Search

For the forty-third time, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented online during the annual AECT Convention. Volume 1 contains 37 papers dealing primarily with research and development topics. Papers dealing with the practice of instructional technology including instruction and training issues are contained in Volume 2. [For Volume 2, see ED617422.]

The papers in these proceedings include a number of themes such as enduring and progressive social change, good practice and positive outcomes, and strategies of survival, resistance and subversion. They are: "Achievement, Personal Development, and Positive Outcomes" (Viv Anderson); "Raising Standards" (Paul Armstrong); "Multicultural Education for Adults" (Burjor Avari); " Four Congratulations and a Caveat" (Roseanne Benn); "Issues in the Supervision of Dissertation Research Conducted by Continuing Education and Training Professionals in South East Asia towards a Masters Degree of the University of Sheffield" (Geoff Chivers); "Continuing Education and the Public Understanding of Science" (Martin Counihan); "Silver Lining" (Eileen Daggett); "Conversing Internationally" (Chris Duke); "A Study of the Competence Levels of the Heads of Adult Education in Turkey" (Ahmet Duman); "Vision, Provision, and Television" (Darrel Dymock); "Women's Studies and Adult Education" (Jane Elliott); "Living with Competence" (Paul Garland); "Where Has Schon Led Us?" (Mary Gobbi); "Using a Self-Selected Support Group as a Strategy for Survival" (Christine Hibbert, Antoinette Middling, Frances Scourfield); "Journey through the Looking Glass" (Cheryl Hunt); "Multiplying Visions and Using Similitudes'" (Christine Jarvis); "Experimental Archaeology in Education" (David Johnston); "We're Still Here" (Rennie Johnston); "Holding Up the Mirror" (William Jones); "Participative Environmental Research and the Role of Continuing Education" (David Knight); "Making a Mark" (Carol Lee-Mak, Janice Malcolm); "The Creative Management of Biography" (Danny Mashengele); "From Distance Learning to Computer Supported Cooperative Learning" (David McConnell); "Autobiography in an Academic Context" (Margaret Millar et al.); "Exchanging Places, Trading Learning" (Nod Miller, Miriam Zukas); "Fiftysomething" (Penny Muter, Peter Watson); "Happiness Is a Thing Called Subversion" (Kirit Patel); "Vision, Policy, or Accident?" (Keith Percy); "Discourse and Culture" (Julia Preece); "Democracy and Personal Empowerment" (Ian Roffe, Carolyn Inglis); "German Adult Education in East Germany after Unification" (Marion Sporing); "Starting with Self" (Alistair Thomson); "Telling the Story of the Self/Deconstructing the Self of the Story" (Robin Usher); "Two Cheers for Special Needs Provision in Adult Education" (Peter Watson); "Re-Visioning the Self" (Linden West); "Using Vocational Competences To Develop an Alternative Framework for Modern Language Teaching" (John Wilson, A. Ibarz); "NVQs [National Vocational Qualifications] and Individuals" (Jonathan Winterton, Ruth Winterton); and "Coming of Age" (Alexandra Withnall). (YLB)

The present exploratory study investigated the efficacy of secondary face-to-face classroom-based English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction digitally supported by the FeedBook, an interactive computer assisted language learning web-based suite of exercises providing item-level scaffolded feedback. Seventy-seven native (L1) German seventh-grade students used the FeedBook during four two-week training periods (cycles, here we analyse Cycle 2 and 3). Classroom and FeedBook practice occurred in parallel, except for grammar constructions for which only FeedBook practice was provided (controls). At the end of Cycle 3, students engaged in a classroom-based communicative task for which the practised constructions were relevant. Custom-designed pre- and post-tests, administered via the FeedBook, assessed language accuracy in each cycle. Mixed-effect models revealed significant pre-/post-test accuracy gains independent of the learners' proficiency in English, but not in controls. Gains from digitally supported instruction were also positively related to accurate use of EFL grammar constructions in the communicative task. Overall, the results indicate learning benefits for face-to-face classroom-based instruction supported by the FeedBook, evidenced both in grammar tests and in communicative activities. [For the complete volume, "Intelligent CALL, Granular Systems and Learner Data: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2022 (30th, Reykjavik, Iceland, August 17-19, 2022)," see ED624779.]

Social Virtual Reality (VR) applications enable real-time interpersonal conversation and allow users to perform activities together. They have the potential of changing the ways learners practise speaking a foreign language. Following a previous study (Jauregi Ondarra, Gruber, & Canto, 2020), we designed the present study to explore how presence, immersion, and interactivity affect overall social experience. Students from Germany and the Netherlands engaged in High-immersion VR (HiVR) virtual exchange sessions, using Spanish as a lingua franca at A2 level. International dyads carried out four interaction tasks in AltspaceVR, using head-mounted devices. To examine students' HiVR virtual exchange experiences, different sources of data were gathered: questionnaires, reflection diaries, recordings, and focus group interviews. The preliminary results, based on the surveys and reflection journals, show that students liked to use a social VR app to communicate in the target language with peers from other countries, as they felt completely immersed and co-present in the social interactive VR space. This might enhance engagement and lower anxiety levels. [For the complete volume, "CALL and Professionalisation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2021 (29th, Online, August 26-27, 2021)," see ED616972.]

