The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of the Kolbe A Index to predict learners' attitudes and achievements within a web-based training context. The Index is used to measure the conative capacities of individuals. The Index translates raw scores into four Action Modes: Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start, and Implementor. A web-based simulation of training on customer service excellence was created containing four modules designed to match the respective learning style of each of the four Action Modes suggested by the Kolbe Corporation. Research questions were as follows. To what extent do the four Kolbe A Index Action Modes predict 1) how well learners will like content formatted to match the learning styles of the four Modes, 2) how well learners will remember content formatted to match the learning styles of the four Modes, and 3) how well the learners will remember the content regardless of the format? Three experts in applications of the Kolbe A Index then validated the simulation. Five other experts, each with a Ph.D. in the social sciences, validated the evaluation of learners' attitudes and achievements. Then a pilot study to collect data for a reliability analysis was conducted. Sixty graduates from an international program in economics in Thailand participated in this study. Data were collected entirely through the Internet and in English. Multiple linear regression analyses with backward stepping method were performed to answer the research questions. Based on the limitations and data analyses of this study, the Kolbe A Index Action Modes did not predict how well learners liked content formatted to match the learning styles of the four Modes, how well learners remembered content formatted to match the learning styles of the four Modes, nor how well the learners remembered the content regardless of the format. More research is needed to explore how the Kolbe A Index Action Modes can be used to predict learners' attitudes and achievements.

<p>Ett verktyg för datorstödd interaktiv utbildning, Web-based Training, har utvecklats på Sigma Information Design. Två olika utvärderingsmetoder har använts för att öka dess användbarhet: heuristisk utvärdering och användartestning. Heuristisk utvärdering är en analytisk metod där expertutvärderare inspekterar gränssnittet för att predicera (förutse) användbarhetsproblem. Användartestning är en empirisk metod där tänkbara reella användare deltar och användbarhetsproblem observeras. Föreliggande studie fokuserar på användbarhets-</p><p>problem som både prediceras med den analytiska metoden och observeras med den empiriska, så kallade ”träffar”.</p><p>Analytiska metoder predicerar användbarhetsproblem genom att utpeka bristande ”intrinsic features”</p><p>(gränssnittsegenskaper). Empiriska metoder observerar istället ”payoff features”, för att kunna identifiera användbarhetsproblem och sedan relatera dessa till bristande gränssnitts-egenskaper. Frågeställningen är om analytiska- respektive empiriska metoder utpekar samma bristande ”intrinsic feature” vid identifiering av en ”träff”. Utvärdering av verktyget med respektive utvärderingsmetod har genomförts. Under användartesterna påträffades endast ett fåtal användbarhetsproblem, vilket har medfört att ett litet antal ”träffar” identifierats för att kunna ge svar på frågeställningen. Det finns dock indikationer på en oklar korrespondens mellan metoderna.</p>

Because of increased commuter traffic volume on rural roadways collisions between motor vehicles and farm equipment have increased in frequency and severity over the last several years. This study investigated the effects of a multimedia narrative simulation program that taught hazard recognition and promoted defensive driving on rural roadways shared by farm equipment. A companion animated driving game allowed users to practice reaction/stopping time distances with a simulated automobile on a simulated highway when objects appeared suddenly in the path of the automobile. The program and game were delivered by an objective-oriented client/server computer program that also recorded and stored student pre-test, performance, and posttest data. Prior to the main study a user test and pilot study were conducted. Fifteen instructional systems design graduate students completed the user test to evaluate the study procedures and debug the program. Then, a pilot study sample of 17 rural high school students completed the narrative simulation exercise, the reaction/stopping time game, and the study measures that included a demographic survey, pre- and post measures of predicted reaction/stopping time, recognition of collisions hazard cues, numerical performance scores for the simulation exercise, and tracking logs of each student's performance during the animated raction/stopping time game. The main study sample included 123 students age 16 years and older who attended four rural and suburban county high schools. The schools were randome assigned to the four treatment conditions, one control and three treatment groups. The treatment group students completed either (a) the multimedia narrative simulation only, (b) the animated reaction time/stopping time game only, or (c) both the multimedia simulation and the reaction time/stopping time game. As hypothezised, students in the groups that completed the hazard recognition and defensive driving skills performed significantly better on posttests of those skills than students in groups that did not complete the simulation. Compared to students that did not complete the reaction/stopping time game, significantly more students that did complete the game became aware that they could not stop the simulated automobile before hitting an object in its pathway. Yet there was nodifference across the four groups in students' estimates of reaction/stopping time distances. Limitations of the study are noted and discussed. Recommendations for future studies are proposed.

