Simplicity over Complexity

Charles Miller

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference Vol. 2017

SITE 2017 Keynote

Aesthetics and E-Assessment: The Interplay of Emotional Design and Learner Performance

Charles Miller

Distance Education Vol. 32, No. 3 (2011) pp. 307–337

The purpose of this study has been to examine the impacts of aesthetic design on learner experience in an e-assessment environment, specifically on cognitive load and task performance. Sixty-six postsecondary students were randomly assigned to one...

Simplicity Over Complexity

Charles Miller

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference Vol. 2017, No. 1 (March 2017)

How did a modest tool built for 12 PhD students spark the largest early round venture investment in the state of Minnesota, ignite social learning in more than 50,000 classrooms across 137 countries, and empower voice in millions of PreK to PhD...

Information Visualization Instruction through the Implementation of a Wireless Delivery System in a Localized Environment

Charles Miller; George Veletsianos

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2005 (Jun 27, 2005) pp. 3992–3997

Traditional techniques of information visualization instruction through classroom display and theoretical presentation have become inadequate in providing learners with the educational opportunity of interactive engagement. Through advanced research ...

Topics: Distance Education, Interaction, Classrooms, Virtual Environments

Interactivity and Aesthetics: Towards an Information Visualization Framework for Online Learning Development

Luke Lecheler; Charles Miller

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2010 (Oct 18, 2010) pp. 1083–1089

Teaching is in many ways a data-driven profession. A good teacher continuously rethinks pedagogical strategies in light of incoming data in order to accommodate new information. One way to do this is through the use of information visualization ...

Adventure Learning 2.0: Transformational Online Learning Design through Principles, Practice, and Community

Aaron Doering; Charles Miller

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2009 (Oct 26, 2009) pp. 1612–1617

This paper describes an evolution of the adventure learning framework for online learning that is a result of numerous online programs, over six years of research, and millions of students using programs that have been designed, developed, and...

Designing the Online Learning Experience: A Role-Based Design Perspective

Charles Miller; Brad Hokanson

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2011 (Oct 18, 2011) pp. 2031–2038

Role-based Design is a contemporary framework oriented to inspire creativity and innovation in the instructional design process, specifically by following the value-based roles of an artist, architect, engineer, and craftsperson. In this paper we...

The Apps Class: K-12 Teachers as Designers of Contemporary Mobile Education

Charles Miller; Aaron Doering

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2011 (Oct 18, 2011) pp. 2039–2044

Educational Apps represent an extraordinary and largely untapped array of potential tools for use by educators and students in the multifaceted contexts of face-to-face, hybrid, and distance education. However, development companies with vast...

Understanding Transformative Learning through Designing and Developing Transformative Experiences

Aaron Doering; Charles Miller

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2012 (Oct 09, 2012) pp. 118–129

In this paper we explore the design of opportunities for transformative learning experiences, specifically in the development of online learning environments. Although the literature urges educators to provide transformative experiences, pragmatic...

Online Learning Revisited: Adventure Learning 2.0

Aaron Doering; Charles Miller

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2009 (Mar 02, 2009) pp. 3729–3735

This paper describes a revised adventure learning framework for online learning that is a result of numerous online programs, over six years of research, and millions of students using programs that have been designed, developed, and delivered under ...

The Layers of Authenticity: Designing for Learner Experience

Aaron Doering; Charles Miller

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2010 (Oct 18, 2010) pp. 957–961

The instructional benefits of authentic learning and recommended need for instructors to create opportunities for authentic learning experiences in the classroom have been discussed at great length in the fields of Instructional Design and...

Online Learning Revisited: Adventure Learning 2.0

Aaron Doering; Charles Miller

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2009 (Jun 22, 2009) pp. 1227–1233

This paper describes a revised adventure learning framework for online learning that is a result of numerous online programs, over six years of research, and millions of students using programs that have been designed, developed, and delivered under ...

Microcomputer Use in Vocational Agriculture Programs in the United States

Charles Miller; Joe W. Kotrlik

Journal of the American Association of Teacher Educators in Agriculture Vol. 28, No. 1 (1987) pp. 34–40

A survey of 212 secondary vocational agriculture teachers attempted to determine the current level and types of use of microcomputers in vocational agriculture programs nationwide. Sixty-two percent of the respondents indicated that they use a...

Designing for Learning Engagement in Remote Communities Worldwide

Aaron Doering; Jeni Henrickson; Charles Miller

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2013 (Jun 24, 2013) pp. 1174–1183

There are multiple challenges to designing learning experiences for schools in remote communities, including technology and infrastructure limitations, high teacher and administrator turnover, and conflicting interests between local culture and...

