The development of potentially powerful computer-based tools within rich learning environments is hampered by the constraints of delivery systems (specifically low-resolution, low-real estate displays). In designing a World Wide Web-based tool for manipulating time-based information, the authors have encountered a lack of guidelines or empirical…

This paper describes how the authors use a mixture of World Wide Web (WWW)-based functionalities and new didactics to teach educational technology students at the University of Twente (Netherlands) about the design of WWW-based learning environments. Topics discussed include: (1) the content of courses about the design of educational WWW…

This paper shows how to use design patterns for building educational multimedia applications. The first section summarizes design issues related to organizing the information, the organization of the interface, and implementation. Navigating through information is covered in the second section, including problems, motivations, and solutions, and…

The elements of design (line, shape, color, value, and texture) are the artist's lexicon rather than words, and the meaning of these elements is carried in their expressive properties in picture books as well as in paintings. Line can convey repose when horizontal, stability if vertical, and action when diagonal or curving. The element of shape…

Within the Concern-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), three key variables serve as tools for focusing on the individual teacher's progressive involvement in an innovative inservice education program. These three dimensions are: the teacher's attitude toward the innovation, changing level of use of the innovation, and perception of the innovation itself.…

Many instructors are expected to design and create Web courses. The design of Web courses can be a difficult task for educators who lack experience in interaction and instructional design. Design patterns have emerged as a way to capture design experience and present design solutions to novice designers. Design patterns are a widely accepted…

This study examined the effects of color on information processing strategies of internal and external locus of control learners. Specific objectives were to: (1) examine the instructional effectiveness of two types of visualized instruction in facilitating achievement for students with different learning styles; (2) determine whether an…

A college reading laboratory was designed and furnished to maximize flexibility in space use. To determine the effectiveness of the design and use of space, a two-part study was conducted that examined students' learning preferences and collected instructors' observations. Responses indicated student preferences for sound, light, warmth, and…

Proxemic behavior in faculty offices was studied by observing the effects of teacher attitudes on desk placements. In addition, two variables of job demand--number of students taught and advising responsibilities--were also surveyed to ascertain their relationship to desk placement. During interviews with 89 randomly selected faculty, the subjects…

This survey examined the home pages of 36 Australian university library World Wide Web sites. Reports were run on these pages, using a service that checks the HTML for validity and reports errors, a service that checks usability by the visually disabled, and a program that checks the HTML, corrects and reports errors, and improves efficiency style…

This paper describes the concept of online knowledge communities. The concept is defined, and six qualities of online communities are identified: members (user roles are clearly defined); mission (generally accepted goal-statement, ideas, beliefs, etc.); commitment (members give their loyalty to the mission); social interaction (frequent…

While electronic learning environments provide exciting possibilities for supporting learners, the design of the user interface is as yet little understood. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of specific usability attributes for online learning courses. A review of related papers on usability methods and learning theories…

The study investigated the elements of font size and line spacing in World Wide Web menus for both a scrolled and not scrolled condition with a sample of undergraduate university students. Subjects were 185 students enrolled in 13 section of educational technology preservice teacher courses at the University of Northern Colorado. Students were…

There are several approaches a World Wide Web site designer considers in developing a menu structure. One consideration is the content of the menus (what choices are available to the user). Another consideration is the physical layout of the menu structure. The physical layout of a menu may be described as being one of at least three different…

An instructional systems approach to learning draws on principles of instructional design and development but also draws from theories such as behaviorism, information processing, cognitive theory, adult education, and systems theory among others. This paper focuses on how instructional designers can benefit from awareness of different adult…