<p> Current technological revolutions have led to the increased availability of information resulting in many teaching institutions that have adopted change and teaching methods. Consequently, many educational institutions have integrated teaching and learning systems with technology, and learners nationwide are embracing the flexibility of online education. Online education is a new educational delivery mode in Saudi Arabia, which has been influenced by economic and social changes. As a result, the impact has created an increased demand for graduate degrees as online education has created the opportunity for Saudi women to access higher education. Thus, for Saudi female students, who want to study and work simultaneously, online education is possibly feasible option. Through online education, female Saudi students are able to obtain an education at home with flexibility, and the number of Saudi students taking online education has significantly increased. This thesis analyzes what female Saudi students in the United States have experienced about online education, and their attitudes toward online education.</p>

<p>Game-based learning has become a topic of interest in education, especially within the science education community. Although some evidence supporting the effectiveness of digital games for science learning is emerging, the results overall have been largely inconclusive. In order to further advance research on game-based learning, the purpose of this study was to apply an interdisciplinary approach using the cognitive-affective integrated framework, the information-processing model of selective attention (Broadbent, 1958; Lachter et al., 2004), and the dual-process theories of cognition (Kahneman, 2011; Svahn, 2009), to construct a comprehensive view of the mental processes of visual attention during gameplay in relation to the positive affective state of Flow experience. This study utilized a mixed methods design, using a concurrent embedded strategy QUAN/qual (Creswell, 2008) to collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data. Thirty-one high-school students (<i>N</i>=31) in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, between ages 14 and 17, played the Serious Educational Game (SEG) called Neuromatrix. Self-report surveys and an eye tracking method were used to collect quantitative data for statistical analysis. A gaze duration sequence diagram (Raschke, Chen, &amp; Ertl, 2012) was adopted for data visualization and qualitative scanpath analysis. Two Flow scales (FSS-2 and eGameFlow) were used to explore the differences in psychometric properties between the generic and context-specific Flow measures. The results showed a negative linear relationship between visual attention and Flow experience (<i>p</i> &lt; .001). Three visual attention variables were identified and served as the indicators of Flow and perceived science learning in an SEG environment: (a) low fixation counts indicated students&rsquo; focused attention and immersion in an SEG; (b) short total visit duration represented the efficiency of selective visual attention and may serve as an indicator of Flow experience during gameplay; and (c) total fixation duration illustrated the extent to which students looked at specific learning materials that could possibly pass through the selective filter into conscious attention and thus, lead to learning. The interplay between affective and cognitive processes during gameplay played a key role in students&rsquo; deep engagement and had an impact on their positive science learning in an SEG. An interactive effect of total fixation duration and Flow on perceived science learning was found (<i>p</i> &lt; .001, <i> p</i>&eta;² = .324), implying that a well-designed SEG that aligns gameplay and learning objectives may promote synergy between engagement and learning. Moreover, two individual differences factors, science interest and self-efficacy for computer use (<i>p</i> &lt; .01) &ndash; that predicted Flow were identified by a stepwise regression analysis; these factors were shown to influence the attentional processes and cognitive processes of gameplay. The evidence of a positive relationship between science interest and Flow in an SEG may encourage teachers and parents to take an active role in instilling students&rsquo; science interest in their early years, and to support students&rsquo; ongoing development of science interest through exposure to various formal and informal learning contexts. </p>