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting school closures have confronted the educational sector with numerous challenges. This study focuses on how teachers faced these challenges and examines what we can learn from the crisis for prospective digitally-enhanced English language teaching (ELT) and teacher education. It follows a qualitative research design and is based on semi-structured interviews with 20 foreign language teachers. The transcripts were analysed using qualitative content analysis to investigate teachers' perspectives on their work during the pandemic and to describe needs concerning their professionalisation. First results suggest that Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) needs to be integrated better in teacher education to foster teachers' competences for teaching languages online. [For the complete volume, "CALL and Professionalisation: Short Papers from EUROCALL 2021 (29th, Online, August 26-27, 2021)," see ED616972.]

The ability to spell correctly is a fundamental skill for participating in society and engaging in professional work. In the German language, the capitalization of nouns and proper names presents major difficulties for both native and nonnative learners, since the definition of what is a noun varies according to one's linguistic perspective. In this paper, we hypothesize that learners use different cognitive strategies to identify nouns. To this end, we examine capitalization exercises from more than 30,000 users of an online spelling training platform. The cognitive strategies identified are syntactic, semantic, pragmatic, and morphological approaches. The strategies used by learners overlap widely but differ by individual and evolve with grade level. The results show that even though the pragmatic strategy is not taught systematically in schools, it is the most widespread and most successful strategy used by learners. We therefore suggest that highly granular learning process data can not only provide insights into learners' capabilities and enable the creation of individualized learning content but also inform curriculum development. [For the full proceedings, see ED615472.]

Distance higher education for adults, media selection, and country profiles are considered in conference papers. Titles and authors are as follows: "Distance Education, Trends Worldwide" (Lord Perry of Walton); "Adults in Higher Education: Lowering the Barriers by Teaching and Learning at a Distance" (Hans G. Schutze); "Distance Education for Adults: Old and New Barriers for Participation" (Kjell Rubenson); "Distance Education for Adult Students: From Old to New Barriers for Participation?" (Ger van Enckevort); "Distance Education in OECD Member Countries"; "The Open University of the Netherlands"; "Background and Objectives" (Pierre Morin); "Basic Concepts" (Henk de Wolf); "The First Students" (G. van Enckevort); "The Open University of the United Kingdom" (Keith Harry); "The German Distance University: Its Main Features and Functions" (Jorn Bartels, Otto Peters); "The Instituto Portugues de Ensino a Distancia, Portugal" (Armando Rocha Trindade); "The Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia, Spain" (Doina Popa-Lisseanu); "Distance Education in Yugoslavia" (Ana Kranjc); "Towards a Contextual Rationale in Distance Higher Education: The Small Scale Cases of Australia and Sweden" (Urban Dahllof); "Adult Learning and the Consequences for the Selection of Media: The Japanese Approach" (Yoshiya Abe); "Technology-Based Distance Education for Adults in the United States of America" (Marilyn Kressel); "Distance Education, a Critical View from Canada" (Ian Morrison); "The Impact on Higher Education of New Information and Telecommunication Technologies" (Pamela Christoffel); "Selection of Media at the Dutch Open University" (G. van Enckevort, Freek Gastkemper)"; "Development of Computer-Based Learning Materials" (Jef Moonen); and "Computer Communication: A New Tool for Distance Education" (Norman D. Kurland). (SW)

This work-in-progress study focuses on the implementation of digital media into the Russian language classroom at secondary schools in the German-speaking countries of Austria, Germany, and the trilingual region South Tyrol. The data were collected in a mixed-methods procedure: quantitative data from online questionnaires and qualitative data from face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with teachers and learners of Russian. The data from the online-surveys were analysed with descriptive statistics and that of the interviews with qualitative content analysis. The results from the online-surveys illustrate the kinds of digital devices that are employed, the frequency of their use, and the purposes digital media are intended to fulfil in the Russian language classroom. Another finding concerns the teachers' digital literacy, suggesting that only half of the Russian teachers can create online language learning tasks. The paper closes with implications for pre- and inservice teacher education and future research. [For the complete proceedings, see ED600837.]

This paper reports on an exploratory case study of learner participation within the context of online language learning in virtual world platforms. Data for this investigation was collected through a case study of a Business English course within a qualitative Case-Study Research framework. This study examines learner activity in virtual worlds in relation to three main features of the platform: avatars, artefacts and spaces. The study makes use of "Reflexivity" and "Exploratory Practice" as its core methodological approach to the building of the case. The virtual world data is analysed from a multimodal perspective and makes use of "visualization" as the primary analytical tool. In an attempt to broach the Eurocall 2015 conference topic of Critical Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), this paper will present and discuss three findings: a broadening of our understanding of learner participation in virtual worlds, the critical role played by course designers and teachers in the shaping of learner participation in virtual worlds, and the potential of virtual worlds as a tool for reflective practice and practitioner research. [For full proceedings, see ED564162.]

