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E-Education Applications: Human Factors and Innovative Approaches

Posted on: Friday, 5 August 2005, 09:00 CDT

E-Education Applications: Human Factors and Innovative Approaches Claude Ghaoui, ed. 2004. Hershey, PA: Information Science Publishing. [ISBN 1-59140-292-1. 363 pages, including index. $59.95 USD (softcover).]

The 20 chapters included in E-education applications cover a wide range of issues by authors from several nations concerning innovative approaches to using the Internet for training purposes. Each chapter is a paper based on an actual project.

As a standalone paper, each contribution documents the needs assessment, prior research, implementation, testing, and compilation of results of its project. Each paper also includes diagrams and charts or tables. The resolution of the diagrams, unfortunately, is very low.

As a compilation, the book makes it easy for anyone interested in e-learning to study a broad scope of recent projects. The chapters are grouped into two sections: "Models, systems and courses" and "More on intuitive, social and international issues." Now there is no reason to reinvent the wheel when others have paved the way.

The preface provides a brief, useful overview of each chapter. I want to discuss briefly three of the more interesting chapters.

"Innovative approach to teaching database design through WWW: A case study and usability evaluation" describes the "Postcourse" project, a post-graduate e-course on database design for teachers who want further training in computer science. Course presentation styles include narrative, example, and exercise. There are interactive tutorials for further practice and multiple-choice tests. The paper includes results of the usability testing.

Several German researchers authored "Knowledge spaces: Cultural education in the media age." This chapter describes the work on e- learning carried out in art and culture by the Media Arts Research Studies (MARS) group. The aim was to visualize information and create networked knowledge spaces that can be used to teach, using play. Four types of spaces were created: information space, explorative space using a semantic map as a browser, participation space where tangible objects and invisible interfaces create a mixed reality, and mediation space using a workshop format. The semantic map is an interface with multiple layers in which small squares indicate specific bits of information. Squares that contain many links are clustered, and each cluster is identified by a few keywords. Mixed reality are locations on the map that allow 2-D information to be converted into a 3-D space-imagine a room (gallery) furnished with data (art) that you can wander through. One can move over a semantic map covering the floor, and a life-sized, enterable landscape appears on-screen.

A paper by Japanese authors describes a sign language teaching system that uses sign language recognition and generation methods to overcome three problems: lack of information about non-manual gestures, display of gestures, and feedback given to learners on the correctness of their learned gestures. The system uses 3-D animation sequences with a student-controlled interface to teach facial, hand, and location indicators along with signed words.

The pronounced international flavor of this volume stems largely from the efforts of the contributors from universities and companies in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Turkey, the UK, and the United States.

Donna Ford

Copyright Society for Technical Communication Aug 2005

Source: Technical Communication

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