Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2010. / Title from title screen (site viewed July 8, 2010). PDF text: ix, 222 p. : ill. ; 3 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3397865. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

This Master's Thesis deals with the evaluation of e-learning in a banking institution operating in the Czech market. The introduction of e-learning in a banking institution managed to reduce the educational costs. However, the pedagogical effectiveness has not been investigated yet. The aim of this Master's Thesis was to determine whether employees of a banking institution perceive e-learning as an effective method of training and determinate on the basis of their acquired knowledge whether e-learning is an effective method of knowledge transfer. The e-learning effectiveness was investigated using a combination of subjective (questionnaire) and objective (testing) methods of evaluation on 118 employees. The study indicated that employees consider e-learning as an effective learning method and that they acquired a high level of knowledge. However the questionnaire and testing revealed several weaknesses of the current e-learning system, primarily the lack of time for training through e-learning courses and employees cheating during the e-learning course completion. The solution to the mentioned weaknesses could be, shortening, e-learning courses, plus adding a final test (at the end of e-learning courses that currently do not have one), limiting the number of their repetition and ensuring their higher difficulty levels.

This thesis is a single case study of the introduction and evaluation of new resources and new technologies in higher education; in which e-Proof was chosen as a single case. E-proofs are a multimedia representation of proofs, were created by Alcock (2009), and aimed to help undergraduates to read proofs for better proof comprehension. My thesis aimed to investigate whether the impact of reading such technology-based resource, e-Proofs, on undergraduates proof comprehension was better compared to reading written textbook proofs and if so, then why (or why not). To evaluate the effectiveness of e-Proofs, I used both qualitative and quantitative methods. First I measured undergraduates satisfaction, which is a most common research practice in evaluation studies, by using self-reporting methods such as web-based survey and interviews. A web-based survey and focus-group interviews showed that undergraduates liked to have e-Proofs and they believed that e-Proofs had positive impact on their proof comprehension. However, their positive views on e-Proofs did not evidence the educational impact of e-Proofs. I conducted an interview with Alcock for better understanding of her intentions of creating e-Proof and her expectations from it. Next, I conducted the first experiment which compared the impact of reading an e-Proof with a written textbook proof on undergraduates proof comprehension. Their comprehension was measured with an open-ended comprehension test twice immediately after reading the proof and after two weeks. I found that the immediate impact of reading an e-Proof and a textbook proof were essentially the same, however the long term impact of reading an e-Proof was worse than reading a textbook proof (for both high and low achieving undergraduates). This leads to the second experiment in which I investigated how undergraduates read e-Proofs and textbook proofs. In the second experiment, participants eye-movements were recorded while read- ing proofs, to explore their reading comprehension processes. This eye-tracking experiment showed that undergraduates had a sense of understanding of how to read a proof without any additional help. Rather, additional help allowed them to take a back seat and to devote less cognitive effort than they would otherwise. Moreover, e-Proofs altered undergraduates reading behaviours in a way which can harm learning. In sum, this thesis contributes knowledge into the area of reading and compre- hending proofs at undergraduate level and presents a methodology for evaluation studies of new pedagogical tools.

In the coming 21st century, the real winners are those who make the most of the resources in learning new skills or ideas. In addition to classroom, you can study anywhere and anyplace as long as you are willing to (broadcasting, TV, computer, internet, etc). In my study, I examine the study through the internet and its effectiveness in relation to characteristics, strategies, and attitude toward learning through computers. The initial sample included volunteers from different ranks of companies in Tainan and Kaoshoung areas which participated in Employment and Vocational Training Administration. The courses the participants took were entry-level management, intermediate management, advanced management, and decision management, Each subject was composed of the following contents. 1.main theme 2.case study 3.comment 4.analysis 5.theory 6.practice. At the end of each course was the evaluation. Participants were also welcomed to log on to discuss area their opinions, enhancing interaction among teachers and students. The research results are based on the questionnaire fill out by participants. The statistics methods applied are descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA. The results show that: (1)Participants¡¦ characteristics in relation to attitude toward computer and learning strategy; the research shows that the participants¡¦ seniority bears no consequences in attitude toward computer. However, the participants¡¦ education and position indicates variances in attitude toward computer. On the other hand, Participants¡¦ seniority, education and position show differences in learning strategy. (2)Participants¡¦ strategies in relation to effectiveness of the learning strategy; the research shows that the participants¡¦ strategies bear positive relation in both satisfaction of the learning and overcoming obstacles during the process. (3)Participants¡¦ attitude toward computer in relation to effectiveness in learning; the research shows that the participants¡¦ attitude toward computer bear positive relation in both satisfaction of the learning and overcoming obstacles during the process. The research also shows that: The reasons why the participants did not join the discussion are: 1.lack of time 2.typing too slow 3.no idea of how to discuss 4.afraid to discuss 5.afraid of being challenged. The reasons why the participants did not take the test are: 1.inconvenience in attending the class 2.afraid of failure 3.no request from the company they work for 4.mistake in operating the computer 5.no motivation. Failure to attend the test shows no relation in age, education, position and seniority. Finally, we provide advises to the corporations and other researchers who are interested in the subject.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2008. / Directed by Marilyn Friend; submitted to the Dept. of Specialized Education Services. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Apr. 13, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 107-134).