Role-Based Design: Rethinking Innovation and Creativity in Instructional Design

Charles Miller; Brad Hokanson; Simon Hooper

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2009 (Oct 26, 2009) pp. 1804–1811

We believe the process of instructional design is in need of foundational transformation, from one of following a codified algorithm to a new way of designing that uses specific roles to define project values, responsibilities, and activities. In...

VideoANT: Extending Video beyond Content Delivery through Annotation

Brad Hosack; Charles Miller; David Ernst

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2009 (Oct 26, 2009) pp. 1654–1658

In this paper we will expand the boundaries of video annotation in education by outlining the need for extended interaction in online video use, identifying the challenges faced by existing video annotation tools, and introducing VideoANT, a tool...

"Avenue ASL:" Transforming Curriculum through Design and Innovation

Charles Miller; Simon Hooper; Susan Rose

TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning Vol. 52, No. 2 (April 2008) pp. 27–32

Between 1998 and 2002, enrollment in American Sign Language (ASL) curricula at the postsecondary level has increased 433% nationally, representing the largest enrollment percentage gain of all world languages. This unprecedented demand for ASL...

Why Adventure Works in (Technology-Enhanced) Education

Jeni Henrickson; Aaron Doering; Charles Miller

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2012 (Oct 09, 2012) pp. 1473–1481

Adventure has been incorporated into education in a variety of ways over the years: through literature, through outdoor and physical education, and most recently, through technology, which has, for example, allowed learners to virtually journey...

InfoViz for Education: Using Interactive Information Visualization to Enhance Sense- and Decision-Making for Teachers and Students

Charles Miller; Simon Hooper; Luke Lecheler

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2009 (Oct 26, 2009) pp. 1798–1803

Information visualization involves the visual, and sometimes interactive, presentation and organization of complex data in a clear, compelling, and convincing representation. Although information visualization research and methods are prevalent in...

No such thing as failure, only feedback: Designing innovative opportunities for e-assessment and technology-mediated feedback

Charles Miller; Aaron Doering; Cassie Scharber

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2010 (Oct 18, 2010) pp. 714–724

In this paper we challenge designers, researchers, teachers, students, and parents to re-assess and re-envision the value of technology-mediated feedback and e-assessment by examining the innovative roles feedback and assessment played in the design ...

InfoViz and Online Learning: How Design can influence Decision-Making

Charles Miller; Simon Hooper; Lucas Lecheler

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2010 (Oct 18, 2010) pp. 1132–1138

Information visualization involves the visual, and sometimes interactive, presentation and organization of complex data in a clear, compelling, and convincing representation. Although information visualization research and methods are prevalent in...

AvenueDHH: Reading, Writing and Language e-Assessment for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Learners

Charles Miller; Simon Hooper; Susan Rose

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2009 (Jun 22, 2009) pp. 3735–3741

Hearing loss has a devastating impact on the development of children’s English-language literacy skills. This paper presents a narrative of the design, development, and future integration of a web-based progress-monitoring environment in the area of ...

Genetic and environmental contributions to educational attainment in Australia

Paul Miller; Charles Mulvey; Nick Martin

Economics of Education Review Vol. 20, No. 3 pp. 211–224

The genetic and environmental contributions to educational attainment in Australia are examined using a multiple regression model drawn from the medical research literature. Data from a large sample of Australian twins are analysed. The findings...

Language: English

No such thing as failure, only feedback: Designing innovative opportunities for e-assessment and technology-mediated feedback

Charles Miller; Aaron Doering; Cassie Scharber

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2011 (Mar 07, 2011) pp. 550–556

In this paper we challenge designers, researchers, teachers, and students to re-assess and re-envision the value of technology-mediated feedback and e-assessment by examining the innovative roles feedback and assessment played in the design of two...

Adventure Learning: Educational, Social, and Technological Affordances for Collaborative Hybrid Distance Education

Aaron Doering; Charles Miller; George Veletsianos

Quarterly Review of Distance Education Vol. 9, No. 3 (2008) pp. 249–265

Adventure learning (AL) is a hybrid distance education approach that provides students with opportunities to explore real-world issues through authentic learning experiences within collaborative learning environments. Within hybrid environments,...