<p> Computing ethics is a complex area of study that is of significant importance to the computing community and global society. Such concerns as surveillance and automation underscore the need for increased ethical understanding and training in computing. However, education and research in computing ethics are difficult due to the diverse meanings of ethics. This content analysis study analyzed definitions of computer ethics, the subject matter of computer ethics, and the relationship between the definition and subject matter. The purpose of this study was to educe and present the meaning of computing ethics, resulting in a thematic definition of computing ethics for use in education and research. This analysis also provides a coherent concept of the subject matter of computing ethics in relation to the synthesized definition. This study discusses definition and subject matter themes that emerged such as interdisciplinarity, collaboration, scholars and professionals, contributions and costs, computing artifacts, global society, privacy, design and development, and use. The results of this study can assist computing ethicists with research, aid computing educators with curriculum development, and provide a theoretical frame for relating ethics to computing. This exploration demonstrates that groups within the computing community can find common ground, even on such a difficult and complex matter as ethics.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate how intelligent tutoring system ALEKS, which was implemented in remedial Basic Algebra courses, affected students' success in subsequent lecture courses and how former ALEKS students and instructors in lecture courses perceived ALEKS learning environment. ALEKS courses were delivered in emporium style: instructors were available to answer students' questions, while ALEKS guided students through online exercises individually based on their skills and knowledge. </p><p> The participants were students from four mathematics lecture courses and their instructors. Some students took remedial courses in ALEKS prior to the lecture courses while some students did not. The quantitative part of the study compared ALEKS and non-ALEKS students on the final examination and students' self-reported-preparedness. The qualitative part of the study discussed students' and instructors' perceptions of ALEKS based on student surveys and instructor interviews. </p><p> No difference between ALEKS and non-ALEKS students was found in final examination scores and self-reported-preparedness. Students rated learning experience in ALEKS emporium on average at 2.74 on the scale of one to five, with five being the highest. One third of students liked studying at their own pace and ALEKS content (they rated ALEKS emporium at 3.29), while one fourth claimed that &ldquo;nothing was good&rdquo; in emporium courses (they rated ALEKS emporium at 1.55). Although ALEKS emporium was very different from lecture courses, only one fifth of students reported changes in their study habits. The instructors did not observe any difference between ALEKS and non-ALEKS students and mentioned benefits of ALEKS-like tool for drill-and-practice. One instructor observed positive shifts in student attitude towards mathematics but advised longer study to be conducted to confirm this observation. </p><p> Providing a choice to students between online and lecture courses, while increasing the role of instructors in online courses, may result in better student satisfaction. Students could also be gradually trained to effectively use online resources. The design changes in ALEKS could include the replacement of the &ldquo;pie&rdquo; with the bar chart, different types of feedback, explanation of how assessments are done, and ability to revisit problems on assessments. </p>

<p> Writing is a well-established content area in the elementary grade levels and computer programming is currently being introduced to the elementary grade levels. Both subject areas utilize similar organizational skills and teaching strategies. However, the students who are motivated to program may not represent the students who are motivated to write. The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in the dimensions of motivation, which are: challenge, choice, enjoyment, and interest of fifth-grade students to engage in an expository writing activity after being taught to develop computer programs with the same teaching strategies used in the writing activity. </p><p> A quasi-experimental control-group design was conducted, with the use of the <i>My Class Activities Instrument,</i> to investigate the change in the dimensions of motivation. Control, treatment groups, and gender were investigated by comparing pretest and iv posttest data. The data were analyzed using a multivariate general linear model (MGLM) for treatment/control groups and gender. </p><p> The results of the MGLM showed no statistical significance for difference in the control, treatment groups, and gender; more analysis was conducted on individual students. Students were categorized into three levels (low, middle, and high) on motivation by the results of their pretest scores. Students were tracked based on who showed a motivational change from the pretest on both the science activity and the posttest. The individual students in the treatment and control groups were then compared by percentage of individual movement. The results of the analysis showed that the low treatment group, on all four dimensions of motivation, moved more positively than the control group that scored in the low group on the pretest. </p><p> The results of this study suggest that the teaching of computer programming was not effective with the intention of motivating the masses of fifth-grade students to write. However, there appears to be supporting evidence that teaching computer programming to fifth-grade students may help some individual students who are not initially motivated to write.</p>

<p> Recently, Japanese higher education has decided to transition from a traditional teacher-centered to a more student-centered, communicative classroom. One promising possibility that could help in the transition is the flipped classroom technique. Examining the lived experiences of Japanese university English as a foreign language (EFL) students who have taken part in a course taught using the flipped classroom technique will help in determining possible benefits of the flipped classroom in EFL higher education in Japan. This study will use a qualitative approach with a case study design to focus on the lived experiences of Japanese EFL university students at Iwate University enrolled in a course taught using the flipped classroom model. This study will focus on the students' impressions, possible changes in study habits, perceived benefits and challenges, and if students experienced higher levels of authentic communication opportunities due to the flipped classroom. By examining the lived experiences of students who have taken part in a course taught using the flipped classroom technique, this study will contribute to the understanding of learning technologies used to support the implementation of a communicative, student-centered learning environment in the undergraduate EFL classroom. </p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, June, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2003. / Typescript. Includes appendices. Bibliographical references: leaf [254]-272.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Dr. Kathleen M. Burnett, Florida State University, College of Information. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 9, 2005). Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 203 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, School of Education, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Oct. 6, 2009). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-02, Section: A, page: 0467. Adviser: Mary McMullen.