The Effectiveness of Instruction-Oriented Hypertext Systems Compared to Direct Instruction in e-learning Environments

The Effectiveness of Instruction-Oriented Hypertext Systems Compared to Direct Instruction in e-learning Environments

The use of hypertext systems for learning and teaching complex and ill-structured domain of knowledge has been attracting attention in design of instruction. In this context, an experimental research has been conducted to explore the effectiveness of instructional design oriented hypertext systems. Cognitive flexibility hypertext theory is compared to direct instruction course design without hypertext systems for teaching and learning Flash online course in e-learning environment. Researchers used an experimental approach conducted in the academic year 2010 with independent sample of students of an experimental group (73 students) compared to a control group (73 students) from a university class. The results show the effectiveness of the hypertext systems course design compared to direct online course design. Indeed, the results of cognitive performance have demonstrated that the average time to answer achievement tests is lower for flexible instruction compared to average time for direct instruction. The number of students’ accesses to learning resources in the e-learning platform is higher in case of flexible instruction compared to direct instruction. Results of the experimentation also demonstrate that there are significant differences between the experimental group and the control group, regarding the attitudes of students toward using flexible online course design based cognitive flexibility hypertext theory and direct online course design.

___

  • Banzato, M. (2012). A case study of teachers’ open educational practices. Journal of e-Learning and Knowledge Society, 8(3), 153-163.
  • Baddeley, A.D. (1993). La mémoire humaine: Théorie et pratique. Grenoble : Presses Universitaires de Grenoble.
  • Beeman, W. 0., Anderson, K. T., Bader, G., Larkin, J., McClard, A. P., McQuillan, P., & Shields, M. (1987). Hypertext and pluralism: From lineal to non-lineal thinking. Hypertext '87 papers (pp. 67-88). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
  • Beeman, W. 0., Anderson, K., Bader, G., Larkin, J., McClard, A. P., McQuillan, P., & Shields, M. (1988). Intermedia: A case study of innovation in higher education (Final report to the Annenberg/CPBProject), Providence, RI: Brown University, Office of Program Analysis, Institute for Research and Scholarship.
  • Bereiter, C. & Scardamalia, M. (1985). Cognitive coping strategies and the problem of "inert knowledge." In S. F. Chipman, J. W. Segal, & R. Glaser (Eds.), Thinking and learning skills: Current research and open questions (pp. 65-80). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
  • Bransford, J. D., Franks, J. J., Vye, N. J., & Sherwood, R. D. (1989). New approaches to instruction: Because wisdom can't be told. In S. Vosniadou & A. Ortony (Eds.), Similarity and analogical reasoning (pp. 470-497). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Brown, A. L. (1989). Analogical learning and transfer: What develops? In S. Vosniadou, & A. Ortony (Eds.), Similarity and analogical reasoning (pp. 470-497). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Coulson, R. L., Feltovich, P. J., & Spiro, R. J. (1989). Foundations of a misunderstanding of the ultrastructural basis of myocardial failure: A reciprocation network of oversimplifications. The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, 14, 109-146.
  • Conklin, J. (1987). Hypertext: An introduction and survey. IEEE Computer, 20(9), 17-41.
  • Crane, G. & Mylonas, E. (1988). The Perseus project: Interactive curriculum on classical Greek civilization. Educational Technology, 28(11), 25-32.
  • Dede, C. J. (1987). Empowering environments, hypermedia and micro worlds. The Computing Teacher, 15(3), 20-24.
  • Dede, C. J. (1988). The probable evolution of artificial intelligence based educational devices. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 34, 115-133.
  • Feltovich, P. J., Spiro, R. J., & Coulson, R. L. (1989). The nature of conceptual understanding in biomedicine: The deep structure of complex ideas and the development of misconceptions. In D. Evans & V. Pate (Eds.), The cognitive sciences in medicine (pp. 113- 172). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press (Bradford Books).
  • Godshalk, V. M., Douglas, M. H., & Leslie, M. (2004). The role of learning tasks on attitude change using cognitive flexibility hypertext systems. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 13(4), 507-526.