"The EUROCALL Review" is EUROCALL's open access online scientific journal. Regular sections include: (1) Reports on EUROCALL Special Interest Groups: up-to-date information on SIG activities; (2) Projects: reports on on-going CALL or CALL-related R&D projects; (3) Recommended websites: reports and reviews of examples of good practice in language learning website development; (4) Research papers on CALL-related topics; (5) Research and Development papers on CALL-related topics; (6) Reflective Practice papers on CALL-related topics; and (7) Reviews of new books, CALL software, etc. This issue contains the following papers stemming from the INTENT conference on "Telecollaboration in University Foreign Language Education" held at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, University of León, Spain, on 14 February 2014: (1) Promoting critical thinking in online intercultural communication (Marie-Thérèse Batardière); (2) Why in the world would I want to talk to someone else about my culture? (Chesla Ann Bohinski and Yumei Leventhal); (3) A blended learning scenario to enhance learners' oral production skills (Hee-Kyung Kim); (4) Combining Skype with Blogging: A chance to stop reinforcement of stereotypes in intercultural exchanges? (L. Lynette Kirschner); (5) English learning in an intercultural perspective: Russia and Norway (Anne-Mette Bjøru); and (6) Pan-American teletandem language exchange project (Aurora Castillo-Scott). The regular paper section includes: An e-portfolio to enhance sustainable vocabulary learning in English (Hiroya Tanaka, Akio Ohnishi, Suzanne M. Yonesaka, and Yukie Ueno). The following recommended website is reviewed by Rafael Seiz Ortiz: ABA English. Individual papers contain references.

The World Wide Web has developed as the de facto standard for computer based learning. However, as a server-centered approach, it confines readers and learners to passive nonsequential reading. Authoring and Web-publishing systems aim at supporting the authors' design process. Consequently, learners' activities are confined to selecting and reading (downloading documents) with almost no possibilities to structure and arrange their learning spaces nor do that in a cooperative manner. This paper presents a learner-centered, completely Web-based, approach through virtual knowledge rooms. Based on this concept, the goal of the presented work is firstly to develop a theoretical framework to explain the design potentials of technology-supported learning processes (distinguishing individual and cooperative primary media functions). Secondly, a technical framework (cf. www.open-steam.org) should be developed to allow for study of different technical configurations within the traditional university setting. Considering the systems design, the concept of virtual knowledge rooms is to combine event-based technology of virtual worlds with the classical document management functions in a client-server framework. Knowledge rooms and learning materials such as documents or multimedia elements are represented as a fully object-oriented model of objects, attributes and access rights. The paper does not focus on interactive systems managing individual access rights to knowledge bases, but rather on cooperative management and structuring of distributed knowledge bases. (Author)

The importance of the Extensible Markup Language (XML) technology family in the field of Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) can not be denied. The Instructional Management Systems Project (IMS), for example, provides a learning resource XML binding specification. Considering this specification and other implementations using XML to represent learning contents in different ways, a new approach to use an XML-based representation of learning objectives during the development process of a Computer Supported Learning Environment (CSLE) was developed. Identifying and representing learning objectives is an integral part of the Essen Learning Model (ELM), a generic development model supporting developers, educators, and users on different levels of educational activities. This paper illustrates how to use XML data in the context of learning objectives to support the implementation of learning environments. (Contains 16 references, 5 figures, and 1 table.) (Author/AEF)

An Internet-based course management system has been under development at the Fraunhofer-Institute for Computer Graphics Rostock (Germany) for the past 5 years. It is used by experts for distributing their courses via the Internet and by students for learning with the material distributed. The "Course Management System for WWW--CMS-W3" supports self studies, group learning, and communication among students and with the tutor. There are various standardization processes on information and communication technology-based learning materials running all over the world. The Learning Technology Systems Architecture (LTSA) is one standard developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1484 Learning Technology Standards Committee. One important part of CMS-W3 was missing and was not described in the LTSA. It was found that the proposed LTSA was missing the part on how the knowledge is transferred through the system. This paper proposes an extension of the LTSA supplementing the process of knowledge transfer: from the expert to the resources of the system and back to the expert in the form of experience. (AEF)

This paper begins by examining various aspects of children's and young people's reading ability and the new media, including children's media use and ownership, as well as multicultural aspects. The way public libraries see their role in the teaching of media skills is then considered, including well-developed reading ability as a prerequisite of media skills competence, providing media access and teaching media skills, and library policy positions; the statistics on the library provision of new media with special reference to service for children and young people are also discussed. The following principles of media education activity in children's libraries are summarized: a play-centered approach; an activity-centered approach with emphasis on the child's own actions; the integration of all media forms; and the presentation of the library's media range. It is noted that the variety of media skills teaching activities in children's libraries far outshines actual media provision, and several practical examples are provided, including the creation of special links lists for children in the Internet, creative activities for getting to know new media forms, and creative activities for new media production. (MES)

