Reading has long been acknowledged to be a critical skill that is best acquired early in life. According to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports, American public school children continue to struggle to master the basics of reading. Although federal funding in real dollars has increased consistently over time, reading scores have not followed suit, suggesting that fiscal resources have not been applied successfully to the variables that are directly related to reading acquisition and achievement. The current state of affairs therefore suggests the need for identifying a fiscally-targetable, instructionally-relevant variable with a direct, causal relationship to early-reading achievement. One way to determine whether such a relationship exists between two variables is by means of dose-response methodology. Although this methodology has not been broadly implemented in educational research, it is attractive because it allows for the formal characterization and comparison of cause-effect relationships, and may also inform practice in readily implementable ways. Researchers have noted that time spent learning (TSL), and in particular academic learning time (ALT), is a promising candidate for a dose-response relationship with student achievement in early reading. Although ALT holds promise, there have traditionally been significant difficulties in operationalizing and quantifying it. The growing prevalence of academic software in the American public classroom holds promise for overcoming these challenges and provides an opportunity to test the hypothesis that there is a dose-response relationship between ALT and student achievement in early reading.

Due to the rapid proliferation of the World Wide Web (WWW) in recent years, many educators are now seeking to improve the effectiveness of their instruction by providing interactive, web-based course material to their students. The purpose of this thesis is to document a set of eight online learning modules created to improve the effectiveness of learning the fundamentals of Computer Science. The modules are as follows: • <A HREF="http://courses.cs.vt.edu/csonline/Algorithms/Lessons/index.html">Algorithms</A> - Definition and specification of algorithms, with a comparison and analysis of several sorting algorithms as examples. • <A HREF="http://courses.cs.vt.edu/csonline/AI/Lessons/index.html">Artificial Intelligence</A> - Overview of current applications in this discipline. • <A HREF="http://courses.cs.vt.edu/csonline/DataStructures/Lessons/index.html">Data Structures</A> - Explanation of basic data structures, including an introduction to computer memory and pointers, and a comparison of logical and physical representations of commonly used data structures. • <A HREF="http://courses.cs.vt.edu/csonline/MachineArchitecture/Lessons/index.html">Machine Architecture</A> - Explanation of data storage, gates and circuits, and the central processing unit. • <A HREF="http://courses.cs.vt.edu/csonline/NumberSystems/Lessons/index.html">Number Systems</A> - Discussion of number representation and arithmetic in number systems other than the decimal number system, with a focus on binary numbers and binary arithmetic. • <A HREF="http://courses.cs.vt.edu/csonline/OS/Lessons/index.html">Operating Systems</A> - Explanation of the purpose of operating systems and the major components that make up an operating system. • <A HREF="http://courses.cs.vt.edu/csonline/ProgrammingLanguages/Lessons/index.html">Programming Languages</A> - Explanation of the fundamental concepts in procedural programming languages. • <A HREF="http://courses.cs.vt.edu/csonline/SE/Lessons/index.html">Software Engineering</A> - Introduction to software life cycle models and an overview of the procedural and object-oriented paradigms. Each module consists of a set of lessons and review questions written in HyperText Markup Language (HTML). Embedded in these pages are various interactive components implemented as Flash animations or Java applets. The modules currently reside on the Computer Science courseware server of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) and can be viewed at the following WWW site: <A HREF="http://courses.cs.vt.edu/csonline/index.html">http://courses.cs.vt.edu/csonline/</A> / Master of Science

This is a report on research regarding the screen layout of Web-based training (WBT) programs, conducted with an eye toward providing evidence-based guidance for the design and development of WBT interfaces. Specifically, the study investigated the relative instructional benefits of two general types of WBT screen design, full-page and partial-page, in terms of both learner performance and learner satisfaction. The main hypotheses of the study were that the full-page design option would yield significantly better outcomes in both categories of interest.The study employed a mixed-method design, generating both quantitative and qualitative data. The main phase of the study was experimental, following a factorial design to explore the relationships between a single treatment variable (WBT screen design) in two treatment conditions (partial-page WBT design and full-page WBT design) and two dependent variables (learner performance and learner satisfaction). Both a full-page and a partial-page version of the same Web-based tutorial were created, and 129 self-selected undergraduate students who reported having little or no experience with the tutorial subject matter were randomly assigned into the two treatment groups. Performance data were collected as scores on the tutorial's 18-item, multiple choice final exam, and satisfaction data were collected via a 10-item satisfaction survey. In addition, 59 of the study participants were randomly selected to participate in post-study session interviews.The results of the study yielded no significant difference between the two treatment groups for either learner performance or learner satisfaction; thus, making it impossible to reject the null hypothesis for either of the two primary research questions. The conclusion of this study was that the presence or absence of scrolling alone is not a significant factor either in how well a person performs in a WBT program or how satisfied they are with the learning experience . However, while analysis of the post-study session interview data supported this conclusion, the fact that a large majority of the interviewees stated a preference for the full-page, non-scrolling WBT interface design suggests that some elements inherent in the full-page design might warrant further consideration and/or study.

