In Jordan, in-service science teacher training programs were facing problems in achieving professional teacher development. The authors conducted a questionnaire survey of evaluating an in-service science teacher training planned and implemented by them. The method of structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to find out the effects of teaching practices gained by the in-service teacher training upon student attitudes toward the science lesson they took right before. The results revealed that the in-service science teacher training had a clear effect on the students who had experienced the lessons which the teahers as the trainees had given. Based on this case study, the introduction of the lessons including student-centered, active, exploratory, inquiry-based learning with multimedia was found to be viable for Jordan.

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We propose a specialized mobile visualization tool for recorded lectures that until now have only achieved marginal usage when viewed with traditional tools. Our solution enriches videos with advanced content summarizations created manually in a visual way, or extracted automatically using specially developed desktop blackboard and screencast lecture analysis tools. In this work, we empirically validate our visualization and summarization tools through a student survey. The results and overwhelming positive feedback confirm our research hypothesis about recorded lecture drawbacks while clearly showing that in order to dramatically increase students' interest a specially tailored playback environment with flexible contents' navigation is crucial.

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An integrated Web system was developed for teacher training called Teacher's Resources for Applying ICT Nationwide (TRAIN) in order to upgrade the instructional ability of teachers by using ICT. TRAIN enabled the watching through streaming of 218 short video modules that aim to be useful in improving the teacher's ability and promoting the popularization of ICT in education within schools. Furthermore, a handbook was produced that explained the title, content, a screen shot and the instructor's name, in half an A4-sized page for all of the video modules, which can be referred to when teachers select to watch them. In addition, in an attempt to boost support for self-training, in-school training and group training using TRAIN, 50 practical cases from the video modules were selected and case studies featuring advice have been produced. Instructional situations and practical cases related to these were provided together with TRAIN. 234 FAQs about the instructional ability of teachers by using ICT were provided, and study using these FAQs made possible. An evaluation for education boards' viewers on TRAIN was also conducted.

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A system has been developed to support copyright agreements between the original author, derivative author, and user in order to promote the use of electronic works for educational purposes that are provided over the Internet. The conditions for reuse and derivative use of educational electronic works that are registered on this system can be shown, as well as conditions not only for use free of charge but also conditions for paid use, including prices. The system also makes it obligatory to register electronic works that have been modified, and it can show the conditions for use of such derivative electronic works. Since the system shows a history of what modifications were made, it can identify the original author's work and the derivative author's work and can name the author and show author information. Registration on this system further causes that metadata to be attached to the work, which can therefore be searched by the electronic work title, by author information, by conditions of use, or other such terms.

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In this paper, we describe an improvement to AirTransNote, a student note-sharing system that facilitates collaborative and interactive learning during a regular lecture in conventional classrooms. The former AirTransNote system employed ultrasonic pens and PDAs for collecting student notes on paper sheets. However, this process required special skills and posed difficulties for learners. We then introduced Anoto-based pens to reduce these difficulties, and compared this with the former system during experimental lectures. We confirmed that the simplicity and stability of the Anoto-based pen facilitates active participation of low-performing students, while high-performing students felt less uneasy about the system checking their notes. The original system also required teachers to manage the relationship between a pen ID, a learner, and a seat position. To resolve this difficulty, we developed an instant sheet-mapping method. This method utilizes learners' signatures on a special seat-map sheet, and dynamically relates the pen IDs and the seat positions with the signatures. We conducted an experimental lecture session at an elementary school, and confirmed that this method functions effectively with younger school children.

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The method of content development is one of the most important research topics in the area of e-learning. This paper assumes a method where visual content (text and still images) is presented in synchronization with sound content (narration) where a pointer makes the efficiency of resource allocation in cognitive memory capacity increase. It also makes the transmitted amount of information increase, based on the human cognitive-information-processing model called the dual channel model. We performed some control experiments (we measured the point of fixation for e-learning students with an eye mark recorder, memorization and content understanding tests, and a questionnaire) with or without a pointer under various content presentation environments of (1) narration, (2) text (with/without narration), (3) still images, (4) still images+text (with/without narration), (5) video, and (6) video+text} in e-learning. The results revealed that the pointer did not affect learners' acquisition of surface knowledge but did affect their acquisition of deep knowledge.