A method to facilitate collaborative learning in complex learning environments was developed and evaluated. Sixteen college students of educational science were given the CoStructure-Tool, a task-specific computer-based tool developed on the basis of concept mapping techniques to support the processes of knowledge construction in collaborative learning. The tool includes concept cards for case information and cards for theoretical concepts, with a screen divided into empirical and theoretical planes. Sixteen other students collaborated without this support in a control condition. Students in both conditions had to work on complex cases in the domain of education. The use of the mapping tool had substantial effects on collaborative knowledge construction. Dyads in this group produced more on-task contributions and used more theoretical concepts. Use of the mapping tool also facilitated transfer of prior knowledge, but no differences were found in the use of theoretical concepts provided in the learning environment. The CoStructure-Tool proved to be a method for facilitating cooperation that was effective in supporting specific processes and in improving the transfer of prior knowledge. (Contains eight references.) (SLD)

This paper describes the architecture and discusses implementation issues of a scalable Internet-based teaching and learning system (SKILL) being developed at the University of Essen (Germany). The primary objective of SKILL is to cope with the different knowledge levels and learning preferences of the students, providing them with a collaborative and adaptive learning environment utilizing new World Wide Web technologies. Basic components of SKILL are course material based on concepts organized in an ordinal rating derived from pre-requirements, an annotation facility suited for collaboration work, and a configuration environment for tailoring the system. Topics discussed include: (1) SKILL functionality, including adaptivity/progress control and collaborativity through annotations and course extensions; (2) components, including security, document management, and tutoring components; (3) implementation issues; and (4) related work. A figure presents course refinement levels. Contains 13 references. (Author/AEF)

Adaptive e-Learning systems are able to adjust to a user's learning needs, usually by user modeling or tracking progress. Such learner-adaptive behavior has rapidly become a hot topic for e-Learning, furthered in part by the recent rapid increase in the use of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). A lack of general, individual, and situational data about student populations currently hampers the infusion of effective adaptive behavior into existing e-Learning platforms. This contribution presents original research on using differences in individual learning styles. Factors related to performance, motivation, satisfaction, and previous knowledge were targeted and used to assess the effectiveness of the approach. We discuss alternative bases for adaptation (e.g. cognitive styles), style distributions in student populations, and conclude with repercussions for adaptive behavior in HCI in general. [For the full proceedings, see ED562095.]

This paper reports on a pilot project in which German universities in Freiburg, Constance, Mannheim, Stuttgart, and Ulm connected computer science departments via the Internet for a summer 1997 telelecture and teletutorial on computers and society. The first section provides background on telelearning and introduces the case study. The second section discusses the didactic approach (to give a conventional lecture and provide additional material via the World Wide Web), student participants, and the technological infrastructure that utilized a Mbone (Multicast Backbone) based videoconferencing toolset. The qualitative methods used to evaluate the pilot project are explained in the next section. The fourth section describes the experiences, difficulties, and lessons learned regarding the video conference toolset and the didactic approach. Findings indicate that: the videoconferencing tool provided insufficient quality of transmission and was deficient regarding its functionality and interface; the telelecture led to reduced attention of remote participants and a lower level of interactivity between lecturers and students; and telelearning requires new teaching and learning approaches to compensate for its constraints. Contains 13 references. (DLS)

This paper presents an approach for developing flexible Hypermedia Learning Environments (HMLE) and applies this theoretical framework to the creation of a layered model of a hypermedia system, called HyperDisc, developed at the German Institute for Research on Distance Education. The first section introduces HMLE and suggests that existing hypermedia systems often suffer from theoretical, conceptual, and methodological shortcomings. The empirical background of hypermedia use and hypertext-based technologies are discussed in the second section. The next section deals with design features crucial for flexible HMLE, following a model for describing computer-based systems that comprises learner, subject matter, pedagogic-didactic, and information technology components. The fourth section presents the HyperDisc program as a prototype of HMLE intended to cope with design requirements outlined for fostering open and flexible learning; features discussed include expository learning activities, exploratory learning activities, expressive learning activities, and openness (i.e., the potential to integrate and create new contents). A figure illustrates the main screen of HyperDisc. Contains 14 references. (DLS)

This paper introduces a multimedia-based educational system on logistics developed at the University of Magdeburg (Germany), reports on development and implementation of the prototype, and discusses ideas for redesign. The system was tested, used, and evaluated at the university and within a European network of 24 universities, colleges, and training centers from 13 countries. Students were interviewed and completed questionnaires regarding opinions, criticisms, and wishes in relation to the system. The development process, including guidelines, story board, navigation, calculation exercises, layout, integrated notepads, language-independent components, and language-specific components, is discussed. Ideas for expansion and modification of the educational system include: increasing user-friendliness by reorganizing and reworking the interface; supporting more flexible teaching and learning processes by providing learner-specific interaction and feedback; and expanding use by integrating the module into distance courses, adapting to student needs, and facilitating alternate forms of communication. Possibilities for more effective authors' support focus on: expanding and explaining conventions for structuring and designing the system and its elements; putting further knowledge of facts and methods into modular form according to content and formal aspects and documenting them in a way that is easily searchable; and supporting the collection, management, and finding of resources by a resource pool with a comfortable management system. (DLS)