Instructional Design (ID) ontology can be used to formally represent knowledge about the teaching and learning process, which contributes to automatic construction of personalised eLearning experiences. While ID ontologies have been continuously improved and developed over recent years, there are concerns regarding what makes a quality ID ontology. This study proposes a framework for evaluating the quality of an ID ontology by synthesising the crucial elements considered in the ID ontologies developed to date. The framework would allow a more precise evaluation of different ID ontologies, by demonstrating the quality of each ontology with respect to the set of crucial elements that arise from the ontology. This study also gives an overview of the literature on ID ontology, as well as the implications for future research in this area.

Throughout the past twenty-five years the process of designing and manufacturing a product has been revolutionized by the integration of Computer Aided Design (CAD). Although three-dimensional solid modeling, or 3-D CAD offers a better representation of the product in a virtual environment, it can be complicated and difficult to learn. Tutorials have been developed to assist manufacturing tool design student in the learning of 3-D CAD principles as they apply to tool design. This study seeks to test the effectiveness of those tutorials. A BYU tool design class was divided into two groups according to their assigned laboratory time. The experimental group used the tutorials in their lab assignments. The other group acted as the control group for the study and did not use the tutorial in their lab assignments. Both groups took a pre-evaluation quiz and three short quizzes throughout the semester to test how well they had learned the software. The short quizzes included ten written answers and a small design project. The answers to the quizzes were graded and the students recorded the time it took to complete the design project. This data was analyzed statistically using an ANCOVA model. The student who used the tutorials performed better on the written answer section of the quizzes. This was proven to be statistically significant. There was no significance difference, however, in the time it took students to complete the design projects on each quiz. It was concluded from this data that the tutorials were effective teaching 3-D CAD principles to tool design students.

This study was designed to examine computer based instruction in the 9-12 public high school. All high schools included in the study were part of the original Digital High School grants, and had a student population of over 1000 students. The purposes of the study were to examine factors affecting technology implementation, to explore how teacher attitudes, expertise, and cultural and pedagogical beliefs affected adoption, to determine how critical staff development and resources were in successful implementation, and to investigate organizational variables that were in place for successful adoption of computer based instruction. The study was conducted using Everett Rogers' five stages of the innovation-decision process. Nine technology coordinators were interviewed for this study. Following the interviews, 13 categories emerged and a grounded theory was formed. The study concluded with five recommendations for practitioners who would like to successfully implement technology on their school sites.

