There has been little or no research on the use of a Learning Object in the field of religious studies. The purpose of this research study was to assess undergraduate student knowledge gain outcomes between instructor-provided and learner-directed methods, which is the independent variable, using asynchronous, online, narrated PowerPoint presentations compared to undergraduate student knowledge gain using an online learning-objects unit, in a college-level world religions survey course at St. Petersburg College. This study assessed undergraduate student knowledge gain outcomes between instructor-provided and learner-directed methods among 90 college undergraduate students and determined whether there was a significant difference in the knowledge gain of students, a difference by gender, age, and major, in studying a unit of Jainism online in a world religions survey course using either a narrated PowerPoint presentation or using an Independent Learning Object, as well as their perception of the two methods. Students were divided randomly into two groups with each accessing one of the two learning methods. The results were the Learning Objects students’ knowledge gain was higher than the PowerPoint students, while females scored higher using the PowerPoint and males scored higher using the Learning Object. The implications of this study are that instructors in any discipline could better serve their students if they investigate using Learning Objects in their online learning rather than the use of PowerPoint. The majority of students who used the Learning Object online performed better than students who listened to the PowerPoint, supporting the contention that student-accessed learning leads to greater cognition. The implications of this study are that instructors in many disciplines could better serve their students if they implemented the use of Learning Objects in their online learning rather than the use of PowerPoint presentations.

Com a emergência da aprendizagem eletrônica são observadas novas possibilidades para a aplicação de infográficos interativos como uma forma de apoiar a transposição didática de conteúdos no ensino fundamental. O acesso progressivo às tecnologias de informação, comunicação e expressão contribuem para uma visão mais aprofundada sobre a dinâmica existente entre as tecnologias digitais, o Design Instrucional, o Design da Informação e Design de Interação na criação de objetos de aprendizagem. Refletir sobre as diferentes formas de transpor os conhecimentos e explorar o uso de infográficos interativos pode contribuir para o desenvolvimento de materiais didáticos dinâmicos que favoreçam a análise interpretativa dos conteúdos expostos, a tomada de decisão e o entendimento do mundo pela criança. Através da revisão bibliográfica e documental, e da análise de 27 (vinte e sete) objetos de aprendizagem selecionados no Banco Internacional de Objetos Educacionais, a pesquisa procura identificar os elementos essenciais de tais áreas, que venham a contribuir para a concepção e o desenvolvimento de objetos digitais, em relação aos aspectos gráficovisuais, interativos e motivacionais que estimulam a exploração dos conteúdos. Busca-se, através da criação de um framework conceitual, estruturar e relacionar os aspectos relevantes das áreas do Design Instrucional, do Design da Informação e do Design de Interação a fim de confluir tais conceitos de maneira sistemática, de forma a facilitar o planejamento de materiais instrucionais, a transposição didática e o diálogo entre os profissionais envolvidos nestes processos. Por intermédio dos trabalhos apresentados nessa pesquisa, observa-se o potencial do Design da Informação em criar maneiras interativas e eficazes de disponibilizar informações de modo a inspirar professores a explorar e relacionar dados de maneira simples e inteligente para informar e educar. / The advances in digital technology have changed the way people communicate and interact with information. The access to these technologies of information, communication and expression, contribute to a further insight into the dynamics between digital technologies, Instructional Design, Information Design and Interaction Design to support the design process of learning objects. In this sense, exploring different ways to implement the didatic transposition trhough interactive infographics, could contribute to the development of instrunctional materials and enhance children's interpretative analysis of the contents, the decision making and understanding of the world. With this aim, the research seeks to identify the essential elements of these fields, to assist the design and the development of digital learning objects with regards to the graphic elements, interactive and motivational aspects that can improve the exploration of the contents by the users. Through the literature review and the analysis of 27 (twenty seven) learning objects selected from the virtual repository Banco Internacional de Objetos Educacionais, the research seeks to identify the essential elements of such areas. Particularly, with regards to the graphics, interactive and motivational aspects that may which imporve the design process of learning objects and enhance the exploration of the instrunctional contents by the users. Furthermore, by providing a structure which integrates and relates the important elements of the areas of Instructional Design, Information Design and Interaction Design the study developed a Conceptual Framework to optimize and facilitate the planning of instructional materials, the didactic transposition and the dialogue between the professionals involved in these processes. As a result, Information Design can stimulate new forms of interaction and expression, and create interactive and effective ways to provide information in order to inspire teachers to explore and relate data in a simple and smart way to inform and educate.