The Virtual University is an Internet-based learning environment developed at the University of Hagen (Germany). Complex teaching activities based on new concepts integrating net-based communication and cooperation facilities take place in the Virtual University. Experiences show that there is a threshold, especially for tutors in non-computer science fields, in using the new technologies for tutoring activities. The problem is that they have to arrange completely new organizational processes and manage the new technology. In order to ease the tutor's work, a net-based tutoring concept incorporating both organizational and technical support for tutors is being developed. This paper demonstrates the concept of a net-based tutoring wizard as a model for the management of virtual seminars. Topics discussed include: (1) concepts and problems of traditional and net-based tutoring; (2) characteristic functionalities of a tutoring wizard, including templates for World Wide Web-based tutoring, automatic generation of Web pages on the basis of the tutor's information filled in dialog boxes, support for publishing and changing information on the Web server, task management, notification mechanism, support of tutor groups, and integration of workflow aspects; and (3) implementation of a tutoring wizard prototype using Microsoft FrontPage. Four figures present sample screens. (Author/DLS)

The quality of World Wide Web-based learning depends on several critical success factors. In particular, course materials on the Web should not represent a one-to-one transfer of written lecture notes; added values (e.g., interaction and dialogue components, training modules) should be provided. This paper introduces the approach of multimedia Web-based teachware packages taking these demands into consideration. Applications are based on a series of modular reusable components providing core functionalities--especially flexible navigational guidance--and serving as a framework for developing Web-based teachware packages with any type of content. The first section discusses motivation, including advantages of Web-based learning compared to traditional computer-based training, and a project to create a "virtual campus," at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (Germany). A framework for Web-based teachware packages is presented in the second section, including flexible navigational guides, orientation guides, interactive components, annotations, glossary, online manual, assistance by the tutor and technical support staff, and learner-learner communication. The third section addresses reusability and course generation, including integrated guided tour definition and separated guided tour definition. Figures illustrate the control panel, navigational guides, and separated guided tour definition. (AEF)

This paper discusses the use of Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) techniques for computer-aided learning (CAL); the work was started in the context of project Nestor, a joint effort of German universities about cooperative multimedia authoring/learning environments. There are four major categories of cooperation for CAL: author/author, author/learner, tutor/learner, and learner/learner. In GROUPIE (Group Interaction Environment), a generic support system which was carried out in the Nestor project, a common model and taxonomy of cooperation was established; features include universal development support and a runtime support system. In this system, cooperation is viewed as an aggregate of two lower-level concepts, interaction and coordination. CoopEC (cooperating within the European Community learning domain), an example of CAL-specific courseware, teaches about the EC and features a cooperative problem solving process; this software includes a questionnaire, a multitransition between private and group learning, flexible coupling modes, and both online conferencing and asynchronous document exchange. A more liberal approach to commercial courseware is the authoring system, Nestor-ADP, which consists of cooperation-transparent tools, cooperation-aware tools, and the cooperation-aware lifecycle support environment, DIRECT. In DIRECT, the encompassing graphical user interface supports the cooperative construction of complex, hierarchically structured issue-position argument graphs. In general, two areas of cooperation support are distinguished: author/author cooperation, which involves multiple cooperation-aware tools and learner/side cooperation, which must be supported by generic development support for cooperative courseware. (AEF)

The IADIS CELDA 2012 Conference intention was to address the main issues concerned with evolving learning processes and supporting pedagogies and applications in the digital age. There had been advances in both cognitive psychology and computing that have affected the educational arena. The convergence of these two disciplines is increasing at a fast pace and affecting academia and professional practice in many ways. Paradigms such as just-in-time learning, constructivism, student-centered learning and collaborative approaches have emerged and are being supported by technological advancements such as simulations, virtual reality and multi-agents systems. These developments have created both opportunities and areas of serious concerns. This conference aimed to cover both technological as well as pedagogical issues related to these developments. The IADIS CELDA 2012 Conference received 98 submissions from more than 24 countries. Out of the papers submitted, 29 were accepted as full papers. In addition to the presentation of full papers, short papers and reflection papers, the conference also includes a keynote presentation from internationally distinguished researchers. Individual papers contain figures, tables, and references.

