Enhancing Interaction through Visual Interfaces in the design of Hypermedia Games for English learning at Preschool

As the presence of technologies becomes more apparent in every corner of our lives, interaction and user-centered design can be a vital tool in addressing target groups with special needs. Within the realm of education, this research proposes enhanced, user-friendly hypermedia applications for young children so they can be proficient enough to handle web-based interfaces and easily interact with content. The issue of how graphic content and visual design can be tailored for both the user and the content will be dealt with by examining the implementation of enhanced computer games interfaces for children. Research will be centered on the interaction design applied in creating instructions (referred to as intros) in gaming, the navigation icons needed by early learners while moving through hypermedia tasks and the understanding of the different backgrounds to recognize the type of game they are working on (e.g. matching, click and color, drag and drop, and the like). Evaluation through recorded observation of young learners´ interactions during class sessions detects trouble spots which consequently lead us to rethink navigation and interaction elements for the purpose of improving communication on the final product.

The Optimization by Using the Learning Styles in the Adaptive Hypermedia Applications

This article addresses the learning style as a criterion for optimization of adaptive content in hypermedia applications. First, the authors present the different optimization approaches proposed in the area of adaptive hypermedia systems whose goal is to define the optimization problem in this type of system. Then, they present the architecture of their proposed system. The first step involves choosing a learning style model. The selection of this style is done by using a dedicated questionnaire answered by a learner. Then a modeling of the learner is completed based on his learning style. Finally, content that is to be presented to the learner is managed by a content generator module, depending on the model of the learner. Built on methods and techniques proposed for modeling and adaptation, the adaptive hypermedia system based on learning styles provides optimized adaptations. The authors' approach has been experimentally validated and the results are encouraging.

Autorregulação da Aprendizagem na Educação a Distância: Análise das Produções Científicas Realizadas em Brasil e Portugal no Período de 2010 a 2015

A sociedade atual, do conhecimento e da informação, requer do ensino superior novas dinâmicas mediadas pelas tecnologias, constituindo-se, nesse contexto, a Educação a Distância como modalidade de ensino privilegiada. Tornam-se relevantes a análise e a compreensão das formas de aquisição de conhecimento nessa modalidade por parte dos alunos, sendo o estudo da variável autorregulação da aprendizagem priorizada dada a sua importância para o sucesso acadêmico dos mesmos. O presente trabalho, após pesquisa guiada pelos atuais e credíveis repositórios português e brasileiro, RCAAP e CAPES, analisou artigos, dissertações de mestrado e teses de doutorado no âmbito da autorregulação da aprendizagem na Educação a Distância publicados no Brasil e em Portugal no período de 2010 a 2015. Os resultados encontrados apontam para quatro abordagens principais: o portfólio, como instrumento com imenso potencial da aprendizagem autorregulada; as estratégias de aprendizagem como extremamente importantes nos processos de autorregulação; estudos centrados no tutor e na forma como estes podem promover a autorregulação nos alunos; e, por último, as TIC, ou seja, as aplicações hipermédia como apoio à aprendizagem autorregulada. São necessários estudos mais aprofundados sobre este tema, incluindo a ampliação das plataformas de busca para um resultado mais abrangente.Palavras-chave: Autorregulação, E-learning, Educação a Distância. Self Regulation of Learning in the E-Learning Area - Analysis of the Scientific Works Performed in Brazil and Portugal in the Period of 2010 to 2015AbstractHigher education includes an integration of various technological tools and distance education is constituted as a privileged mode of education. It is relevant to the analysis and understanding of the ways of acquiring knowledge by the students and the study of self-regulation variable prioritized learning given its importance for academic success thereof. This study analyzed articles, dissertations and theses PhD under the Self-Regulation of Learning in Distance Education published in Brazil and Portugal in the period 2010 to 2015 in RCAAP's and CAPES's databases. The results point to four main approaches: the portfolio as a tool with great potential of self-regulated learning; learning strategies as extremely important in the self-regulation processes; studies centered tutor and how these may promote self-regulation in students; and, finally, ICT, so hypermedia applications like self-regulating support for learning. Further studies are needed on this topic including the expansion of search platforms to a broader result.Keywords: Self regulation, E-learning, Distance education.