Σχεδιασμός, υλοποίηση και αξιολόγηση διαδικτυακού εκπαιδευτικού συστήματος με εφαρμογή αρχών αλληλεπίδρασης  ανθρώπου υπολογιστή και αξιοποίηση τεχνολογιών ιστού 2.0

Πιτσικάλης, Σταύρος

Master Thesis

Author

Πιτσικάλης, Σταύρος

Date

2014-02-11

Abstract

The presence of computers and the Internet in almost all aspects of social and economic activity has rapidly affected the field of education. Within the context of technological and digital revolution and the ever growing demands of the modern era, the need for a more active learning process is becoming increasingly apparent. New technologies create brand new needs and set the ground for their integration in the educational process at the same time. Distance learning constitutes an alternative form of education, supported by new technologies and applications, such as Web 2.0. Educational Systems and Web-based Educational Systems in particular hold an important role due to their bringing insight into education and the educational environment structure while serving as an essential tool both in the hands of teachers and learners and in those of other participants in the educational process (parents, education providers etc.). The design of an effective User Interface (UI) embodies a crucial component of a successful Web-based Educational System (WBES). Despite the fact that within the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), significant research results, considering parameters such as usability, interface, display elements and so on, are brought into light, the latter are not always fully exploited when it comes to system design. Generally speaking, differences between a WBES and other applications -including applications in the realm of industry, automation etc. that the Human-Computer Interaction research interests focus on- are considerably significant. The interaction style employed in a WBES displays special characteristics as opposed to interaction styles researched in HCI, with standard users in different work environments serving as a point of reference. In a WBES, learning and not the mere implementation of a specific procedure whose core principles are already known to the user is sought after. Learners interact with different notions, starting at a primary knowledge level (pre-existing knowledge) related to these notions while in the meantime an attempt to efficiently interact with the existent functions and the available system tools is being made so as to render the system’s improvement plausible. Besides, except for the principles central to Human-Computer Interaction, contemporary learning theories impact the Web-based Educational Systems’ design, contributing to the development of the educational features and the pedagogical dimensions of the system, potentially leading to the creation of commonplace web-based systems as an aftermath of the implementation of simple methods derived from the Human-Computer Interaction field. The present dissertation thesis revolves around the effective Design and Implementation of a Web-based Educational System and the presentation of a holistic WBES evaluation method, showing consideration both for HCI principles and educational criteria.