This paper addresses the importance of assessing and realizing students' needs and expectations while developing a virtual learning environment (VLE). The project Virtual OR/MS is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of the German Government. It involves seven German partners from six universities. The goal of the project supports the four trends as judged by Longworth to be essential in managing the challenges of the 21st century: increased use of educational tools and techniques; greater use of national and international networks; development of co-operative and two-way partnerships; and development of learning organizations and individual empowerment. The evaluation methods, their results, and the conclusions made for the development of the VLE are the focus of this paper. (Contains 16 references.) (AEF)

This document contains the second volume of the proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. Conference presentations are centered around the theme "Mathematics at the Centre." This volume features 60 research reports by presenters with last names beginning between Abr and Dri: (1) The Odds of Understanding the Law of Large Numbers: A Design for Grounding Intuitive Probability in Combinatorial Analysis (Dor Abrahamson and Rose M. Cendak); (2) Imaginary-Symbolic Relations, Pedagogic Resources and the Constitution of Mathematics for Teaching in In-Service Mathematics Teacher Education (Jill Adler and Zain Davis); (3) Relationship between Pre-Service Mathematics Teachers' Teaching and Learning Beliefs and Their Practices (Hatice Akkoc and Feral Ogan-Bekiroglu); (4) Teachers' Awareness of Dimensions of Variation: A Mathematics Intervention Project (Thabit Al-Murani); (5) The Student Teacher and the Others: Multimembership on the Process of Introducing Technology in the Classroom (Nelia Amado and Susana Carreira); (6) Improving Student Teachers' Understanding of Fractions (Solange Amorim Amato); (7) Autodidactic Learning of Probabilistic Concepts through Games (Miriam Amit and Irma Jan); (8) Graduate Students' Processes in Generating Examples of Mathematical Objects (Samuele Antonini); (9) Reasoning in an Absurd World: Difficulties with Proof by Contradiction (Samuele Antonini and Maria Alessandra Mariotti); (10) Will Penelope Choose Another Bridegroom? Looking for an Answer through Signs (Ferdinando Arzarello, Luciana Bazzini, Francesca Ferrara, Ornella Robutti, Cristina Sabena, and Bruna Villa); (11) Motivation and Perceptions of Classroom Culture in Mathematics of Students across Grades 5 to 7 (Chryso Athanasiou and George N. Philippou); (12) Deductive Reasoning: Different Conceptions and Approaches (Michal Ayalon and Ruhama Even); (13) The Tendency to Use Intuitive Rules among Students with Different Piagetian Cognitive Levels (Reuven Babai); (14) Coming to Appreciate the Pedagogical Uses of CAS (Lynda Ball and Kaye Stacey); (15) Students' Conceptions of "m" and "c": How to Tune a Linear Function (Caroline Bardini and Kaye Stacey); (16) A Contradiction between Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Teaching Indications (Ibrahim Bayazit and Eddie Gray); (17) Identifying and Supporting Mathematical Conjectures through the Use of Dynamic Software (David Benitez Mojica and Manuel Santos Trigo); (18) Students Constructing Representations for Outcomes of Experiments (Palma Benko and Carolyn A. Maher); (19) Logarithms: Snapshots from Two Tasks (Tanya Berezovski and Rina Zazkis); (20) Trying to Reach the Limit--The Role of Algebra in Mathematical Reasoning (Christer Bergsten); (21) Semiotic Sequence Analysis--Constructing Epistemic Types Empirically (Angelika Bikner-Ahsbahs); (22) Service Teaching: Mathematical Education of Students of Client Departments (Erhan Bingolbali, John Monaghan, and Tom Roper); (23) Students' Thinking about the Tangent Line (Irene Biza, Constantinos Christou, and Theodossios Zachariades); (24) Habermas' Theory of Rationality as a Comprehensive Frame for Conjecturing and Proving in School (Paulo Boero); (25) Extending Students' Understanding of Decimal Numbers via Realistic Mathematical Modeling and Problem Posing (Cinzia Bonotto); (26) Different Media, Different Types of Collective Work in Online Continuing Teacher Education: Would You Pass the Pen, Please? (Marcelo C. Borba and Rubia B. A. Zulatto); (27) Reformulating "Mathematical Modelling" in the Framework of the Anthropological Theory of Didactics (Marianna Bosch, Fco. Javier