[Air-L] Contents of Vol. 10, No. 4 of International Journal of Distance Education Technologies (IJDET, an EI journal)

Fri Dec 28 19:22:03 PST 2012

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[This email includes the table of contents of Vol. 10, No. 4 of
 International Journal of Distance Education Technologies
 (IJDET, an EI journal) and the general call for papers of IJDET]

------- Annoucement of the publication of Vol. 10, No. 4 of IJDET (an EI journal)-----------
http://www.igi-global.com/journal/international-journal-distance-education-technologies/1078

We are glad to announce the publication of Vol. 10, No. 4 of International Journal of Distance Education Technologies (IJDET, an EI
journal). In this issue, eight papers are included:

Improving Learning Object Quality: Moodle HEODAR Implementation (pages 1-16)
Carlos Muñoz, Francisco J. García-Peñalvo, Erla Mariela Morales, Miguel Ángel Conde, and Antonio M. Seoane
Automation toward efficiency is the aim of most intelligent systems in an educational context in which results calculation
automation that allows experts to spend most of their time on important tasks, not on retrieving, ordering, and interpreting
information. In this paper, the authors provide a tool that easily evaluates Learning Objects quality by students and teachers and
calculate a set of relevant information which main objective is to improve the contents. The job focuses on the definition,
implementation, and installation of a Learning Object evaluation tool in a LMS environment. Firstly other similar tools are analyzed
and the best theoretical evaluation method to be used in the tool is selected. In this case, an evaluation model called HEODAR
(Herramienta de Evaluación de Objetos de Aprendizaje) is implemented. Finally, the produced tool is installed in Studium, the
University of Salamanca official campus, based on Moodle. Test results are populated to clarify and confirm the consecution of tool
implementation objectives, facing a new approach for the tool including intelligent capabilities to improve tool characteristics.
http://www.igi-global.com/article/improving-learning-object-quality/73930

Integrating an Educational Game in Moodle LMS (pages 17-25)
Miroslav Minovic, Miloš Milovanovic, Jelena Minovic, and Dušan Starcevic
The authors present a learning platform based on a computer game. Learning games combine two industries: education and
entertainment, which is often called “Edutainment.” The game is realized as a strategic game (similar to Risk™), implemented as a
module for Moodle CMS, utilizing Java Applet technology. Moodle is an open-source course management system (CMS), which is widely
used among universities as an eLearning platform. Java Applet enables development of rich-client applications which are executed in
web browser environment. During the game, players receive questions from specified Moodle quiz, and all answers are stored back into
Moodle system. Students can later verify their score and answers, and examine the test that they actually worked on during the game.
This system supports synchronous as well as asynchronous interaction between players.
http://www.igi-global.com/article/integrating-educational-game-moodle-lms/73931

Using Simulation for Enhanced Accounting Learning: A Case Study (pages 26-43)
Pedro Sá Silva, António Trigo, and João Varajão
The increasing focus of government institutions, such as the Tax Administration or Social Security, e-government has introduced a
new paradigm that is the obligation of fulfilling obligations to these institutions through online channels. In the case of tax
compliance by businesses, there is another requirement, only authorized persons, such as chartered certified accountants, can
interact with the system of e-government. The latter requirement precludes the students of accounting and business management, some
of them future chartered certified accountants, to get to know the system. This inability lead to the idea of ??creating
applications (simulators) that mimic the official e-government applications for use in educational environment. This paper presents
the developed VAT form submission process simulator and a case study of its application in Coimbra Institute of Accounting and
Administration (ISCAC) to assess its effectiveness in practice. The results of experimentation show that simulators of official
e-government applications, such as VAT Simulator, are extremely helpful in the process of learning e-government official tools,
without taking risks.
http://www.igi-global.com/article/using-simulation-enhanced-accounting-learning/73932

Higher Education Scenario from a Cross-Cultural Perspective: eLearning Implications (pages 44-55)
Enric Serradell-López, Pablo Lara-Navarra, and Cristina Casado-Lumbreras
Higher education institutions are crucial in the present. Universities play a role that varies with time and evolves with society.
Globalization is changing the world and affecting higher education institutions in all their intrinsic characteristics: personnel,
programs, infrastructures and students. Analyzed is the relevant research on cultural dimensions and applies it to higher education
institutions focusing the analysis of the impact on eLearning setups. To do so, variables related to organizational strategy, design
of curricula and teaching tools are proposed and analyzed from a set of cultural dimensions. Results show that higher education
institutions are facing big challenges in their adaptation to multi-cultural arrangements.
http://www.igi-global.com/article/higher-education-scenario-cross-cultural/73933

