Development of instructional design strategies for integrating an online support system for creative problem solving into a University course

This study examined three cases in which an online support system was utilized to enhance creative problem solving (CPS) in a higher education setting. This study aimed to review instructional design strategies that allow the integration of an online support system into a university course. Creativity, which is defined as the ability to generate a new and useful idea, is a key competency for students to possess as it can assist them in taking effective actions in the future society. Considered to be a representative model for developing creative thinking abilities, the CPS model is known to effectively stimulate learners’ divergent and convergent thinking while supporting a systematic approach to find creative solutions and enabling meaningful learning by utilizing its supporting tools. Considering the advantages derived from using the Online Support System for CPS, three cases across diverse colleges were reviewed: the College of Education, Fine Arts, and Engineering. Through comprehensive analysis, this study proposes major design strategies to achieve the integrated application of the Online Support System to university courses that encourage problem solving abilities. The study also suggests future research directions for CPS using the Online Support System.

Caregivers for the elderly in Thailand: development and evaluation of an online support system

Informal caregivers are playing a major role in helping elderly people with their activities in daily life. The purpose of this work is to develop an Online Support System for Elderly Care (OSSEC) to provide services for informal caregivers in Thailand. The system has six modules which are: patient and caregiver profile manager, elderly care recommender applying case-based reasoning, daily care plan manager, elderly care activity notifier, elderly care information resource locator and caregivers’ social interaction platform. We have established the utility of OSSEC in enhancing the knowledge and ability of informal caregivers and in reducing their stress. In particular, we measured quantitatively the usefulness of OSSEC and evaluated user satisfaction as well.