公務人力是國家最重要的資產，舉凡政府施政的良莠與施政的品質，皆與公務人力的素質息息相關。公務人員雖經考選進入政府機關服務，但隨著社會及時代的變遷，仍須不斷的經由訓練及學習以保持一定的素質與技能。現代政府由於質能的轉變，對於公務人力資源的需求，已由「量」的擴增轉為「質」的提升。為因應此一趨勢，公務人員的訓練已成為政府施政中不可或缺的一環。同時由於資訊科技的進步與發展及網路時代的來臨，以及政府倡導終身學習的理念與強調公務機關應向企業學習的呼聲下，更突顯出公務人力發展中訓練的重要性。 網路化訓練有別於傳統之訓練方式，其具有不侷限於時間、空間之特性 ，與傳統的教育訓練有所不同。本研究希望藉由國內公務訓練機構網路化訓練資源與實施現況之了解為起點，從而提出相關建議，提供公務訓練機構於建置網路化訓練與實施之參考，期能進一步提升公務人員之人力素質，增強國家競爭力。 本研究藉由相關之文獻、公務訓練機構網路學習網站之內容分析與個案研究等方法，得到以下結論： 網路學習系統平台功能，必須能站在學習者的角度來考量。從學習者的角度而言，其應包含課程主題、檢核測驗、公告討論、資源共享與訓練管理等五部分。而影響網路化訓練實施的影響因素有：1.策略因素。2.組織因素。3.學習者因素。4.資訊環境因素。5.課程因素。6.學習成效評量等。 公務訓練機構網路化訓練之導入或建置，應該經過完整有效的需求分析與規劃，而實施之主要困難與問題，可分為對內及對外兩個部分。對內必須能夠將人力、經費等各種資源予以整合，對外應能加強與外部廠商的協力合作及對學習者的行銷與溝通。就實施效益而言，其具有解決訓練機構人力不足的問題，並能將訓練業務做完整的提供與服務。就未來公務人力訓練發展的影響層面而言，公務訓練機構及其辦理訓練之人員，須體認到此一訓練趨勢，同時在對學員訓練的輔導及相關輔助措施，也必須有所因應。而目前公務訓練機構網路學習資源尚有資源重複運用及學習對象限制等情形，為能將有效的資源做最大的發揮，應該予以整合。 關鍵字：公務訓練機構、網路化訓練(Web-Based Training)

Contemporary e-learning research often addresses a singular instructional topic, learning strategy, or authoring tool. Technological advancements and evolving delivery methods are changing the e-learning practitioner experience more rapidly than ever before, and the need for a holistic illustration of the modern-day practitioner experience has never been greater. This Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) of the e-learning creation experience consists of Affinity Production Interviews, interviews, and an online survey of e-learning practitioners working with adult audiences. The result of the study is an e-learning creation experience system driven by participants’ stories. The system is comprised of twelve affinities including leadership, policy, the instructional systems design process, the client relationship, emotions, and more. Exercising the system reveals conditions that influence the ultimate outcome of the system: e-learning success. / text

Learner-controlled e-learning has become a preferred medium for the delivery of organizational training. While e-learning offers organizations and trainees many advantages, it also comes with several potential disadvantages. The aim of this study was to explore the relative efficacy of learner- and program-controlled e-learning for content that differs in its complexity. This study also explored cognitive load as a differential mediator of the interaction between learner control and training content complexity for predicting cognitive and behavioral learning outcomes. Finally, learning goal orientation was explored as a motivational individual difference that helps learners cope with complex, learner-controlled e-learning environments. Results suggest that while there is little difference between learners in learner- and program-controlled e-learning environments for content that is relatively simple in nature, complex, learner-controlled e-learning environments are detrimental to cognitive learning relative to complex, program-controlled environments. Moreover, the results suggest that this interaction is differentially mediated by cognitive load, suggesting that complex, learner-controlled environments induce high cognitive demands onto learners which ultimately inhibit cognitive learning. Finally, learning goal orientation was identified as more facilitative individual difference in learner-controlled e-learning environments relative to program-controlled and simple training environments. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are also discussed.

