A Study Into The Effectiveness of Web-based Reading

1. A Study Into The Effectiveness of Web-based Reading LI Tianjiao FENG Chenyue ZHAO Fei QU Qu YAN Li

2. Agenda • Motivation and Background • Design of Experiment • Data Analysis and Conclusion

3. Motivation • The rapid development of computer and Internet technologies has made e-Learning become an important learning method. • However, when we surfing on the internet, we usually fail to obtain information in an effective or efficient way. • So we are desired to know how to obtain information effectively, accurately, and efficiently.

4. Motivation • As the increasing number of tests (IBT, new CET 4 &6)converted from paper-based to internet-based, more attention is paid or will be paid to obtaining information, ideas, key points from reading materials. • There are so many factors influencing on obtaining information or the leaning through web-pages, such as: • The layout of web-pages; • The amount & format of assistant information on web-pages; • The amount & format of irrelative information on web-pages; • The length & difficulty of reading materials themselves on web-pages; • The English skill levels of different individuals; • So on……

5. Objectives • Investigate the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of learning through web-pages; • Figure out the way to build a easy-to-learn web learning system; • Enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of web learning.

6. Relevant Background Expert Knowledge/Experience • One of the key characteristics of e-Learning is its capability to integrate different media, such as text, picture, audio, animation and video to create a multimedia instructional material, promoting the reading interests and willingness of the learner. • ( Gillani & Relan, 1997; Vichuda, Ramamurthy, & Haseman, 2001) • Some research shows that too much unnecessary multimedia elements in instructional materialmay distract learners and actually decrease learning performance. • (Bartscha & Cobern, 2003; Mayer et al., 2001; Park & Hopkins, 1993; Rieber, 1996;Sweller, van Merrienboer, & Paas, 1998)

7. Relevant Background Previous Experiments Ho, J. & Ko, L. (2003), Design for Experimenting in E-Learning: The Effects of Web Page Design on Students' Test Performance. In G. Richards (Ed.), Proceedings of World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2003 (pp. 1610-1613). Chesapeake, VA: AACE • Response variable: • Test scores • Control variable: • 1. Message area location • 2. Function area location

8. Response Variables

9. Control Variables • The layout of reading materials: • The number of columns of the reading materials; • One column with passage and questions; • Two columns, one column with passage only and the other with questions only. • The existence of assistant information: • Whether there is an outline in front of reading materials; • Yes • No • The existence of irrelative information: • Whether there are some irrelative pictures in reading materials; • Yes • No

10. Held constant Variables • The length of reading materials: • Around 270 words; • 5 choice questions each with 4 choices. • The difficulty of reading materials: • CET 4 passages; • Arguments with 5-6 paragraphs • Environment factors: • Noise, illumination, temperature; • Others: • Possible factors related to computers; • The time of experiment. Can they be controlled constantly with deliberately selecting?

11. Nuisance Factors • The difference between different individuals: • The learning capability; • The English skill level; • The reading habit; • The gender, sight; • The mood. • Block: • Different individuals can be treated as a set of blocks.

12. Design of Experiment

13. Design of Experiment

14. Control and Response Variables

15. Define Control Variables • Control V: Column, irrelevant information, outline • Full Factorial Design

16. Deal with Nuisance Factors • Possible nuisance • How to eliminate the effects of these variables? • Environment?  Held constant • Passage?  Held constant. If can’t, block • People?  Hard to be held constant. Block • First, we want to know the effects of these variables People Passage Environment

17. Trial Runs • Objective: effects of PEOPLE, PASSAGES • Controlled factors  held constant (One column; No outline; No irrelevant Information) • Environment  held constant (No. 4 Teaching Building, 9:00-10:00PM) • 8 people • 4 passages per person • We tried to find passages of the same level

18. People are very different (block) • Passage are the same (held constant)

19. Response: Correct rate • People are the same(held constant) • Passages are the same(held constant)

20. Response Variables: time and correct rate • If they are related, correct rate may result from time, rather other control variables. • We need to fix the response variable

21. Correlation between Time and Correct rate? 相关: Correct rate, time(min) Correct rate 和 time(min) 的 Pearson 相关系数 = -0.020 P 值 = 0.914 Not correlation No need to fix the response

22. Design of Experiment Time Factorial design with ABC confounded 4 treatment per block, 8 blocks, 32 run totally

23. Design of Experiment Correct Rate Factorial design with ABC confounded With no block, 32 runs totally

24. Experiment Size • The experiment is quite expensive • The subjects can experiment with one passage only once • The reading of one passage takes 7±3 minutes, 4 passages will make the total time around 30 minutes • As the time increase, subjects may become impatient and tired, causing bias

25. Data Analysis and Conclusion

26. Analysis of Factorial Design Time When column= -1, reading time is less than column =1. Two column layout is efficient in receiving information from reading.

27. Analysis of Factorial Design(cont’d) Correct Rate Column*Outline = -1 format pattern is effective in receiving information from reading.

28. Design Projection • Discard D (Irrelevant information) unchanged results Residual Checking: Conclusion is reasonable; Underlying assumptions are satisfied .

29. Discussion • Q1: Why format with outline could not increase the efficiency of reading, that is, reduce the time on reading? A: 1. Outline lies on the top of web page. 2. People don’t have habit of reading web pages with outline given. • Q2:Why irrelevant information isn’t significant in response time and correct rate? A: 1. The effect of irrelevant information is less than system error. This problem could be solved through large amount of runs. 2. The effect of variable is actually slight and ignorable.

30. Conclusion • Conclusion and advice on designing the web page: • Outline could be designed as a moving bar, so that people could see • it anywhere. • Irrelevant information such as advertisement at normal level won’t • bother people and interfere the process of reading.