  • Jonassen, D.H. (1991). Hypertext as instructional design. Educational Technology Research and Development, 39(1), 83-92.
  • Jonassen, D.H. & Wang, S. (1993). Acquiring structural knowledge from semantically structured hypertext. Journal of Computer-Based Instruction, 20(1), 1-8.
  • Jonassen, D. H. (1986). Hypertext principles for text and courseware design. Educational
  • Psychologist, 21, 269-292.
  • Jonassen, D. H. (1988). Designing structured hypertext and structuring access to hypertext. Educational Technology, 28(11), 13-16.
  • Jacobson, M. J. & Spiro, R. J. (1991). A framework for the contextual analysis of computer- based learning environments (Tech. Rep. No. 527). Urbana-Champaign: University of Illinois, Center for the Study of Reading.
  • Jacobson, M. J. & Spiro, R. J. (1993). Hypertext learning environments, cognitive flexibility, and the transfer of complex knowledge: An empirical investigation (Technical Report 573). Center for the Study of Reading.
  • Jacobson, M.J., Maouri, C., Mishra, P., & Kolar, C. (1995). Learning with hypertext learning environments: Theory, design and research. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 4, 321-364.
  • Lehrer, R. (1991). Authors of knowledge: Patterns of hypermedia design. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.
  • Lindsay, P. & Norman, D. (1980). Traitement de l'information et comportement humain. France : Etudes Vivantes.
  • Likert, R. (1932). A technique for the measurement of attitudes. Archives of Psychology, 140, 1–55.
  • Myers, A. C., Feltovich, P. J., Coulson, R. L., Adami, J. F., & Spiro, R. J. (1990). Reductive biases in the reasoning of medical students: An investigation in the domain of acid-base balance. In B. Bender,R. J. Hiemstra, A. J. J. A. Scherbier, & R. P. Zwierstra (Eds.), Teaching and assessing clinical competence. Groningen, The Netherlands: BoekWerk.
  • Rossi, P. G. (2006). Design and ongoing monitoring systems for online education. Proceedings of On Line Educa. Berlin.
  • Rossi, P.G. (2009). Ambiente di apprendimento con elementi di artificial intelligence. JE-LKS. Journal of E-Learning and Knowledge Society, 5(1), 65-75.
  • Rossi P. G., Carletti S., Bentivoglio, C. A., Bonura, D., Cannella, V., Pipitone, A., Pirrone, R., & Russo, G. (2010). Intelligent Agents supporting user interactions within self regulated learning processes. JE-LKS. Journal of E-Learning and Knowledge Society, 6(2), 27-36.
  • Richard,H. & Haya, A. (2009).Examining student decision to adopt web 2.0 technologies: theory and empirical tests. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 21(3), 183-198.
  • Spiro, R. J., Vispoel, W. P., Schmitz, J. G., Samarapungavan, A., & Boerger, A. E. (1987). Knowledge acquisition for application: Cognitive flexibility and transfer in complex content domains. In B. K. Britton, & S. M. Glynn (Eds.), Executive control processes in reading (pp.177-199). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
  • Spiro, R. J., Coulson, R. L., Feltovich, P. J., & Anderson, D. K. (1988). Cognitive flexibility theory: Advanced knowledge acquisition in ill-structured domains. Tenth annual conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp.375-383). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
  • Spiro, R. J., Feltovich, P. J., Jacobson, M. J., & Coulson, R. L. (1992). Cognitive flexibility, constructivism, and hypertext: Random access instruction for advanced knowledge acquisition in ill-structured domains. In T. M. Duffy & D. H. Jonassen (Eds.), Constructivism and the technology of instruction: A conversation (pp.57-76). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawerence Erlbaum Associates.
  • Spiro, R. J., Feltovich, P. J., Jacobson, M. J., & Coulson, R. L. (1996). Cognitive flexibility, constructivism and hypertext: Random access instruction for advanced knowledge acquisition in ill-structured domains. I Simpósio Investigação e Desenvolvimento de Software Educativo.
  • Spiro, R. J. & Jehng, J. C. (1990). Cognitive flexibility, random access instruction, and hypertext: Theoryand technology for the nonlinear and multidimensional traversal of complex subject matter. In D. Nix and R. J. Spiro (Eds.), Cognition, education, and multimedia (pp.163-205). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
  • Wittgenstein, L. (1953). Phylosophical investigation. New York: Macmillan.
  • Zengin, B., Arikan, A., Dogan, D. (2011). Opinions of English Major Students about Their
  • Departments’ Websites. Contemporary Educational Technology, 2(4), 294-307.
  • Correspondence: Chokri Barhoumi, Assistant Professor, Department of Educational
  • Technology, Faculty of Education, Taibah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia