Asynchronous online discussion forums have been widely used in schools and universities. They form an integral part of e-learning and blended learning. Many researchers and educators use asynchronous online discussion activity to develop student thinking skills, problem solving skills, and others. There are many factors that may affect student participation in asynchronous online discussion forums such as discussion topics, group size, ground rules of the discussion forums, facilitation skills, and others. We believe that facilitators play an important role in the success of asynchronous online discussion. Usually instructors or students serve as facilitators for online discussion activities. In this study, we explore participants' preference in terms of facilitator (instructor facilitator vs. peer facilitator). In addition, we also found out the reasons for their preference.

The computer is a useful tool for many students. All the schools in Singapore have computers. Students use computers in schools and many of them use computers at home too. The rate of using computers at home has been growing rapidly in recent years. This is a survey study of the use of home computers by students attending a neighborhood school. The target group is the Primary 5 students. In this study, we will find out the percentage of the students who have home computer, how they use computers at home, and how they use the Internet at home. The findings will provide a better picture of home computer use for parents and teachers.

This study explores the relative effectiveness of in class online discussion and face to face, tutor led discussion in preservice teachers' recall of concepts. Two groups of preservice teachers, who engaged in different discussion modes, were tested two weeks later on how many concepts they could recall. No significant difference in the recall score was found between the two groups, but the group involved with the in-class discussions using a threaded discussion tool achieved a slightly higher mean score in the recall of multimedia design concepts. The online group completed a survey questionnaire on their perception of their use of online discussion. The majority perceived that they learned more online. The preservice teachers also indicated the mode of discussions that they preferred and the reasons for their choice. Half preferred to participate in in-class online discussions, rather than face to face, tutor led discussion, during class time. The findings suggested that educators and learners may choose either in-class online discussion or face to face, tutor led discussion without fear of significant disadvantages to learning.

In this paper, we share two blended learning approaches used at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. We have been using these two approaches in the last twelve years in many courses ranging from the diploma to graduate programs. For the first blended learning approach, we integrated one asynchronous communication tool with face to face tutorials, classroom discussions, and a reflection session. For the second blended learning approach, we integrated two asynchronous tools with face to face tutorials in a course. We discuss the theoretical foundation of the two blended learning approaches. In addition, we share insights from these two blended learning approaches, based on the students’ data (online postings, questionnaires, reflection logs, and interviews), as well as our own reflections. Finally, we describe and discuss several important lessons learned that could inform the design of future instructional strategies in implementing blended learning in university teaching and learning settings.

The use of web-based instruction has played an important role in education. More universities and institutions have been using it to reach out to an increasing number of students by providing a cost-effective programme. In 1999, the State Council of China approvedand implemented a national scheme named the "Action Scheme for Invigorating Education towards the 21st Century (ASIETTC)". It serves as a guideline for the development of education in China in the twenty-first centuy. As a result, a series of research projects has been launched. In this paper, we will describe one of the projects conducted by South China University of Technology (SCUT), China. It is a web-based English learning environment project. We will report the design, development and implementation of the project.

Promoting active participation among learnersfur meaningful learning with technology has been a challenging task for many educators. This paper presents an engaged learning model based on studies on E-Learning and distance learning, as well as cognitive and constructivist pedagogies. We propose the SMART (student, motivation, activities, regulation and management, and technology)framework, which details five important dimensions for designing and implementing learning with technology. Using the SMART approach, a case study was conducted on 18 trainee teachers who went through a blended instruction on designing constructivist learning activities. Results show that engaged learning was achieved when trainees participated actively in class and in online forums, developed constructive ideas, engaged in reflective thinking, set learning goals and displayed dispositions towards a constructivist approach of instruction.

This paper attempts to make sense of engaged learning. Approaches such as problem-based learning should be advocated because it is an authentic form of learning encouraging students to be self-regulated and thus metacognitive towards their own thinking and behaviours. In contrast to passive forms of instruction, where learners are not perceived to be active and engaged or reflective, we are highlighting alternative pedagogies that promote this sense of self-regulatoy actions. We describe the engaged learning framework - focusing on both problem and process - which would be necessary for authenticity in learning experiences.

The use of online- and blended-learning is growing very fast in universities. Given this interest in online-/blended-learning, understanding how to promote participation among learners in asynchronous online discussions, which is considered an integral part of online- /blended-learning has become increasingly crucial. Previous research has examined how factors, such as course design, and the amount of facilitator involvement can affect learner participation. However, none of the previous studies hitherto has examined facilitators’ thinking dispositions or habits of mind. Habits of mind may be defined as the characteristics of what intelligent people do and think when they face an issue or a problem, and thus may play an important role in influencing the degree of learner participation. This proposed study aims to advance the line of research that examines facilitators' influence in promoting learners' participation by analysing their habits of mind. The following habits of mind of the facilitators will be examined: (a) awareness of own thinking, (b) accurate and seeks accuracy, (c) open-minded, (d) taking a position when the situation warrants it, and (e) sensitive to others. We refer the degree of learners' participation as the quantity of message posted by the learners. A case study methodology approach will be used in this study. The primary sources of data will be the online message postings of both the facilitators.

Asynchronous online discussion has been widely used by faculty members and students in schools and universities. Previous research has examined how factors such as the discussion activity, knowledge about the discussion topic, and the behaviour of other participants can affect learner participation. This study explored student facilitators’ influence in promoting learners’ participation in terms of their exhibited habits of mind. The following habits of mind of the facilitators were examined: (a) awareness of own thinking, (b) accurate and seeks accuracy, (c) open minded, (d) taking a position when the situation warrants it, and (e) sensitive to other. A two- cases study methodology approach was used in this study. The habits of “awareness of own thinking” and “open minded” were found to be exhibited more often by the student facilitators in the two cases. When we zoomed into the top 30% of the forums in terms of learners’ participation, we also found that the frequency of habits of mind, “awareness of own thinking” and “open minded”, were exhibited more often by the facilitators.

The purpose of this study was to examine students’ affective commitment toward Singapore. Affective commitment refers to the sense of attachment to the nation state. The sample was taken from 286 students in a primary school. In the first section of the paper, we described the design of a Likert-type Affective Commitment to Country questionnaire. Factor analyses (principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis) showed evidence of construct validity for the 10-item scale, and an overall Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of 0.91. In the second section, we reported the statistics related to the students’ affective commitment scores. Overall, a positive affective commitment toward the country was found. Results of our t-test analyses revealed that no statistically significant difference was found between boys and girls for each of the questionnaire items. However, students who had higher academic achievement reported significantly higher scores than their lower ability counterparts with regard to six items of the questionnaire. Suggestions for future research are discussed.

It is a fact that 83% of learning is through the sense of sight. Hence, teachers should capitalise on this and use it to the fullest advantage in helping their students learn more effectively. However, too often. visual media are not designed appropriately and learning does not materialise. With the present emphasis of using IT in instruction, it is important for teachers to know how to design IT presentations appropriately so as to effect learning. There are certain basic principles and guidelines to follow if visuals of educationally sound quality are to emerge. The purpose of this paper is to provide teachers with these principles and explain how they can be applied to the designing of computer-generated presentations. The principles discussed will range from those dealing with the selection of graphic elements to those pertaining to the selection of lettering, the choice of colours and the layout of the verbal and visual elements.

Authoring tools are increasingly available to schoolteachers. Many teachers are using these tools to develop multimedia projects for instructional purposes. This paper describes an experience of pre-service teachers using formative evaluation to improve quality of multimedia courseware design. In the first semester of 1999, we introduced formative evaluation to a group of trainee teachers enrolled in module Learning, Thinking and Instructional Technologies. To fulfil the requirements of this module, the trainee teachers had to design and develop a multimedia courseware within the period of three weeks. By the end of the second week, the trainee teachers tested their courseware on their respective target audience. They, then, revised the courseware according to the feedback obtained in the formative evaluation. Some of the trainee teachers managed to do the second test before the final submission of the courseware. Through such an experience, the trainee teachers learned the importance of formative evaluation in instructional courseware development, which is usually one of the least well-done parts of multimedia design. All agreed that the feedback generated from the formative evaluation helped improve the quality of their multimedia courseware. One of the expected competencies of the pre-service teachers enrolled in the module of Instructional Technology at National Institute of Education is to use authoring tools to develop multimedia courseware. The module tries to prepare pre-service teachers to be fluent in pedagogy and basic design theory so that they may use their newly acquired IT skills to produce educationally sound products. However, one question that always comes up is how do we know whether the courseware made by trainee teachers will work. How do we know whether it will work is probably the most frequently asked question about any educational products. In developing a courseware, we may have good reasons to believe that it will work as intended, but we do not know whether it actually works. Although formative evaluation may help to address such a concern, it often receives low priority. It is not uncommon that commercial software is released before being tested on that target audience. The assumption is that this software will be validated by the clients who buy the products. Nonetheless, we believe that as educators pre-service teachers should know the importance and procedures of formative evaluation. This paper describes an experience of pre-service teachers using formative evaluation to improve multimedia courseware design. It discusses the implications of such an experience and suggestions for improvements. The paper argues that formative evaluation is critical for instruction in any medium, especially multimedia. Formative evaluation should be an integrated part of the design process and must be stressed through all stages of courseware development.

In this study, we investigated group problem solving behaviour of twelve graduate students using Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL). The problems were ill-structured design problems about the critique on the design of multimedia educational software. The students were asked to participate in an asynchronous online discussion which involved the following tasks: identifying design problems, discussing the design problems, developing solutions, and discussing the suggested solutions. The software program Knowledge Community, a CSCL that allows scaffolded online discussions, was used. Results indicated that the graduate students participated significantly more in identifying design problems than in discussing the design problem. They also participated more in identifying solutions more than discussing the suggested solutions. Implications about scaffolding ill-structured design problems can be drawn from the results of this study.

In recent years, multimedia technology has become available for teachers due to the fast pace of computer hardware and software development. Some teachers are exploring its uses in schools. In this regard multimedia can be used as an instructional tool or learning tool. To use multimedia effectively in schools, teachers need to have a good understanding about what it is, what its potentials are, and how it is selected for schools. This paper will define the term "multimedia" and describe the potentials of multimedia technology in schools. In addition, we will discuss two key issues in evaluating multimedia software: learner control, and navigation. With a basic understanding of the two issues and their impact upon learning, educators may have a better view in selecting multimedia software for their schools.

We establish new inequalities similar to Hardy-Pachpatte-Copson’s type inequalities. These results in special cases yield some of the recent results.

The object of this paper is to establish some nonlinear retarded inequalities on time scales which can be used as handy tools in the theory of integral equations with time delays.

Studies have shown that electronic discussion can be used effectively to teach critical thinking and can achieve greater understanding. The use of online discussions is common in polytechnics and universities, and many schools in Singapore have begun to introduce online forums for discussion beyond the classroom. This research investigates lower secondary school students’ critical thinking in an asynchronous online discussion environment. The findings show that the students in this age group have only minimally exhibited critical thinking skills during the online discussion. However, investigation into students’ perception of online discussion shows positive attitudes. Some enhanced scaffolding strategies for online discussion participants and guides on designing good questions are recommended to foster critical thinking skills in this environment.