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The present study investigated the effects of providing subtitles and taking enotes on cognitive load and performance. A total of 73 English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) undergraduates learned brain anatomy and cognitive functions through multimedia programs. We used a 2 (subtitle/no) x 2 (taking enotes/no) factorial design to test the following: (1) if cognitive demand would vary among different groups, and (2) if providing subtitles or taking enotes would facilitate learning. Four versions of multimedia materials had exactly the same content and differed only in the availability of subtitles or enote functions. The enote tool was designed for effective note-taking with regard to video/animation, making it possible to directly link notes to a specific scene. The results indicated that animation with subtitles groups help reduce cognitive load and increase performance. No significant differences were found in either cognitive load or post-performance for those who learned with or without taking enotes. Although previous studies suggest subtitles may lead to a split-attention effect for native learners, we found a dual-coding effect (or reverse split-attention effect) for EFL learners.

Although research has identified the importance of interaction behaviors in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), very few attempts have been made to carry out in-depth analysis of interaction behaviors. This study thus applies both qualitative (e.g., content analyses, interviews) and quantitative methods in an attempt to investigate the role of interaction behaviors (i.e., cooperative processes, cognitive involvement) in group motivation (i.e., collective efficacy) and group performance in CSCL. A total of 35 college students generated 387 cooperative processes and 421 cognitive ideas during the collaborative process over six weeks. The results indicated that the quality of interaction behaviors was positively related to CSCL performance. High performance groups were more involved in complex cooperative processes, and expressed more cognitive ideas at both high and low cognitive levels than low performance groups. For the role of interaction in collective efficacy, the quantity rather than quality of interaction behaviors played a more critical role in constructing collective efficacy. High efficacy groups had more cooperative processes and cognitive ideas than low collective efficacy groups. The interviews also revealed that group interaction played a mediating role in constructing collective efficacy. For the role of collective efficacy in group performance, the results also show that the high efficacy groups performed better than the low efficacy groups. Implications and suggestions for future research are also provided.

Image searches are now crucial for obtaining information, constructing knowledge, and building successful educational outcomes. We investigated how reading ability and Internet experience influence keyword-based image search behaviors and performance. We categorized 58 junior-high-school students into four groups of high/low reading ability and frequent/infrequent Internet usage. Participants used Google Image to complete four tasks: finding four images that match four given sentences. The results indicate that reading ability exerted a stronger influence than Internet experience on most search behaviors and performance. Positive relations were found between search performance and two behavior indicators of search outcome evaluation. Students with better reading ability tended to use/revise appropriate keywords, as well as evaluate/select images that matched multiple aspects of the task descriptions. Students with low reading ability/frequent Internet experience tended to enter a single keyword and carelessly select images, while those with low reading ability/infrequent Internet experience tended to use improper keywords and were unskillful in handling search engines. Combined, our results show that successful keyword-based image searches are strongly dependent on reading ability and search result evaluation skills.

The authors describe their design for an Internet-based learning environment called BeyondShare in which students are encouraged to gain a deep understanding of the learning material, reflect on the quality of individual constructions through sharing and peer evaluation, and synthesize cross-unit knowledge by integrating self- and peer-produced constructions. A sharing typology may consist of basic sharing, sharing with notification, sharing with feedback, or sharing with interaction. BeyondShare distinguishes itself by combining sharing activities with task structuring and cooperation/competition to achieve active learning. A formal evaluation of BeyondShare was performed with a class of 34 college students who created concept maps for a computer programming language and who were encouraged to become active learners by exchanging roles throughout the experiment. Evaluation results indicate that the students viewed BeyondShare as an easy-to-use environment that motivated them toward comprehensive knowledge integration by sharing construction products with their peers. Potential activities and suggested modifications are discussed. (Contains 4 figures and 6 tables.)

This study focuses on the design of several social agents that are intended to collect the self-reflections of learners while learners are immersed in simulation activities for knowledge building. The design of the agents follows 5W principles and seeks to encourage learners to expend mental effort upon multi-faceted learning and self-reflection. Using semantic networks, we developed dialogue lines for reflection-prompting agents. We analyzed the participants' answers using natural language processing technology to classify the sentences into positive and negative rankings. A preliminary field study with 117 high school students was conducted over three weeks to test the effects of agent-prompted self-reflection. The results demonstrated that 96% and 62% of participants separately completed the first and the second simulation activities (including the agent-prompted self-reflections respectively). Those who did not finish the activities were generally limited by time restrictions rather than a lack of motivation, as the participants typically considered the interactions with the agents to be interesting. The self-reflections elicited through the agent interviews were consistent with the reflections obtained from paper-pencil questionnaires and appeared to be stable over time. Future study, including investigations using a randomized experimental design with a control group, is needed to fully assess the effects of agent-prompted self-reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image searches are now crucial for obtaining information, constructing knowledge, and building successful educational outcomes. We investigated how reading ability and Internet experience influence keyword-based image search behaviors and performance. We categorized 58 junior-high-school students into four groups of high/low reading ability and frequent/infrequent Internet usage. Participants used Google Image to complete four tasks: finding four images that match four given sentences. The results indicate that reading ability exerted a stronger influence than Internet experience on most search behaviors and performance. Positive relations were found between search performance and two behavior indicators of search outcome evaluation. Students with better reading ability tended to use/revise appropriate keywords, as well as evaluate/select images that matched multiple aspects of the task descriptions. Students with low reading ability/frequent Internet experience tended to enter a single keyword and carelessly select images, while those with low reading ability/infrequent Internet experience tended to use improper keywords and were unskillful in handling search engines. Combined, our results show that successful keyword-based image searches are strongly dependent on reading ability and search result evaluation skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors describe their design for an Internet-based learning environment called BeyondShare in which students are encouraged to gain a deep understanding of the learning material, reflect on the quality of individual constructions through sharing and peer evaluation, and synthesize cross-unit knowledge by integrating self- and peer-produced constructions. A sharing typology may consist of basic sharing, sharing with notification, sharing with feedback, or sharing with interaction. BeyondShare distinguishes itself by combining sharing activities with task structuring and cooperation/competition to achieve active learning. A formal evaluation of BeyondShare was performed with a class of 34 college students who created concept maps for a computer programming language and who were encouraged to become active learners by exchanging roles throughout the experiment. Evaluation results indicate that the students viewed BeyondShare as an easy-to-use environment that motivated them toward comprehensive knowledge integration by sharing construction products with their peers. Potential activities and suggested modifications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]