Adaptive Assessments using Open Specifications (pages 56-71)
Héctor Barbosa León, Francisco J. García-Peñalvo, María José Rodriguez-Conde, Erla M. Morales, and Patricia Ordóñez de Pablos
Evaluation is a key element in formal education processes; it must be constructed in a way that the item questions within help
students understand by adapting them to the learning style as well. The focus of the present research work specifically in the
convenience to adapt an associated multimedia material in each single question besides the traditional adaptation process based on
the level of difficulty established for an item; all this in order to increase the final test score of the student. The proposed
approach tries to solve this by designing and constructing an authoring tool to construct adaptive objective tests and an a
prototype test to evaluate if a test that looks to adapt a multimedia content to the learning style could help to increase cited
score of the student. The results are significant because it is able to conclude that adapted test based on the student´s learning
style slightly increased the final score.
http://www.igi-global.com/article/adaptive-assessments-using-open-specifications/73934

Wikis in Collaborative Educational Scenarios: Integrated in LMS or Standalone Wikis? (pages 72-81)
Marc Alier Forment, Xavier De Pedro, Maria Jose Casañ, Jordi Piguillem, and Nikolas Galanis
This article outlines a set of features that wiki engines require to successfully host collaborative educational scenarios. The
authors explore multiple issues that deal with the use wikis with learning activities. One of the first issues to solve is software
support for assessment methodologies. The second is choosing between using an integrated wiki engine inside the Learning Management
System (LMS) or an external standalone wiki engine. Advantages and disadvantages from both options of this second issue are
discussed. The different implications of each option as far as individual student assessment, feedback, and grading are concerned
are also analyzed. Among the expected results, the most notable are incentives to incorporate wikis in the teaching process,
significant enhancements in usability, as well as allowing teachers to provide more timely written feedback on their students’
individual contributions on wiki based activities, on top of the usual numerical grading. This paper presents the conclusions of 5
years of experience of work in the field of wikis in education, development of improvements on open source wiki engines and thus,
building from scratch accordingly the new wiki engine for the LMS Moodle 2.0.
http://www.igi-global.com/article/wikis-collaborative-educational-scenarios/73935

A System for Governmental Virtual Institutions based on Ontologies and Interaction Protocols (pages 82-95)
Cláudia J. Abrão de Araújo, and Flávio S. Corrêa da Silva
The authors believe that the adoption of virtual worlds is suitable for electronic government applications as it can increase the
capillarity of public services, facilitate the access to government services and provide citizens with a natural and immersive
experience. They present a Government Virtual Institution Model (GVI) for the provision of public services that satisfies relevant
issues such as: adaptability to different citizen education level and to heterogeneous government systems; alignment with government
services requirements related to security, privacy, reliability and scalability; and government interoperability requirements. The
model of the GVI, the government services and the information flow across the GVI are formally described using the JamSession
platform (Correa da Silva, 2011). The model of the GVI uses an architecture based on governmental patterns (including ontologies for
information representation) to deal with the connections to the governmental systems, and 3D virtual world simulation systems to
interact with citizens.
http://www.igi-global.com/article/system-governmental-virtual-institutions-based/73936

The Effects of Online Interactive Games on High School Students' Achievement and Motivation in History Learning (pages 96-105)
Kuan-Cheng Lin, Yu-Che Wei, and Jason C. Hung
Many studies demonstrate that Digital Game Based Learning (DGBL) can foster learning effect. The purpose of this study is to survey
whether the online game in junior high school students can encourage learning effect in Taiwan's History. So, the research applied
Interactive Game-based Learning System (IGLS) to junior high history teaching as an ancillary tool to enhance users' learning
motivation and academic performance. After a four-week experiment conducted on eleven students, the paired sample t test analysis
considerably impact on experimental group to significance .05, and one-way ANCOVA showed login IGLS the number of days every week
more learning effect to be better. Besides, questionnaires exhibited that IGLS not only magnetized over ninety percent of students’
participation but invigorated their learning will. The research presents positive result on enhancing students’ learning motivation
and academic performance.
http://www.igi-global.com/article/effects-online-interactive-games-high/73937