Garcia, Josep Gascon, and Luisa Ruiz Higueras); (28) Students' Impressions of the Value of Games for the Learning of Mathematics (Leicha A. Bragg); (29) The Transition from Arithmetic to Algebra: To Reason, Explain, Argue, Generalize and Justify (Trygve Breiteig and Barbro Grevholm); (30) Resisting Reform Pedagogy: Teacher and Learner Contributions (Karin Brodie); (31) Manifestations of Affordances of a Technology-Rich Teaching and Learning Environment (TRTLE) (Jill P. Brown); (32) Types of Representations of the Number Line in Textbooks (Alicia Bruno and Noemi Cabrera); (33) Educational Neuroscience: New Horizons for Research in Mathematics Education (Stephen R. Campbell); (34) Variability in a Probability Context: Developing Pre-Service Teachers' Understanding (Daniel L. Canada); (35) Implementing a Reform-Oriented Mathematics Syllabus: A Survey of Secondary Teachers (Michael Cavanagh); (36) Student's Modelling with a Lattice of Conceptions in the Domain of Linear Equations and Inequations (Hamid Chaachoua, Marilena Bittar, and Jean-Francois Nicaud); (37) Using Reading and Coloring to Enhance Incomplete Prover's Performance in Geometry Proof (Ying-Hao Cheng and Fou-Lai Lin); (38) Aspects of Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Decimals (Helen Chick, Monica Baker, Thuy Pham, and Hui Cheng); (39) Collaborative Action Research on Implementing Inquiry-Based Instruction in an Eighth Grade Mathematics Class: An Alternative Mode for Mathematics Teacher Professional Development (Erh-Tsung Chin, Yung-Chi Lin, Yann-Tyng Ko, Chi-Tung Chien, and Hsiao-Lin Tuan); (40) Routine and Novel Mathematical Solutions: Central-Cognitive or Peripheral-Affective Participation in Mathematics Learning (Mei-Shiu Chiu); (41) The Role of Self-Generated Problem Posing in Mathematics Exploration (Victor V. Cifarelli and Jinfa Cai); (42) A Longitudinal Study of Children's Mental Computation Strategies (Barbara Clarke, Doug M. Clarke, and Marj Horne); (43) Assessing Fraction Understanding Using Task-Based Interviews (Doug M. Clarke, Michal Sukenik, Anne Roche, and Annie Mitchell); (44) Evaluation of a Teaching Concept for the Development of Problem Solving Competences in Connection with Self-Regulation (Christina Collet and Regina Bruder); (45) Developing Probability Thinking in Primary School: A Case Study on the Constructive Role of Natural Language in Classroom Discussions (Valeria Consogno, Teresa Gazzolo, and Paulo Boero); (46) Collaboration with Teachers to Improve Mathematics Learning: Pedagogy at Three Levels (Tom J. Cooper, Annette R. Baturo, and Edlyn J. Grant); (47) "Aim High--Beat Yourself": Effective Mathematics Teaching in a Remote Indigenous Community (Tom J. Cooper, Annette R. Baturo, Elizabeth Warren, and Edlyn J. Grant); (48) Development of Children's Understanding of Length, Area, and Volume Measurement Principles (Margaret Curry, Michael Mitchelmore, and Lynne Outhred; (49) Mathematics-for-Teaching: The Cases of Multiplication and Division (Brent Davis, Elaine Simmt, and Dennis Sumara); (50) Generative Concept Images (Gary E. Davis and Catherine A. Pearn); (51) Developmental Assessment of Data Handling Performance Age 7-14 (Pauline Davis, Maria Pampaka, Julian Williams, and Lawrence Wo); (52) The Effect of Different Teaching Tools in Overcoming the Impact of the Intuitive Rules (Eleni Deliyianni, Eleni Michael, and Demetra Pitta-Pantazi); (53) Investigating Social and Individual Aspects in Teacher's Approaches to Problem Solving (Fien Depaepe, Erik De Corte, and Lieven Verschaffel); (54) Maths Avoidance and the Choice of University (Pietro Di Martino and Francesca Morselli); (55) Primary Students' Reasoning about Diagrams: The Building Blocks of Matrix Knowledge (Carmel M. Diezmann); (56) Integrating Errors into Developmental Assessment: "Time" for Ages 8-13 (Brian Doig, Julian Williams, Lawrence Wo, and Maria Pampaka); (57) Vygotsky's Everyday Concepts/Scientific Concepts Dialectics in School Context: A Case Study (Nadia Douek); (58) Creating Mathematical Models with Structures (Katherine Doyle); (59) Mechanisms for Consolidating Knowledge Constructs (Tommy Dreyfus, Nurit Hadas, Rina Hershkowitz, and Baruch Schwarz); and (60) Reconciling Factorizations Made with CAS and with Paper-and-Pencil: The Power of Confronting Two Media (Paul Drijvers, Carolyn Kieran, Andre Boileau, Fernando Hitt, Denis Tanguay, Luis Saldanha, and Jose Guzman). (Individual papers contain references.)

