The aim of this article is to present the multivariate analyses results of the factors that influence students' acceptance and the continuance usage intention of e-learning analytics recommender... Show More

The aim of this article is to present the multivariate analyses results of the factors that influence students' acceptance and the continuance usage intention of e-learning analytics recommender systems in higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected from 353 Saudi Arabian university students via an online survey questionnaire. The research model was then used to examine the hypothesised relationships between user experiences of an e-learning analytics recommender system and their intentions for long-term adoption of the system. The research model was primarily based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) developed by Davis (1989) – the variables ‘perceived usefulness,' ‘perceived ease of use,' and ‘acceptance,' particularly – with ‘continuance usage intention' added as an endogenous construct, and with ‘service quality' and ‘user experience' added as external variables.

This article presents the outcome of an exploratory survey aimed to detecting the strengths and weaknesses and the degree of acceptance of the use of virtual and augmented reality in training of... Show More

This article presents the outcome of an exploratory survey aimed to detecting the strengths and weaknesses and the degree of acceptance of the use of virtual and augmented reality in training of confined or suspected pollution environments workers. Forty-five Italian professionals (public and private) that work in health and safety in workplace, in different roles, have been involved in the survey (e.g. trainers, augmented and virtual reality specialists, researchers, health personnel). The analysis of the survey showed that the use of augmented and virtual reality allows several training sessions in safety, teach workers to perceive the risk and manage the negative emotions that hinder the success of the work. These reflections helped us to hypothesize a training proposal with the use of augmented and virtual reality.

This article expands Garrison, Anderson, and Archer's Community of Inquiry framework by adding a mechanism to understand the interactions among presences and domains in an online course. Based on a... Show More

This article expands Garrison, Anderson, and Archer's Community of Inquiry framework by adding a mechanism to understand the interactions among presences and domains in an online course. Based on a qualitative content analysis of student reflections, elements that create an optimal learning experience. The article discusses three findings and offers visual representations of each: how emotions are pervasive among the presences, a chronological representation of components in two phases, and a logic model showing if-then interactions among the components in a linear form. As a result of these findings, the gear model is proposed, which accounts for current research findings such as emotional and learner presences. The ‘gears in motion' model offers a new, holistic perspective that illustrates the five elements necessary to create an optimal learning experience.

Virtual environments have the potential to be an important teaching tool for emotionally sensitive issues capable of producing a sense of presence, perspective-taking and introspection in users in a... Show More

Virtual environments have the potential to be an important teaching tool for emotionally sensitive issues capable of producing a sense of presence, perspective-taking and introspection in users in a risk-free, rapid feedback experience. In designing such experiences, it is essential that users are regularly engaged in a collaborative design process. However, engaging in design, development, and evaluation can in itself provide a learning experience. Here, the authors present an approach to engaging children in the design, development and evaluation of a virtual learning environment, specifically a serious game, focused on inculcating empathy, ethical reasoning, and reflection for coping with bullying. It was demonstrated that children's involvement not only contributed to an improved virtual environment, but significantly engaging in the design process provided children with a novel and effective learning opportunity.

In the article the avatar-based learning and teaching (A-BL&T) as a concept of control and managing knowledge in modern socio-economic conditions is proposed to use for assessment a university's... Show More

In the article the avatar-based learning and teaching (A-BL&T) as a concept of control and managing knowledge in modern socio-economic conditions is proposed to use for assessment a university's economic efficiency. It is shown that all elements, methods and techniques (tools) do not operate in isolation, but rather are interrelated, complementing each other. All of them are used in the process of management and, in a combination, are powerful tools for increasing efficiency of management. Based on the example of avatar-based learning and teaching in Russian universities as modern educational environments, a conceptual model, methodology, and methods have been obtained for the automation of planning and calculation of the academic load in the university.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of using a blended learning method on ninth grade students' achievements in English and their motivation towards learning it. The sample... Show More

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of using a blended learning method on ninth grade students' achievements in English and their motivation towards learning it. The sample consisted of 100 female students selected purposefully and distributed into two groups: experimental and control. The experimental group studied English through a computerized program in the traditional method, while the control group was taught by the traditional method only. The results revealed statistically significant differences between the two groups in favor of the experimental group both in the achievement and the motivation towards learning English. The researchers recommended using computerized teaching in addition to the traditional method due to the positive results shown by the current study. In addition, they recommended conducting studies that measure the effect of blended learning on some aspects related to English language such as: vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation, or any other aspects.