be used in teaching. These results are discussed in relation to other surveys of IT in teacher education, and the implications for PGCE course development.     

Self-regulated learning strategies and software training

We investigated one aspect of the growing trend towards self-management within organizations by examining the learning processes that individuals use when learning computer software alone in a web-based training environment, and found that individuals learn in different ways. Software training in any context requires individuals to apply self-regulated learning strategies to achieve their learning objectives. Self-regulated learning strategies are the processes that they use to manage their own learning. As self-guided training gains popularity, self-regulated learning strategies become increasingly important, because the learner typically has more control of their training. We found that self-regulated learning strategies led to better outcomes in our study of managers and professionals learning to use an ERP system. We also gained insights into the most popular learning strategies. This work enhanced our understanding of user processes when learning computer software. It should assist organizations in maximizing the return from their investment in training employees and managing knowledge.     

The role of self‐explanation in learning to use a spreadsheet through examples

Abstract This papers describes an exploratory study into the early phase of getting to know end‐user software during which users make use of a variety of information resources, including the user interface/program itself, manuals, on‐line help, examples provided in the manuals and other sources. In particular, how do novices make use of the worked‐out examples often provided in manuals and during training? Building on earlier research on the self‐explanation effect, thinking aloud data from 10 participants were analysed to see how examples were studied and how they were used during problem solving. Important effects of self‐explaining comparable to findings in other domains were found in this study. For instance, those participants who self‐explain with the goal to discover meaning prove to be better problem solvers than those who do not self‐explain or who focus more on syntactical aspects of examples.     

Open source software: The effects of training on acceptance

Open Source Software (OSS) is an alternative to proprietary software. It is growing in popularity, which has brought about an increase in research interest. Most of the research studies have focused on identifying individual personal motives for participating in the development of an OSS project, analyzing specific solutions, or the OSS movement, itself. No studies have been found which have undertaken research on the impact of user experience and training on OSS. The study reported here sought to identify factors that predict acceptance of technologies based on OSS after training in these solutions. A research model based on the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989) was developed. Furthermore, the possible moderating effects of users’ gender, age and level of education were analyzed. It was found that external determinants such as user training, user fit, technological complexity and trainers’ support were important indicators in the success of adopting these solutions.     

Self‐efficacy,learning method appropriation and software skills acquisition in learner‐controlled CSSTS environments

A computer‐simulated software training system (CSSTS) delivers a specific form of computer‐based training in which participants are allowed to select various training features within a simulated software environment. Given the growing use of these systems as end‐user training (EUT) aids, there is a need for greater understanding of how participants use these systems, as well as whether participant‐controlled learning environments are truly effective. The present research examines how a particular learner characteristic, software self‐efficacy, drives appropriation in a high learner control, CSSTS environment. Contrary to notions in the literature, results from spreadsheet and database software training courses reveal that pre‐training specific software self‐efficacy constitutes a significant, negative predictor of faithful appropriations of the CSSTS. This research also establishes a positive relationship between faithful appropriation and increases in software self‐efficacy (SSE). In essence, faithful appropriations lead to greater increases in SSE, which influences software skills performance. In addition, the research validates prior EUT research by extending prior findings to a database training environment. A psychometrically sound measure is put forth to capture database self‐efficacy.     

Adaptive training interfaces for less-experienced,elderly users of electronic devices

A great number of complex electronic devices are now part of our everyday lives. While many of us learn to handle these products by trial and error; others, especially older users with little experience in using electronic devices, need support. In order to allow the user maximum flexibility in terms of learning time and location, a training programme is presented which is implemented as part of the software embedded in the product itself. Particular focus is placed on the effect of adaptive training on learning. In this study, the training versions differed in their ability to adjust their complexity to the user's experience (adaptive user interface complexity) and their capability to support the learner by prompting them during the learning process (adaptive training advice). The results show that the adjustment of complexity had a positive effect on users’ experience: elderly users who trained with an adaptive interface were more successful in learning to use a mobile phone. Adaptive training advice, however, was found to have no significant effects on learners’ success and reduced their self-efficacy. This work offers guidelines on how to design integrated training applications for electronic devices that successfully help elderly users with little prior experience.     