The motivational effects of feedback types consisting of the same evaluative components, but differing in the informative components, were studied with 156 German undergraduates in a computer-based learning experiment. A concept-formation task was the learning material. Three feedback conditions were designed: (1) knowledge about result (low informativeness); (2) knowledge about mistakes (medium informativeness); and (3) knowledge on how to proceed (high informativeness). Results show that the informativeness of feedback exerts an influence not only on information processing but also on learner motivation. Greater informative value of the feedback was related to better performance, but the effects of the informativeness of feedback on the motivational variables were moderated by the motivational characteristics of the subjects. (Contains 4 figures and 22 references.) (SLD)

Two years ago the educational server, learn:line, of North Rhine Westfalia started at the State Institute of School and Further Education in Soest, Germany. A special pedagogical concept was put into practice and a platform for different types of schools was built--a platform for information, communication and cooperation among teachers as well as students who could work with the same material (on this server), on the same topics, and on the same problem (from different points of view) in virtual workspaces. In addition to this, a program of in-service teacher training was started. Tutors help teachers to get familiar with new technologies, discover ways that teachers can use the Internet to prepare their lessons and how classes can work with the Internet. This in-service teacher training is meant to accompany the development and evaluation of learn:line. (AEF/Author)

Education can profit significantly from hypermedia and e-technologies. However, in the authors' experience, the majority of students having the choice of learning on the computer or from a printed script or book prefer the latter when it comes to "challenging" formal domains. For online learning material to be successful, its structure and presentation have to reflect the characteristics of hypermedia and the Web. This paper presents a model of the didactical structure of online learning content based on methods of instructional design. The model specifically addresses two major problems of the Web medium for learning: loss of overview due to low information density of the medium and short attention spans due to "fast fatigue" of perception. The model serves as a framework which guides the author in structuring even abstract and complex content such that it can be efficiently learned on the Web. The model is the basis of how 12 German universities structure their content in the joint project WWR (Wissenswerkstatt Rechensysteme (Knowledge Factory for Computing Systems)), which aims at providing a pool of 150 XML-based online learning modules in technical computer science. (Contains 23 references.) (Author)

Topics in education are changing with an ever faster pace. Especially in the field of lifeling learning, the aspects that need to be taught by information providers must keep up to date with emerging topics. The Courseware watchdog is a comprehensive module that allows users to focus on existing subfields of a discipline, but thereby be aware of important drifts and tendencies in the field. It is part of the PADLR (Personalized Access to Distributed Learning Repositories) framework that builds upon a peer-to-peer approach for supporting personalized access to learning. The Courseware Watchdog aims at finding and visualizing relevant educational material on the Web and in the peer-to-peer network according to the user's needs, and detecting trends and changes within the field of interest. This paper discusses the information sources of the Courseware Watchdog--the focused crawler and the Edutella peer-to-peer network--and the treatment and interaction with the courseware collected, in the following components: subjective clustering, intelligent browsing, and the ontology evolution. (Contains 19 references.) (Author/AEF)

This paper introduces an architecture for an e-learning system with an embedded authoring system. Based on the metaphor of a construction kit, this approach offers a general solution for specific content creation and publication. The learning resources are IMS "Content Packages" with a special structure to separate content and presentation. These packages are called "Template Content Objects" (TCO). They contain a template coded in XML and additional files for multimedia learning objects. TCOs are similar to the SCORM "Sharable Content Objects" (SCO) and can be simply translated to them. The authoring system consists of different authoring tools that handle TCOs. Every task in the process of learning object creation is done by experts which were modeled with the help of roles. The architecture is a result of the math-kit, a Web based e-learning system that provides instructors and students with multimedia support for central topics in undergraduate mathematics. (Contains 17 references.) (Author)

In 1997, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research started an initiative to promote e-learning in Germany by installing an extensive research program. The Virtual University of Applied Sciences in Engineering, Computer Science and Economic Engineering is the most prominent and best-funded of the more than 100 projects in the field funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Projects. Officially begun in 1999, its origins go back to 1997 when the faculties at Luebeck University of Applied Sciences set up a working group on online education. In October 2001, the study program of Computer Sciences started in seven joint universities of applied sciences with six courses. Twelve universities of applied sciences, two universities, federal employees association, unions, and business of seven federal states are involved in the development of the two complex online study courses Computer Sciences and Economic Engineering. This paper discusses the objectives and project tasks; the Virtual Campus Association of Universities of Applied Sciences; course material and course tutoring; the learning management system; computer supported collaborative learning; and running the online study program. (Contains 16 references.) AEF)

This paper presents and discusses the evolution of a metadata-based course portal, the Open Learning Repository (OLR). Different instructional models and learning principles are integrated in order to meet different learning and teaching strategies: different metadata models (domain model, instructional model, cooperative and structural model) are designed and mapped. A scenario-based evaluation of a former version of OLR revealed that the use which was intended by designers and teachers can differ from actual use by learners. In the current version, not only are different instructional principles and theories implemented, but also help-files which address the learners' reflection of their own learning strategies. In the design process, different learning theories as well as the organizational framework serve as relevant context which is addressed by scenarios written by all stakeholders. Scenarios serve as medium for communication between instructional designers, computer scientists, and teaching staff. (Contains 16 references.) (Author)

A computer program is described that is a substack of the "Business German" HyperCard program previously developed by Paulsell and designed as a tutorial to be used with materials for a business German course on the third year college level. The program consists of six stacks, a central one providing graphics-based information on Germany as an industrial nation and world trade partners, and five substacks that give additional information and exercises for each of the card topics in the central stack. This paper reports on the relatively sophisticated grammar/syntax stack, which focuses on sentence element variation in formal written German with particular emphasis on the language of business and economics. Twenty-nine computer screen illustrations provide details of the program's three levels of difficulty: (1) introduction and position of subject and finite verb in simple sentences; (2) word order variations in complex sentences; and (3) use of word order variation. (LB)