Σκοπός της μελέτης ήταν η ανάπτυξη και αξιολόγηση ενός προγράμματος πολυμέσων για την εκμάθηση των φυσικών αρχών της μαγνητικής τομογραφίας από μεταπτυχιακούς φοιτητές της Ιατρικής Φυσικής του Πανεπιστημίου της Πάτρας. Η ανάπτυξη του εκπαιδευτικού προγράμματος έγινε με την χρήση κατάλληλου προγράμματος συγγραφής πολυμέσων. Δεκαοχτώ μεταπτυχιακοί φοιτητές της Ιατρικής Φυσικής κατατάχτηκαν τυχαία σε δύο ομάδες, την ομάδα των υπολογιστών και την ομάδα του βιβλίου. Όλοι οι συμμετέχοντες αξιολογήθηκαν με ένα τεστ με ερωτήσεις πολλαπλής επιλογής 2 εβδομάδες πριν την αρχή των παραδόσεων, στο τέλος των παραδόσεων και ένα μήνα μετά το τέλος των παραδόσεων. Επιπλέον συμπλήρωσαν ερωτηματολόγια για την αξιολόγηση των στάσεων και πεποιθήσεων τους σχετικά με την χρήση υπολογιστών στην εκπαίδευση. Οι βαθμολογίες των δύο ομάδων συγκρίθηκαν με την βοήθεια της στατιστικής δοκιμασίας ANOVA. Το εκπαιδευτικό πρόγραμμα που αναπτύχτηκε αποτελείται από 6 ενότητες για την διδασκαλία πολύπλοκων φυσικών αρχών MRI με την βοήθεια animation. Κάθε ενότητα περιλαμβάνει ένα τεστ και οι επιδόσεις των χρηστών μπορούν να καταγραφούν και να αναλυθούν με ένα ξεχωριστό πρόγραμμα. Στην ενότητα που χρησιμοποιήθηκε για την αξιολόγηση οι φοιτητές της ομάδας με τους υπολογιστές πέτυχαν στατιστικά υψηλότερους βαθμούς (Μ=80.5, SD=9.4) από τους σπουδαστές με το βιβλίο (M=61.3, SD=12.5, p=.003). Επιπλέον οι φοιτητές των υπολογιστών φαίνεται να εκτιμούν περισσότερο την εκμάθηση μέσω της χρήσης υπολογιστών συγκριτικά με τους σπουδαστές της ομάδας του βιβλίου (p=.230). Οι απόψεις των φοιτητών για την επέκταση της χρήσης των πολυμέσων στην ιατρική φυσική εστιάζονται σε θέματα σχετικά με τα κίνητρα, τις εκπαιδευτικές δυνατότητες και την αξία του περιεχομένου. Τα αναφερθέντα μειονεκτήματα ήταν ελάχιστα, και ήταν επικεντρωμένα κυρίως σε τεχνικά θέματα και σε μαθησιακές δυσκολίες. Η εκπαίδευση με χρήση πολυμέσων είναι χρήσιμη και επικουρική μέθοδος για την εκμάθηση των φυσικών αρχών MRI από μεταπτυχιακούς φοιτητές. Η παρούσα μελέτη έδειξε ότι η χρήση κατάλληλων προγραμμάτων πολυμέσων βελτιώνει την κατανόηση πολύ περισσότερο συγκριτικά με παραδοσιακές μεθόδους μάθησης. / The objectives of this study were to develop and evaluate an interactive multimedia computer based instructional package in MRI physics and to provide first year medical physics postgraduate students of University of Patras with an interactive means of self-study and self-evaluation. An authoring system was used to develop the courseware package. Eighteen postgraduate medical physics students were prospectively, randomly assigned to receive instruction on the same topic from a textbook and an interactive computer module. Participants were evaluated by a multiple choice test 2 weeks before the lectures, at the end of the lectures and by a retention test 1 month after the end. They also completed questionnaires to elicit their attitudes toward the two instructional methods. Mean test scores of the textbook and computer groups were compared by means of analysis of variance. The developed MRI program is a suite of 6 interactive modules designed to dynamically teach complex MRI concepts using media-rich animations. All modules include a quiz and since patterns of use by student can be recorded a Log Decryption utility and a Log Reader utility was also developed. The tested module demonstrated that students in the computer group (M=80.5, SD=9.4) scored significantly higher on their post-test when compared with the textbook group (M=61.3, SD=12.5, p=.003). Furthermore students in the computer group seem to appreciate multimedia modules more compared to textbook students (p=.003). There were no differences noted between method of instruction and learner satisfaction (p=.230). Students’ rationale for expanding the use of multimedia in physics education seemed to focus on issues concerning motivation, instructional capabilities and content value. The disadvantages reported were few, their prevalence considerably small, especially after the intervention and were mostly focused on technical issues and some difficulties in learning. Computer aided instruction is a useful and effective aid for teaching MRI principles to postgraduate students. The study demonstrated that the inclusion of properly designed multimedia modules enhance conceptual understanding far more than do traditional methods.