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Calculation problems such as 1+2+3+97+98+99 can be solved rapidly and easily by using certain techniques; we call these problems "efficient calculation problems." However, many students do not always solve them efficiently. To address this problem among students, this study developed a new teaching method. The first study sought to examine underlying subcategories of efficient calculation problems. To accomplish this, multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis to a similarity matrix obtained from expert judgments were conducted. As a result, we classified 20 efficient calculation problems into 8 categories. The second study examined the effect of an intervention on 59 eighth grade students and 52 fifth grade students. The students were instructed to use an abstract strategy that stated, "Think carefully about the whole expression," and were then taught the solution to the problem. The results indicated that the eighth grade students solved similar problems efficiently after the intervention, while the fifth grade students did not. The results also suggested that the effect of the intervention was greater among students with sufficient basic calculation skills.

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With the progress of the information and communication technology, classes using computers are being conducted in many schools these days. In addition, GUI programming environments such as Squeak eToys start to be accepted as a tool used in classes. In such classes, instructors have to achieve various tasks including proceeding with classes and supporting learners, which leads to the difficulty to grasp the learning progress of learners. In this paper, we will propose a method to extract characteristic images from periodically captured screen images of GUI programming environment, which are significant to grasp the learning situation. We also develop a system to provide instructors with these extracted images. As a result of applying this system to a real workshop utilizing a GUI programming environment, it has been shown that the characteristic image extraction can be achieved in practical time, and according to the subjective evaluation it is possible for instructors to mostly grasp the learning process.

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This paper proposes a new project-based learning (PBL) environment for nurturing software engineers. The proposed PBL environment makes it possible to monitor the process and product metrics for measuring and quantifying students' software development projects and compare these metrics values among various project groups. The application of the proposed environment to a PBL program called practical software development course verifies that this new program simplifies the provision of proper guidance and assistance to students in many cases.

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Hands-on experience to bolster skills acquired in the classroom is indispensable for training IT operators. Hands-on experience is especially important for students to gain an understanding of the various network behaviors and to acquire operational skills. However, students cannot be permitted the luxury of misoperation on the Internet because it is such an important social infrastructure and it is difficult to make changes to Internet configurations. To resolve this dilemma, hands-on environments separated from real environments have been proposed and implemented. As another worldwide trend is that network testbeds are being developed to evaluate network techniques. We believe that such testbeds would be used as training platforms for operators. In this paper, we describe how the StarBED; a network testbed and SpringOS; supporting software especially for StarBED can be used to build hands-on environments. Moreover, we explain how the testbed was used in the SOI Asia 2008 Spring Global E-Workshop and Hands-on Workshop for Network Incidents.

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We developed a new type of lecture recording system which can superimpose a blackboard-writing and lecturer's image on the lecturer's PC screen in real time by using a normal video camera. This system can automatically make lecture videos that integrate blackboard writing and a lecturer's image with a teaching material. The student's review efficiency improves because the student watches the lecture video made by this system. Utility of this system was considered by comparing verification experiment with the conventional method and the looking at evaluation of the student and the lecturer.

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We conducted an experience-based class on information morals in network communication. Students in the experimental group discussed the issues and characteristics of network communication that they noticed in the initial chat experience. After the discussion, the students took part in a follow-up chat session. The control group did not participate in the initial chat experience, but used the logs of chat experience group as a discussion material. Although the control group noted less positive points than the experimental group, but found more issues concerning network communication. In the follow-up and delay-test chat sessions, more desirable and less problematic conversation is observed for the experimental group than that of the control group. Although the control group was able to find more negative issues in reading the chat logs, they were unable to translate these into improvements in actual chat. Hence, we found that experiencing chat was advantageous in learning network morals.

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The purpose of this study is to conduct a vocal behavior training program designed by the author for university and junior college students, and assess the effectiveness of such programs using third-party expert evaluations and post-program questionnaire's results to determine if there were any changes in participants' behavior or awareness. The program consistently utilizes situations relating to occupations with raised awareness of the transition to occupational life, while focusing on unknown and unlearned paralinguistic skills, and dialogue control among the students. The effectiveness of the training program is verified by variance analysis by third-party experts and a comparison of questionnaire results between the group that participated in the program and the group that did not participate in the program.

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It is important to develop a learning environment for improving essay writing skills because the demand for essay writing ability is increasing. We focused on reading for problematizing in essay writing to enable learners to improve their essay writing skills. Taking into account studies in psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience, which imply the contribution of intuitive and affective thought in problem finding in essay writing, it should be beneficial for learners to learn essay writing in an environment that elicits their intuitive and affective thought. We developed a Web application called the Emotional and Motivational Underliner (EMU), which enables learners to add annotations to arbitrary strings with affective tagging and to leave comments on the annotations added by other learners. We examined the influence of the affective tagging on the EMU. The results of analysis suggested that affective tagging elicited learners' reading for problematizing and essay writing based on issues that the learners found.