With the enormous competition in the industry, organizations must frequently find better ways to embrace organizational learning. This research study advocates eLearning to be one of the best methods for organizational learning, and this is the study’s main area of interest. This research explored a case at a telecommunication organization named ComTek (pseudonym). The research study addressed a problem of eLearning low usage rate, which resulted in ComTek not meeting their set learning targets during the time of the study. The usage rate was measured using the number of enrolled assessments. The study uses qualitative methods to propose a conceptual framework to understand the causes of low eLearning usage. This conceptual framework illustrated the use of the activity theory elements to understand the problem of eLearning low usage, paired with the use of cloud computing services to access eLearning, and the use of content delivery techniques to help understand eLearning low usage. This conceptual framework took advantage of cloud services like Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). This research study focused on the periods from 2016 to 2017 for collecting data and creating an understanding of the research setting, while other data was derived from historical documents about the phenomenon studied. During this period, there was inadequate literature about cloud computing and other aspects to consider within the domain of telecommunication organizations. The literature study, therefore, comprised of literature from different domains. During the study, ComTek used eLearning with the aid of learning management systems (LMS) to manage learning and leverage employee skills. During the period of the study compared to other years, about 50% of assessments had a usage rate of below 80%, a standard target established by ComTek as a benchmark, placing compliance and training at a low rate. Of the 50% of assessments, some were just above 40% in usage rate, were of a high stake, and were in the categories of compliance and training iv assessments. While this was the case, this study did not consider the technical implementation of the application systems involved, and did not create any form of intervention, but focused on understanding the activities that were involved in the learning environment. This research study used a paradigm that was constructive and interpretive in nature, using qualitative methods with the belief that there were multiple realities in understanding the situation at ComTek and possible solutions to it. To unpack the multiple realities, an exploratory case study was conducted as a research approach. In this study, the researcher used multiple data collection methods, including open-ended questionnaires and unstructured interviews. / School of Computing

Having students create Learning Objects (LOs) through renewable assignments has proved more helpful to the student creators compared to disposable assignments in some aspects. Additionally, some researchers have presented evidence where the student-created LOs could benefit the users of the LOs more than traditional learning resources. In this study, I examined a collection of LOs created by college students in the subject of mathematics to understand the nature of the value that a student-created LO could bring to other learners. By extending a framework for non-disposable assignments (Seraphin et al., 2019), I evaluated 3 components that affect the value of the LOs: design, accuracy, and visibility. The results show that some intended users of the student-created LOs could benefit from using the LOs. However, the intended users of the LOs may not come across those LOs even if they searched specifically for the LOs. Subsequently, it is concluded that LOs created to be used in future iterations of the same class may be more practical in bringing value to the broader community.

Learning objects have received attention because of their potential to improve current methods of teaching and learning. Despite perceived importance, there has been lack of studies that examine the use of learning objects across various contexts. In response, this study examined the actual use of learning objects and their perceptions among Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) practitioners in U.S. This study was based on the data from 191 IDT practitioners from various sectors, including higher education, business, government, and K-12. The study results contribute to the body of knowledge on learning objects in terms of four areas: conceptualization, utilization, benefits, and adoption. First, the study results should allay the concern that the conceptualization of learning objects focuses too much on technical aspects. IDT practitioners emphasized both technical and learning aspects in conceptualizing learning objects. In conclusion, the present study laid the foundation for a working definition of learning objects. Second, the study showed that IDT practitioners were utilizing learning objects to empower learners to have control over their own learning. The current study identified design strategies that IDT practitioners were frequently using. The most frequently utilized strategy was the provision of concrete, authentic examples and problems. Along with design strategies, this study identified the frequently adopted granularity levels: assets, combined media, one complete instructional unit, lesson or module, and course. Combined media, which consists of content and optional media, was the most frequently utilized granularity level of the five levels. The study provided empirical data to help determine formal design strategies and optimal granularity levels in utilizing learning objects based on the frequent use among IDT practitioners. Third, this study filled the research gap on the benefits of learning objects from an IDT perspective. Study results showed that IDT practitioners were positive about the overall benefits for the ID process, along with reusability and the support for the motivation and interactivity features. However, they were less convinced of the time and cost savings. Generally, IDT practitioners were satisfied with the benefits of learning objects. Fourth, the present study improved the understanding of the adoption status of learning objects. Currently, many of the participants' organizations were adopting or exploring the implementation of learning objects. The adoption of learning objects has a promising future, as IDT practitioners were positive about their organizations' intentions to use learning objects in the future. At the individual level, IDT practitioners were found to use learning objects for their professional role and across various projects. As an adoption factor, IDT practitioners showed the positive reactions to learning objects' perceived usefulness. / Ph. D.

