Session F1H 0-7803-9077-6/05/$20.00 © 2005 IEEE October 19 – 22, 2005, Indianapolis, IN 35 th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference F1H-27 Work in Progress – Learning Styles and elearning, what is the Connection? Larry McNutt 1 and Marie Brennan 2 1 Larry McNutt, Head of School of Informatics and Engineering, Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown, Dublin, Ireland, larry.mcnutt@itb.ie 2 Research Assistant, School of Informatics and Engineering, Institute of technology, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, Ireland, maria.brennan@itb.ie Abstract - The purpose of this paper is to describe an experiment designed to explore the relationship between a student’s learning style and their success in an online module. This paper will present these preliminary findings and describe how this information was then used to motivate the design of online module content using a variety of media to address the preferences of the auditory, kinesthetic and visual learner. A pre-test and post-test quasi experimental design is employed to establish the possible effectiveness of adapting to a learner’s style. Each student prior to taking the online module is requested to complete a learning style questionnaire. Depending on their learning style each student will then be directed to a particular version of the module content designed to accommodate their preferred learning style. A pre-test post-test experiment will be used as one measure of their performance during the module. The students that will be involved in this experiment are those doing the Higher Diploma in Computing and those doing a Bachelor of Science in Computing. Their course will use a blended learning approach. Index Terms - Modality, elearning, Modules, Module Content INTRODUCTION Elearning is the use of networking technology to design, deliver, select, administer and extend Learning. [1] Masie claims that the “e” in elearning reflects the experience of the learner in the Internet era. Elliott cautions us not to obsess on technology, but rather to invent an e-Learning system that addresses engagement, curiosity, simulation, remediation, coaching, peer learning and more. In Ireland today many commercial companies have adopted elearning. One in eight small to medium-sized enterprises surveyed in 2001 stated that they had used elearning and a further 12% of companies stated that they would use elearning in 2002 WBT Systems is one of the leading providers of intelligent learning solutions around the world. Their TopClass e-Learning Suite provides a complete, web-based solution for the delivery and management of training. [3]They were established in 1995 and have their head quarters in Dublin. They have recently been selected by the World Bank to develop and deliver training to 36,000 people which includes 10,000 employees and client organizations around the world. It has only been 10 years since the coding language for the World Wide Web was developed and Wide Area Information Servers became the tools for “surfing the net”. Since that educational institutions, research centers, libraries, government agencies, commercial enterprises and a multitude of individuals have rushed to log on to the internet .[5] One of the consequences of this tremendous surge in online communication has been the rapid growth of technology-mediated learning at the higher education level. Elearning began in corporate training departments, schools, and universities as a supplement to standard teaching methods. Today, it encompasses a rich set of solutions that can be used throughout an organization from corporate communications and marketing to technical documentation to share information, experience and ideas. [6] The general characteristic of many elearning programmes is to present a standard interface for all users. In addition content is presented in a similar format also to all users. There are however limitations with this approach. It may be as effective as face to face tuition for some but may pose problems for others. There is active research being carried out that investigates adaptive elearning systems, adaptive hypermedia and intelligent tutoring systems. Adaptive Hypermedia (AH) systems are characterized by having tailored, specific models of their user and the users expertise in the specific area. These models are correlated through the system’s internal logic so as to create a tailored web experience for a specific user on a specific topic. [7]. Wade and Conlon propose that by tailoring the entire educational experience to a particular learner, next generation eLearning systems may increase the relevance, improve the intrinsic motivation and enhance the appropriateness of that educational experience. [8] This paper introduces the use of learning styles in the development of an adaptive system. Attributes of several types of learning styles such as the visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners will be identified. The system will present content to the learner appropriate to their particular learning style. The expected outcome of any teaching process is that the learner learns. What influences how they learn is their individual learning style and so how an on-line course is designed, developed and delivered depends on that. [9] The outcome of