Exploring mobile tablet training for road safety: A uses and gratifications perspective

Traffic injuries are predicted to be the fifth leading cause of death and injury by 2030 if no further action is taken. Generation Y, who are growing up with technology and Internet, are among the most vulnerable road users, so it is crucial to provide effective road safety training for them. In the light of the Uses and Gratification Theory (U&G), we propose a conceptual research model to measure how users' different needs and gratifications with mobile technologies impact their learning outcomes. A field study with 182 young drivers who participated in a mobile road safety training program was conducted just before they took their license exam on site. A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was utilized to test the research model. Perceived information needs, user preference, and innovativeness were found to have significant mediating relationships with user perceived multimedia enjoyment, and effectively promoted higher-order learning outcomes. The discussion focuses on the importance of designing multimedia content with the latest mobile technologies to effectively engage young users.     

A data mining technique for discovering distinct patterns of hand signs: implications in user training and computer interface design

Hand signs are considered as one of the important ways to enter information into computers for certain tasks. Computers receive sensor data of hand signs for recognition. When using hand signs as computer inputs, we need to (1) train computer users in the sign language so that their hand signs can be easily recognized by computers, and (2) design the computer interface to avoid the use of confusing signs for improving user input performance and user satisfaction. For user training and computer interface design, it is important to have a knowledge of which signs can be easily recognized by computers and which signs are not distinguishable by computers. This paper presents a data mining technique to discover distinct patterns of hand signs from sensor data. Based on these patterns, we derive a group of indistinguishable signs by computers. Such information can in turn assist in user training and computer interface design.     

Experience report: evolution of a web‐integrated software development and verification environment

This paper summarizes our experiences over the last 4 years in creating a web‐integrated software development and verification environment. The environment has been used for both research experimentation and education. It has been used in undergraduate computer science courses to teach modular software development and analytical reasoning principles at multiple institutions. In the process, the environment has undergone many refinements to meet demands for improved functionality and to leverage rapidly changing underlying technology for the improvements. The environment is tailored to present formal specifications and alternative implementations of components, and enable correctness checking through a server‐side verifying compiler. This paper presents a detailed account of the development and evolution of the environment—its functionality, user interface, and underlying technology—that we hope will serve as a model for others, especially as the benefits of online learning systems are becoming increasingly obvious. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The development of an educational computing course for initial training of primary teachers

Abstract Current literature in educational computing concentrates on the creation of better software and more in-service training to maintain the impetus in the use of microcomputers in the classroom. This approach often ignores the vital role to be played by educational computing courses in initial teacher training, the content of which is much under-researched. This paper outlines the development of one such course at La Sainte Union College of Higher Education, in which the student teachers were asked to work at an early stage with groups of children using micro-computers. The results are very encouraging and specific conclusions are presented and discussed. These may be of interest to others involved with formulating policy and the provision of new technology courses in initial teacher training.     

Educational interface agents as social models to influence learner achievement,attitude and retention of learning

This study examined the impacts of educational interface agents with different attributes on achievement, attitude and retention of elementary school students in their science and technology courses. The study was implemented in four different eighth- grade classes (aged 13–14) of an elementary school. Four different types of educational software, covering living things and life unit of 8th graders, were developed to analyze the impacts of educational software agents with different attributes on the results of learning. The study was conducted according to experimental model with pretest and posttest control group, which is one of the quasi-experimental designs. For five consecutive weeks experimental and control group students used the software designed for this research. The students were asked to fill an attitude scale on science and technology both before and after the implementation. And following completion, an achievement test was applied. The results of the study revealed that students who used a human-like educational interface agent were more successful than both the rest of the experimental groups and the control group in terms of achievement, attitude and retention of learning in science and technology classes. It is also revealed that the software to be developed for elementary school 8th graders (aged 13–14) should be supported with human-like educational interface agents.     

Training in virtual environments: transfer to real world tasks and equivalence to real task training

Virtual environments (VEs) are extensively used in training but there have been few rigorous scientific investigations of whether and how skills learned in a VE are transferred to the real world. This research aimed to measure and evaluate what is transferring from training a simple sensorimotor task in a VE to real world performance. In experiment 1, real world performances after virtual training, real training and no training were compared. Virtual and real training resulted in equivalent levels of post-training performance, both of which significantly exceeded task performance without training. Experiments 2 and 3 investigated whether virtual and real trained real world performances differed in their susceptibility to cognitive and motor interfering tasks (experiment 2) and in terms of spare attentional capacity to respond to stimuli and instructions which were not directly related to the task (experiment 3). The only significant difference found was that real task performance after training in a VE was less affected by concurrently performed interference tasks than was real task performance after training on the real task. This finding is discussed in terms of the cognitive load characteristics of virtual training. Virtual training therefore resulted in equivalent or even better real world performance than real training in this simple sensorimotor task, but this finding may not apply to other training tasks. Future research should be directed towards establishing a comprehensive knowledge of what is being transferred to real world performance in other tasks currently being trained in VEs and investigating the equivalence of virtual and real trained performances in these situations.     