A identificação de características que sejam importantes sobre um dado estudante durante o processo de ensino-aprendizagem tem sido alvo de muitos estudos nos últimos tempos. Docentes, coordenadores e pedagogos têm defendido que cada indivíduo possui características particulares e importantes dentro do processo de desenvolvimento do conhecimento. A necessidade de adaptar as estratégias de ensino de acordo com as preferências do aprendiz é uma realidade dentro das salas de aula, sejam estas presenciais ou virtuais. Porém, isto não significa que numa sala de aula deva haver criação de um método para cada aluno, mas sim que se aponte qual a melhor forma de interação para cada um deles construindo grupos de aprendizes com características comuns. Trabalhando desta forma se torna possível identificar perfis de aprendizes dentro de um conjunto de estudantes, possibilitando que se possa trabalhar com conteúdos e ambientes de aprendizagem mais adequados aos aprendizes.O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar a arquitetura de um sistema que possibilita a criação de cenários de aprendizagem baseados no perfil do aluno. O docente deve indicar as características que devem ser observadas durante as interações do aprendiz em um dado ambiente de aprendizagem eletrônica. Estas características serão modeladas como informações de contexto, permitindo que os pontos definidos como observáveis sejam organizados e modelados de forma a facilitar a monitoração das interações. A classificação do aluno em um determinando tipo de perfil de aprendizagem, previamente definido pelo docente, é realizado considerando-se as informações sobre o contexto da interação e os tipos de perfis de aprendizagem. Para que seja possível construir os cenários de aprendizagem considerando o perfil do aluno este trabalho propõe criar um relacionamento entre os tipos de perfis de aprendizagem e as estratégias de ensino através das categorias descritoras dos objetos de aprendizagem. / The identification of characteristics of a given student that are important during the teachinglearning process has been the focus of numerous studies in recent years. Teachers, coordinators and pedagogues have defended the notion that each individual presents particular and important characteristics in the developing knowledge process. The need to adapt teaching strategies to the student\'s preferences is a reality in classrooms, being physical or virtual classrooms. However, this does not mean that a method should be created for each student in a classroom, but that the best form of interaction for each of them be identified, building groups of learners with common characteristics. Working in this way makes it possible to identify learner profiles within a group of students, allowing one to work with learning contents and environments more suited to the learners. The objective of this work is to present the architecture of a system that allows for the creation of learning scenarios based on the studen profile. The teacher should point out the features which may be observed during the student interaction in a given e-elearning environment. These features are designed as context information, allowing defined observation points to be organized and modeled for facilitating the monitoring of interactions. The student classification in a given learning profile type, defined previously by the teacher, is realized considering information about the context of interaction and the learning profile types. For the learning environment to build the learning scenarios according to the student profile, this work proposes to create a relationship between the learning profile types and the teaching strategies through the description of learning objects categories.