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This study analysed the effects of English text speed reading training in improving of English listening comprehension in relation to learners' dictation skill. Analysis 1 investigated the effect of speed reading training on listening comprehension and revealed that speed reading is an effective method for improving English listening comprehension. In Analysis 2, the effect of speed reading training on listening comprehension was investigated in relation to learners' dictation skill. The results showed that a high level of dictation skill is required in order for speed reading training to be effective in improving learners' listening comprehension.

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We will use photos or figures to learn annual motion of constellation in astronomy, e.g. a celestial photo looked up from a site on the earth or a figure looked over the solar system from outside. In this research we propose a VR-based astronomy learning support system which allows a student to switch two viewpoints i.e. lookup view and overlook view, and also to interact with the learning environment through bodily movement. The proposed system consists of two view control functions. One is a function which changes view direction from the former viewpoint by head movement. The other is a function which changes view direction from the latter one by intuitive hand movement such manipulations as the revolution and rotation of the earth. A student can switch these viewpoints and set any day and time and then observe the celestial body freely. Although students need a little experience to use the proposed system, it makes intuitive interaction with the environment possible and experimental results suggest a possibility that students can understand the learning object easily.

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This paper describes the effects of an e-learning system that uses a feedback system. This e-learning system discloses the task performance and comments of teachers each student each time via the e-learning system in blended learning environments of information and communication technology (ICT) education at a Japanese university. The purpose of this research was to analyze the relationship among the following factors: (1) The degree to which the students could access the e-learning system and their responses to the system, (2) their self-regulated learning strategies and their self-efficacy, (3) their performance in class, (4) their consciousness of tasks and performances in the class, and (5) their satisfaction with regard to the class. The structural equation model indicated that the students whose class included the e-learning system with the feedback system accessed it more often than the students whose class did not have it. In addition, it was clear that their class performance was affected by the feedback system. The use of the e-learning system directly influenced the students' awareness to the task. Their consciousness directly influenced their self-regulated learning strategies, and their self-regulated learning strategies in turn directly influenced their self-efficacy. Furthermore, their self-efficacy had an indirect effect on their class performance.

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The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships among graduate students' satisfaction, self-assessment of progress, and research achievements in engineering laboratories. In this study, we conducted a random sampling survey of engineering laboratories in universities and collected data from 73 laboratories. Since the data collected in this study is multilevel data including individual and group (laboratory) levels, we divided the data into "Within model" (model of an individual level) and "Between model" (model of a group level) and calculated the correlation coefficients. The results of the analysis indicate the following: (1) At a group level, forcing graduates to publish refereed reports of their laboratory achievements would positively correlate with their academic communication, but negatively correlate with their satisfaction with regard to laboratory education. (2) At a group level, making graduate students participate in joint research would positively correlate with satisfaction in laboratory education and self-assessment of progress.

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Some of the unnatural co-occurrence expressions consisting of a noun n, a case particle c, and a verb v (<n, c, v>) used by learners of the Japanese language are caused by errors of verb selection. This paper proposes a method of providing candidates for appropriate alternative verbs to replace the v in learners' co-occurrence input <n, c, v>. We assume that a verb of unnatural co-occurrence (an error verb) tends to have an occurring environment similar to an appropriate verb (a possible correction of the error verb). Based on this hypothesis, the method produces candidates for appropriate alternative verbs that are estimated to comprise natural co-occurrences with the <n, c> portion of learners' co-occurrence input using statistical information from a large-scale Japanese corpus in descending order of occurring environment similarity with the original verb. Results of international students editing their own Japanese compositions using a system incorporating the proposed method showed that unnatural co-occurrence expressions in their compositions were reduced by 30%. This result shows that the proposed system is useful in aiding Japanese language learners' word selection in co-occurrence expressions.

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Direct-touch devices such as electronic whiteboards provide an intuitive and interactive type of interface and are effective tools for education. However, they have some problems related to unnecessary changes in audience members' line of sight and obscuring of teaching materials by the operator. Therefore, we developed an electronic whiteboard system that combines multi-touch gesture operations with a special pie menu (a circular context menu). This pie menu differs from existing controls in that it can be hidden from the line of sight of audience members by the palm of the operator's hand. We have demonstrated that this proposed system enables an operator to control unnecessary movement in audience members' line of sight while still providing operational support.

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