------- General Call for Papers for IJDET (an EI journal)-----------
The electronic version of this cfp can be seen at
http://maiga.athabascau.ca/editors/IJDET-Call_for_Papers-General.pdf

International Journal of Distance Education Technologies (IJDET)
(http://www.igi-global.com/journal/international-journal-distance-education-technologies/1078)

The International Journal of Distance Education Technologies (IJDET) is
a forum for researchers and practitioners to disseminate practical solutions
to the automation of open and distance learning. Targeted to academic
researchers and engineers who work with distance learning programs and
software systems, as well as general users of distance education technologies
and methods, IJDET discusses computational methods, algorithms,
implemented prototype systems, and applications of open and distance learning.
All manuscripts submitted to the journal are peer-reviewed according to
the procedure consisting of initial review, peer review, and recommendation

Editor in Chief:
Dr. Fuhua Lin (fuhua.o.lin at gmail.com)

Executive Editor:
Dr. Maiga Chang (maiga.chang at gmail.com)

Indices:
Compendex (Elsevier EI), DBLP, EBSCOhost, ERIC, Google Scholar,
INSPEC, PsycINFOR, SCOPUS, and many others

Suggested topics:
IJDET is an EI journal and the scope of the journal includes, but is not limited to:
- Assessment
- Distance Learning for Culture and Arts
- Intelligent and Adaptive Learning
- Intelligent Agents and Multi-Agent Systems
- Mobile Learning
- Nurse Medical Healthcare
- Pedagogical Issues
- Social Learning
- Serious Games for Distance Education
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Education
- Technology Enhanced Learning
- Ubiquitous Learning
- Virtual Worlds for Distance Education

Manuscript guidelines:
All submissions have to follow IJDET manuscript guidelines at
http://www.igi-global.com/publish/resources/journal-organization-and-formatting.pdf
http://www.igi-global.com/journals/guidelines-for-submission.aspx
should be submitted online at http://www.ijdet.com/ after registering an account.

Special Issue proposals:
We also encourage potential research in any fields related to the journal
to form a high quality guest editorial team to submit special issue proposal
online, for any emerging, important, and hot topics. Please submit your
special issue proposal online as a manuscript and choose
"[Special Issue Proposal]" as its Section

The special issue proposal sample can be downloaded at
http://vip.is-very-good.org/editing/IJDET-Special_Issue_Proposal_Sample.doc

For queries, please contact Dr. Maiga Chang (maiga.chang at gmail.com)
------------------------------------ 

Sincerely,

Maiga Chang
maiga.chang at gmail.com
http://maiga.athabascau.ca
12, 28 '12 PM 08:19 in Edmonton

---------------------------------
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Technology for Education and Learning
Executive Editor, International Journal of Distance Education Technologies (EI)
Associate Editor, International Journal of Online Pedagogy and Course Design

Learning Culture and Language through ICTs: Methods for Enhanced Instruction
http://www.igi-global.com/reference/details.asp?ID=33419

-----------
Co-Chair of ICCE sub-conference on Digital Game and Digital Toy
Enhanced Learning and Society (GTEL&S)

Co-Chair of GCCCE sub-conference on Joyful Learning and Society
http://www.gse.pku.edu.cn/gccce2013/gccceen.asp

-----------
Guest Editor, Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning
Special Issue on Practical Applications of Mobile and Internet Educational Games
http://www.apsce.net/Download/RPTEL-2012-SI5_PracticalEducationalGames_CFP.pdf

Guest Editor, International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (SSCI)
Special Issue on Technology Enhanced Information Retrieval and Processing for Online Learning (Vol. 13, No. 5)
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/issue/view/54

Guest Associate Editor, IEEE Technology and Engineering Education
Special Issue on Cloud Computing Technology and Applications (Vol. 7, No. 2)
http://www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/e/sac/itee/index.php/meem/article/viewFile/252/222
http://www.ewh.ieee.org/soc/e/sac/itee/index.php/meem/issue/view/30

---------
School of Computing and Information Systems (http://scis.athabascau.ca/)
Athabasca University

1200, 10011-109 Street
Edmonton, T5J-3S8
AB, Canada

---------------
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CV: http://scis.athabascau.ca/scis/staff/faculty.jsp?id=maigac

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