O ensino e a aprendizagem do tema hierarquia de memória não são tarefas simples, pois muitos assuntos que são abordados em teoria podem desmotivar a aprendizagem em virtude de sua complexidade. Este projeto de mestrado apresenta a transformação do módulo de memória cache da ferramenta Amnesia em um objeto de aprendizagem, que visa facilitar a construção do conhecimento através da simulação da estrutura e da funcionalidade da hierarquia de memória na arquitetura von Neumann de uma maneira mais prática e didática. Este processo permitiu que funcionalidades existentes na ferramenta fossem readequadas e novas funcionalidades desenvolvidas. Aliado a isso, planos de aula e questionários de avaliação e usabilidade também foram concebidos, validados e implementados junto à elaboração de um tutorial para descrever o funcionamento do novo objeto. Os estudos experimentais realizados analisaram dois aspectos: o primeiro, se o objeto de aprendizagem melhorou, de fato, a aprendizagem dos alunos no assunto memória cache; o segundo, a opinião dos alunos em relação à utilização do objeto. Após a análise e avaliação dos resultados obtidos nos experimentos, foi possível demonstrar uma evolução na aprendizagem quando se fez o uso do objeto, além de se perceber que a motivação dos alunos em utilizar outros objetos de aprendizagem aumentou. / The teaching and learning of memory hierarchy are not simple tasks, because many subjects that are covered in theory may demotivate learning because of its complexity. This Master\'s thesis presents the process of transformation of the cache memory module of Amnesia tool in a learning object, aiming to facilitate the construction of knowledge by simulating the structure and functionality of memory hierarchy of von Neumann architecture in a more practice and didactic way. This process allowed existing features in the tool to be adequate and new features developed. In addition, lesson plans and questionnaires of assessment and usability have also been designed, validated and implemented and a tutorial to describe the operation of the new object was developed. Experimental studies have examined two aspects: the first, if the learning object improved, in fact, the students\' learning in the subject cache memory; the second, students\' opinions regarding the use of the object. After the analysis and evaluation of the results obtained in the experiments, was possible show an evolution in learning when it made the use of the object, and also to perceive that students\' motivation to use other learning objects increased.

Com a expansão do uso de ferramentas tecnológicas, principalmente representadas pelo computador, por seus programas e pelo acesso à Internet, percebe-se a sua presença cada vez maior em diferentes setores da sociedade, inclusive, no meio educacional. No entanto, por ainda ser uma novidade no ambiente tradicional de ensino, essas ferramentas podem ser utilizadas de modo descontextualizado, não favorecendo seu uso correto na aprendizagem. Portanto, é necessário que as políticas de acesso a esses recursos informáticos sejam bem coordenados para permitir que os usuários, principalmente professores e alunos, possam contar com uma infraestrutura que realmente possibilite o apoio ao ensino. Por outro lado, as interfaces interativas também devem ser desenvolvidas para que sejam utilizadas de modo adequado pelo seu público-alvo. Dessa forma, procurando contribuir para avaliação dos objetos de aprendizagem nos meios virtuais, essa pesquisa apresenta o estudo da construção de interfaces interativas centrada no usuário, apoiando-se em propostas originadas da Interação Humano-Computador (IHC). Assim, partindo do princípio de que o indivíduo é parte integrante e mais importante dos sistemas computacionais, o presente trabalho fez com que a investigação do uso das interfaces pelo usuário interferisse em seu próprio processo de produção. Para tanto, utilizou-se a técnica de observação indireta denominada Log de dados, ou seja, a coleta remota de informações e sua gravação em banco de dados, para posterior resgate e análise das interações. A obtenção contínua de dados coletados permitiu fazer um acompanhamento detalhado da utilização do software, comprovando a pertinência do método. O resultado mais importante da avaliação, derivado desse processo, foi verificar que, apesar de orientações presentes na interface, as ações executadas pelo usuário se basearam mais na distribuição dos elementos no software do que nas informações ali presentes. Assim, percebeu-se a importância da produção prévia de protótipos para que situações de Usabilidade fossem avaliadas, permitindo a obtenção de um produto final mais adequado ao usuário do ambiente virtual de ensino e aprendizagem. / In the increase of the use of technological tools, mainly represented by the computer, its applications and the access to the Internet, it\'s observed by its growing presence in different sectors of society, including the educational environment. However, since it still is a novelty in the traditional teaching environment, these tools can be used in a non-contextualized form, not allowing its correct use in the learning process. Therefore, it is necessary that the access policies to these computer resources are well coordinated so the users, especially teachers and students, can count on an infrastructure that really allows the support for the true learning. On the other hand, interactive interfaces should also be developed to be used properly by the target audience. Thus, to contribute to the evaluation of the learning objects in virtual environments, this research presents a study of interactive interfaces built centered on the user, supported by the proposals originated by the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Assuming that the person is participative and the most important part of computer systems, this work researches how the users interactions with the interface interferes in its own production process. For this purpose, an indirect observation technique named Logging was used, that is, the remote collection of information and its recording in a database for later recovery and analysis of the interactions. The continuous collection of data allowed a detailed monitoring of the software usage, proving the utility of the method. The most important result of the evaluation, derived by this process, was verifying that, in spite the orientations at the interface, the actions taken by the users were based more on the distribution of the graphic elements in the software than by the orientation displayed. Thus, the research verified the importance of pre-produced prototypes to evaluate Usability situations, allowing the final product to be best suited for the user of the virtual environment for teaching and learning.