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Τα σύγχρονα πληροφοριακά συστήματα μάθησης τα οποία υποστηρίζουν εξ’ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευση, επιτρέπουν τη συστηματική διαχείριση του εκπαιδευτικού υλικού και υποστηρίζουν τις εκπαιδευτικές διαδικασίες των μαθημάτων. Τα συστήματα αυτά έχουν λειτουργικότητες όπως: η ανάρτηση ψηφιακού υλικού, η διεξαγωγή συζητήσεων, η ανάρτηση ασκήσεων-εργασιών, η πραγματοποίηση εξετάσεων και πολλές άλλες. Στόχος της συγκεκριμένης εργασίας είναι η διερεύνηση του χώρου των συστημάτων μάθησης τα οποία υποστηρίζουν εξ’ αποστάσεως εκπαίδευση καθώς επίσης και η παρουσίαση και η εφαρμογή μεθόδου αξιολόγησης τους, αξιολογώντας τα συστήματα σύμφωνα με μια λίστα λειτουργικών απαιτήσεων. Στο 1ο κεφάλαιο της διπλωματικής εργασίας γίνεται μια περιγραφή των βασικών εννοιών της εξ’αποστάσεως εκπαίδευσης καθώς επίσης και έννοιες που αφορούν τα συστήματα υποστήριξης μάθησης όπως:CBT, VLE, LMS, LCMS, CMS, Mobile Learning. Στο 2ο κεφάλαιο γίνεται μια επισκόπηση του χώρου των Συστημάτων Μάθησης Learning Course Management Systems (LCMS). Συγκεκριμένα γίνεται μία καταγραφή των χαρακτηριστικών των πιο δημοφιλών συστημάτων τόσο των εμπορικών όσο και των συστημάτων ανοικτού κώδικα με τη χρήση ενός κοινού template όπου καταγράφονται τα εξής στοιχεία: Κατασκευαστής, Σύντομη περιγραφή Λογισμικού, Πλεονεκτήματα (Δυνατά Σημεία ), Μειονεκτήματα (Αδυναμίες, Ελλείψεις), Πελατολόγιο, Τρέχουσα Έκδοση έτσι ώστε να μπορεί κάποιος εύκολα να τα συγκρίνει και να τα αξιολογήσει. Στο 3ο κεφάλαιο πραγματοποιείται ανάλυση απαιτήσεων ενός σύγχρονου συστήματος μάθησης έτσι ώστε να μπορεί να εφαρμοστεί η μεθοδολογία αξιολόγησης σε μια λίστα από χαρακτηριστικά-απαιτήσεις για τα συστήματα που παρουσιάζονται στο κεφάλαιο 2. Στο 4ο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζεται η μεθοδολογία Αξιολόγησης των συστημάτων μάθησης η οποία στηρίζεται στη θεωρία της ασαφούς λογικής. Η συγκεκριμένη μεθοδολογία εφαρμόστηκε σαν μελέτη περίπτωσης για την αξιολόγηση συστημάτων εκπαιδευτικών δραστηριοτήτων προκειμένου να βρεθεί το πλέον κατάλληλο σύστημα για τις ανάγκες του Ελληνικού Ανοικτού Πανεπιστημίου. Τέλος στο κεφάλαιο 5 πραγματοποιείται η εφαρμογή της μεθοδολογίας αξιολόγησης μεταξύ των συστημάτων μάθησης και παρουσιάζονται τα αποτελέσματα- συμπεράσματα που εξάγονται από την εφαρμογή της μεθόδου ενώ στο τελευταίο κεφάλαιο (6ο ) παρουσιάζονται τα συμπεράσματα της εργασίας. / Modern learning information systems are designed to support distance education and have many features to support learning sequence such as: management of educational material, tools for uploading projects in several kinds (documents, multimedia files), many kinds of quizzes, grades management, forums, reports wiz and many others. The aim of this master thesis is the investigation of available learning course management systems(LCMS), requirements analysis for LCMS and presentation and implementation of an evaluation methodology for LCMS based on a requirements list. In the first chapter of this thesis, we describe the basic concepts and definitions of e-Learning, as well as concepts relating to learning support systems such as: CBT(Computer Based Training), VLE(Virtual Learning Environment), LMS(Learning Management Systems), LCMS(Learning Course Management Systems), CMS (Course Management Systems), Mobile Learning etc. The second chapter contains an investigation in the area of Learning Course Management Systems (LCMS). We used a common template in order to describe the features of the most popular LCMS (either Open Source or Commercial). The template contains features like: Small Description of any LCMS (Software Manufacturer and History, Active Users and Installations, Database Requirements, Web Server, Manufacturer Clients, Current Stable Version), Strengths of the Software, Weaknesses of the Software, Available Mobile Version. This features have been chosen in order to become easy the comparison and after that the evaluation of the systems. The third chapter contains requirements analysis of a modern learning course management system so that the evaluation methodology can be applied to a specified list of features-requirements for the systems presented in chapter 2. In the fourth chapter there is the presentation of the evaluation methodology which uses a multicriteria technical analysis which belongs to the field of methods of Multi-Criteria Group-based Decision Making Techniques, while uses methods of (intuitionistic) fuzzy logic. This method exports the results using a technique TOPSIS(Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution). In this chapter there is the theoretical description of the methodology which has been implemented as a case study for evaluating learning management systems in order to find the most suitable system for the needs of the Hellenic Open University(HOU). In Chapter 5 we will find the implementation steps of the methodology in order to exclude the most suitable LCMS for HOU and the final results(list of Systems). We will also find the conclusions of the implementation of this method. Finally the last chapter (6th) presents the final conclusions of the whole thesis and the added value this thesis offers in this field of research .