learning - Academic Conferences Limited

Danny Glick and Roni Aviram
most importantly, allows them to transfer the experience gained in one context to new experiences
and contexts.
2) Leaning Environment: A well-designed Web-based learning environment and a user interface that
is based on a theory are an integral part of a Mindful Learning Process. Plass (1998) defines user
interface as the part of an application in charge of communication with the learner. Plass argues that
the user interface has a key function because it conveys the functionality of a computer application to
the user, and translates the user's input into a machine-specific format.
3) Learning Process: The learning process is a stage in which the learner realizes the course
objectives through interaction with the course platform, content, and communication tools. Anderson
(2003) argues that interaction is a critical component of the educational process, and should include
three types of interaction: student-student; student-teacher; student-content.
4) Assessment: Assessment is the forth component of a Mindful Learning Process. Using traditional
and alterative assessment tools, educators should assess their students’ progress and provide
personalized feedback. Birenbaum (2003) claims that the course assessment tools should reflect the
course goals and objectives.
An online course that wishes to fulfill the MLP requirements must, first and foremost,
be based on a learning theory. Bigge and Shermis (1999) claim that action, whether a part of
teaching or any other activity in life, either is linked to a theory or is blind and purposeless. A teacher
who does not make use of a systematic body of theory in his day-by-day decisions is behaving
blindly. Consequently, any purposeful action is governed by theory. Furthermore, the learning
environment, learning process and course assessment criteria should reflect the learning theory the
course is based on and harmonize with each other.
Figure 1: The four components of a Mindful Learning Process
The goal of this paper is to check whether the research hypothesis outlined in this chapter may be
accepted. To achieve that, the authors have reviewed case studies describing online courses
published in peer-reviewed journals in the area of educational technology and e-learning. They
authors have identified three case studies that fulfill the MLP requirements stated above, and
analyzed them in terms of learning theory, learning processes, learning environment and assessment
tools. To measure the impact of the MLP on course outcomes, the authors analyzed these case
studies in terms of test scores and students’ perception of the e-learning experience. The next
chapter provides a description of the three case studies together with the impact of the MLP-based
learning environment on course outcomes.
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