Orientador: Hilda Carvalho de Oliveira / Banca: João Benedito dos Santos Júnior / Banca: Eraldo Pereira Marinho / Resumo: A crescente adoção de sistemas de e-Learning, tanto no meio acadêmico quanto no meio corporativo, vem gerando várias linhas de pesquisas e trabalhos em educação a distância. A criação de conteúdos tem recebido especial atenção, associada a padrões com metadados, que enfatizam a reutilização de objetos de aprendizagem (OAs) e a interoperabilidade entre os sistemas de e-Learning. A realidade da TV Digital Interativa no Brasil pode ser considerada como um meio alternativo eficaz e de baixo custo para levar informações às comunidades mais remotas, favorecendo a inclusão digital. A TV Digital oferece novos paradigmas de usabilidade. Nesta direção, este trabalho teve como principal objetivo investigar a viabilidade de implementação, no ambiente da TVDI, das funcionalidades dos ambientes virtuais colaborativos de aprendizagem já implementados para a Web. O sistema Moodle foi selecionado, por ser mundialmente utilizado, com arquitetura em conformidade com o modelo IEEE LTSA (Learning Technology System Architecture) e mecanismos de suporte ao padrão de OAs SCORM. Foram realizadas análises sobre os módulos do Moodle, convergindo o módulo de QUIZ para o ambiente da TVD aberta brasileira. Foram utilizados o emulador XletView e a API Java TV. / Abstract: The growing adoption of e-Learning systems, both in academia and in corporative areas, is generating many lines of research and works in education. The creation of Learning contents with metadata standards has received special attention. They enhance the reutilizability of Learning Objects (LOs) and the interoperabilility between e-Learning systems. The reality of the Interactive Digital TV (IDTV) in Brazil can be considered as an effective alternative way and of low cost to take information to many remote communities, fostering digital inclusion. The Digital TV offers new paradigms of usability. In this direction, the main goal of this work was investigate the viability of converge the functionalities of Web collaborative virtual environments of learning for the environment of the IDTV. The Moodle system was selected, because it comes world-wide being used, with architecture in according to the model IEEE LTSA (Learning Technology System Architecture) and has mechanisms of support to the standard of LOs SCORM. Analyses on the modules of the Moodle were done. The QUIZ module was converged to the environment of the Brazilian open digital TV. The XletView emulator and the Java TV API were used. / Mestre

Esta dissertação relata o desenvolvimento de um Objeto de Aprendizagem Digital de Química e a sua aplicação em um grupo de alunos do Ensino Médio. A pesquisa está centrada em quais efeitos um objeto de aprendizagem digital, envolvendo conceitos químicos e alimentares, pode trazer aos alunos e, se este pode ser benéfico para a aprendizagem em Química. Os objetivos específicos eram desenvolver uma pesquisa de Estado da Arte a fim de entender como são desenvolvidos os materiais atualmente, propor uma atividade pedagógica envolvendo conceitos de alimentação atrelados com conceitos químicos, avaliar a aplicação desta metodologia e analisar o conhecimento dos alunos a respeito dos alimentos bem como seu interesse por este tema. A pesquisa se mostrou válida, uma vez que, a maioria dos materiais existentes, conforme mostraram nossos dados, não trabalha os conceitos químicos a partir de temáticas relacionadas ao cotidiano do aluno como no caso da alimentação e, além disso, através da aplicação do material percebemos que o uso da tecnologia em sala de aula é uma ferramenta viável e que pode agregar positivamente ao processo de ensino-aprendizagem. Por esses motivos devem ser desenvolvidas cada vez mais pesquisas e materiais nesse sentido, visando renovar o processo educativo. / This dissertation reports on the development of the Objeting of Digital Learning of Chemistry and its application in a group of high school students. The research is focused on a digital learning issue. The objectives were actually engaged in a State of the Art research and in this way, the current principles, a pedagogical action and the concepts of energy were tied to the chemical concepts as well as their interest in this topic. The research became since most of the existing data, in accordance with the data, did not work as a law of principles of practices related to the daily life of the student as no case of feeding and in addition, through the application of the material we perceive that the The use of technology in the classroom is a viable tool that can be applied positively to the teaching-learning process. That is why more and more evidence and materials should be targeted in this direction, in order to renew the educational process.