Ett verktyg för datorstödd interaktiv utbildning, Web-based Training, har utvecklats på Sigma Information Design. Två olika utvärderingsmetoder har använts för att öka dess användbarhet: heuristisk utvärdering och användartestning. Heuristisk utvärdering är en analytisk metod där expertutvärderare inspekterar gränssnittet för att predicera (förutse) användbarhetsproblem. Användartestning är en empirisk metod där tänkbara reella användare deltar och användbarhetsproblem observeras. Föreliggande studie fokuserar på användbarhets- problem som både prediceras med den analytiska metoden och observeras med den empiriska, så kallade ”träffar”. Analytiska metoder predicerar användbarhetsproblem genom att utpeka bristande ”intrinsic features” (gränssnittsegenskaper). Empiriska metoder observerar istället ”payoff features”, för att kunna identifiera användbarhetsproblem och sedan relatera dessa till bristande gränssnitts-egenskaper. Frågeställningen är om analytiska- respektive empiriska metoder utpekar samma bristande ”intrinsic feature” vid identifiering av en ”träff”. Utvärdering av verktyget med respektive utvärderingsmetod har genomförts. Under användartesterna påträffades endast ett fåtal användbarhetsproblem, vilket har medfört att ett litet antal ”träffar” identifierats för att kunna ge svar på frågeställningen. Det finns dock indikationer på en oklar korrespondens mellan metoderna.

Web-based training (WBT) and classroom instruction (CI) constitute two training media that are commonly employed by organizations. Although the effectiveness of one medium relative to the other depends on a number of factors (e.g., Sitzmann, Kraiger, Stewart, & Wisher, 2006) this study aims to address several methodological issues common in the extant media research and investigate the moderating role of training content complexity on the relationship between media and important training outcomes. Utilizing a 2x2 experimental design, one hundred forty-two undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of four training courses. Each training course involved a PowerPoint 2007 training tutorial in which trainees were presented with information about certain PowerPoint functions. The CI training courses included three instructors who presented course material to trainees in a predetermined time frame while the WBT courses gave trainees substantial control over their allocation of time during the training course. Results suggest that trainees in the CI courses spent substantially more time on course-related activities than those in the WBT courses, which led to less knowledge acquisition when trainees in the WBT course were presented with relatively complex training material. These findings suggest that although learner control is generally considered a positive aspect of WBT (e.g., Kinzie & Sullivan, 1989) it can lead to less time-on-task and ultimately less learning and less effective transfer when the training content is complex in nature. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are also discussed.

This study determines the particular components that are considered the best practices to use when implementing an e-Learning curriculum. Technical communicators and instructional designers have numerous development options to choose from. However, practices that work in academe do not always integrate well in a corporate setting, and what works for one corporation may not work for another. There is no singular methodology for developers to apply that enables e-Learning to fit every organization's needs. Research shows that to ensure a successful online learning implementation, a sound project management team must be in place at the beginning of the project planning. This team must be prepared to collaborate with managers and users across an organization and carefully incorporate their suggestions into the curriculum design. Additionally, this team must be experienced not only in making sure that the project is launched on time and within the defined budget, but also in asking pertinent questions about the users, content structure, and design. Implementing an e-Learning site involves more than putting a Web page online for users to view. Developers must know about adult learning styles, must know how to incorporate interactive activities (like games and simulations), and must know how to write content so that it is engaging yet understandable.

explosion in the use of computing and interactive systems of all kinds. This growth has brought with it an awareness among developers of interactive systems about the importance of user centered design and usability. In the Virginia Tech Usability tools lab, efforts are underway to develop tools and processes that assist in usability evaluation. This has led to the development of the User Action Framework (UAF) (Andre et al., 1999), a framework that forms the basis of several usability inspection tools like the Explorer, UPI (Usability Problem Inspector), UPC (Usability Problem Classifier) and the usability problem database. The UAF explorer is the tool in the toolkit, which allows users to explore and learn the structure of the UAF. The framework, in its final stages of development, is based on an interaction cycle derived from Norman's action model (1986). For its acceptance, the user action framework, which is based on human factors and cognitive concepts, needed a training program to make it accessible and understandable to the usability practioners in industry and academia. This thesis addressed the following research activities: (1) Developing a web-based training tool for the User Action Framework explorer and (2) Evaluating a web- based training tool using various formative evaluation techniques and a final summative evaluation to measure effectiveness of the training, transfer of training, knowledge/skill acquisition and reaction to the training. The summative evaluation used a pretest-posttest between subjects experimental design to determine the effectiveness of the training tool with the use of lecture-based training as a control group. The data collection included objective measures of performance and subjective measures through questionnaires and rating scales. The summative evaluation found no significant differences between gain scores on lecture-based training and web-based training under controlled conditions. Opportunities for future research were identified and the training tool is expected to contribute to the efforts of the VT usability tools lab towards educating usability professionals and researchers alike on the usefulness of the User Action Framework and its associated tools. This work also seeks to proliferate the use of web based training methods as a valuable way to train remote learners on such developing frameworks and toolkits. / Master of Science