Evaluation of two types of online help for application software

Abstract A recent trend in application software design is to extend online help systems in order to support exploratory and self‐paced learning. Two different information formats, lists of action steps that have to be taken to achieve a goal (operative help) and explanations about how a function works (function‐oriented help), were evaluated to assess their effects on learning performance. In two experiments, adult computer novices (N = 60 and N = 20) learned to use experimental graphics software by task‐based exploration. After one half of the tasks, the type of tasks changed so that the acquired action schema could no longer be applied. Results indicated that participants who had access to function‐oriented help were coping more successfully with the schema change than participants who received operative help. The relevance to the design of software training and online help systems is discussed.     

Evaluating mobile apps for breathing training: The effectiveness of visualization

Deep and slow breathing exercises can be an effective adjunct in the treatment of stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain and depression. Breathing techniques are traditionally learned in courses with trainers and/or with materials such as audio CDs for home practice. Recently, mobile apps have been proposed as novel breathing training tools, but to the best of our knowledge no research has focused on their evaluation so far. In this paper, we study three different designs for breathing training apps. The first employs audio instructions as in traditional training based on audio CDs, while the other two include visualizations of the breathing process, representative of those employed in current breathing training apps. We carry out a thorough analysis, focusing on users’ physiological parameters as well as subjective perception. One visualization produces better results both objectively (measured deepness of breath) and subjectively (users’ preferences and perceived effectiveness) than the more traditional audio-only design. This indicates that a visualization can contribute to the effectiveness of breathing training apps. We discuss which features could have allowed one visualization (but not the other) to obtain better results than traditional audio-only instructions.     

The effects of cooperative training and ability grouping on microcomputer learning

A total of 276 subjects from Grades 5 and 6 participated in a study investigating the effects of cooperative training and ability grouping on microcomputer learning. Approximately half the sample underwent three half-hour sessions of cooperative training prior to microcomputer learning. Cooperative training included social cohesion techniques such as team-building and self-evaluation, while positive interdependence was also built into the design. In addition, subjects were divided into either homogeneous or heterogeneous ability groups. During five half-hour sessions, subjects worked in groups of four on both a drill-and-practice and a tutorial software program. Results on four measures of achievement did not strongly support the effects of cooperative training or ability grouping on microcomputer learning. Where there are significant findings, the results are mixed, reflecting the ambivalent nature of results in other work in the area. Significantly, mixed-ability groupings did not have any particularly debilitating effects on either high or low ability subjects. Results are discussed in light of the motivationalist and cognitive-developmental positions concerning group learning, and implications for future research are proposed.     

A survey of the training of computer users in Swedish companies

This study concerns how user training on newly introduced computer application programs is carried out. Questionnaire data from the computer managers of 265 Swedish companies were analysed. The results show that formal training, i.e., teacher-directed group instruction, and self-studies using instruction manuals represented nearly two-thirds of all reported training forms. For the most recently introduced program, classes (group instruction) with simultaneous computer exercises was the form of formal training that was nearly always used. When formal training was given it was compulsory in over half of the cases. However, substitutes for users attending a training course were only provided by the company in very few of these cases. The implications of these findings for effective user training are discussed.     

Mobile learning in teacher training

Abstract  This paper describes a mobile learning project, where mobile devices are used for educational activities. The main focus of this paper is teacher training. Experiences on the use of mobile technology and how it was used in teacher training, especially how trainees and supervising teachers felt about it, are presented. The pilot study was carried out at the Department of Home Economics and Craft Science in University of Helsinki. The idea of the pilot was that the supervising teacher and trainee students could discus and share their ideas about teaching methods through the mobile device and use of a short message service (SMS) and digital pictures as a part of the supervising process. The use of digital pictures which were delivered via the mobile device proved to be surprisingly successful. The goal of these innovative pilot projects is to create flexible teaching solutions, which will enable access to information using different devices, and support learning in a variety of situations.