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Edited by Dr. Lynne Schrum, George Mason University
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| formerly Journal of Research on Computing in Education |
Volume 40 Number 2 Winter 2007-2008
Accommodating Individual Differences in the Design of Online Learning Environments: A Comparative Study
Mahnaz Moallem
University of North Carolina, Wilmington
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a comparative and descriptive study that examined the relationship and effects of incorporating students’ learning styles in the design of instruction and the outcome of students’ learning, including their attitude and satisfaction. The paper will first explain how the literature on learning styles was used to develop a list of assumptions about learning styles, and further how these assumptions were used to identify a learning style model. It will also provide a detailed description of the process of using the learning style model to design and develop multiple instructional materials for two units of instruction for an online course. Finally, the paper will report the effects of this approach on students’ learning and their perception, attitude and satisfaction in comparison with instructional materials that are designed and developed on the basis of the content and objectives, without incorporating students’ different learning styles.
 Download the full article (PDF, 216 KB)
Contributors
Susan L. Groenke is an assistant professor in the Department of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education at the University of Tennessee where she advises the English Education program. Her research areas include adolescent reading patterns and processes, the role of dialogue in literary learning, and computer-supported collaborative learning. (sgroenke@utk.edu.)
Trena M. Paulus is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling at the University of Tennessee where she works with the Collaborative Learning program. Her research areas include computer supported collaborative learning, computer-mediated communication, and discourse analysis methodology. ( tpaulus@utk.edu.)
Copyright 2007-2008, (International Society for Technology in Education). All rights reserved.
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