Avenue: Innovation and Transformation in World Language, Reading, and Writing E-Assessment

Charles Miller; Lucas Lecheler; Elizabeth Maddy

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2012 (Oct 09, 2012) pp. 1547–1555

The Avenue platform is an innovative e-assessment system for learner performance evaluation, specifically in the contexts of world language, reading, and writing development. In this chapter we challenge designers, researchers, teachers, and...

Designing with and for Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: The Evolution of GeoThentic

Aaron Doering; Charles Miller; Cassie Scharber

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2011 (Mar 07, 2011) pp. 3816–3822

How should a K-12 geography teacher use a geospatial technology such as Google Earth in the classroom? Should they have students pinpoint a series of locations and measure the connecting distances, essentially using the technology as a mere digital...

No such thing as failure, only feedback: Designing innovative opportunities for e-assessment and technology-mediated feedback

Charles Miller; Aaron Doering; Cassandra Scharber

Journal of Interactive Learning Research Vol. 21, No. 1 (January 2010) pp. 65–92

In this paper we challenge designers, researchers, teachers, students, and parents to re-assess and re-envision the value of technology-mediated feedback and e-assessment by examining the innovative roles feedback and assessment played in the design ...

Topics: Educational Technology, Instructional Design, Assessment, eLearning, Evaluation, Virtual Environments

Examining the interplay of aesthetics and the learner experience in an online assessment environment

Charles Miller; George Veletsianos; Aaron Doering

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2008 (Mar 03, 2008) pp. 1208–1210

The traditional methodology of the instructional design field encompasses the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of instructional processes and products, also known as the life-cycle of design. However, to orient the field ...

Orchestrating Data, Design, and Narrative: The Role of Information Visualization in Online Learning Design, Research, and Integration

Charles Miller; Brad Hosack; Lucas Lecheler

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2011 (Oct 18, 2011) pp. 1512–1518

Information visualization, a fusion of art and science, is a visual and interactive methodology that affords users to experience complex data and explore the rich, inherent narrative of the context, without needing to reference and process an...

A test of the sorting model of education in Australia

Paul W Miller; Charles Mulvey; Nick Martin

Economics of Education Review Vol. 23, No. 5 (October 2004) pp. 473–482

In this paper we test the hypothesis advanced by Weiss (J. Economic Perspectives 9(4)(1995)133) that under sorting models the return to schooling across identical twins would decline over time compared to the return for the population as a whole....

Language: English

Technology-Based Distance Learning: Present and Future Directions in Business and Education

Charles D. Miller; R Wilburn Clouse

Journal of Educational Technology Systems Vol. 22, No. 3 (1994) pp. 191–204

Reports on the similarities and differences between educational use and business use of technology-based distance learning. Topics discussed include organizational infrastructure; cost effectiveness; program assessment models; higher education...

Curriculum at Forty below: A Phenomenological Inquiry of an Educator/Explorer's Experience with Adventure Learning in the Arctic

Charles Miller; George Veletsianos; Aaron Doering

Distance Education Vol. 29, No. 3 (November 2008) pp. 253–267

Grounded in the theoretical approaches of experiential learning and inquiry-based learning, adventure learning (AL) is a hybrid distance education approach that seeks to transform the experiences of students by having learners explore real-world...

Toward User-Driven Adventure Learning: Combining Inquiry-Based Adventure with Technology-Enhanced Learning

Jeni Henrickson; Aaron Doering; Charles Miller

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2013 (Jun 24, 2013) pp. 1184–1192

Adventure has been incorporated into education in multiple ways throughout history. When blended with technology, it provides an opportune forum for scaffolding students and teachers alike through the process of inquiry. This paper offers an...

EnALI: A Research and Design Framework for Virtual Characters and Pedagogical Agents

George Veletsianos; Charles Miller; Aaron Doering

Journal of Educational Computing Research Vol. 41, No. 2 (2009) pp. 171–194

Conflicts occur when learners interact with pedagogical agents and virtual characters. Such conflicts--arising from technological limitations, psychosocial perceptions, and pedagogical inadequacies--hinder communication and interaction between...

Data as a Motivator: Using Information Visualization to Empower Teachers and Students in an E-Assessment Language Learning Environment

Charles Miller; Lucas Lecheler; Brad Hosack

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2011 (Oct 18, 2011) pp. 1506–1511

The role of information visualization (i.e. the orchestration of data, design, and narrative) in online learning is an increasingly important facet for educators, researchers, and designers; however, few authentic examples exist for collaborative...

Avenue ASL: Transforming Language Assessment and Learning through Networked Video Integration

Simon Hooper; Charles Miller; George Veletsianos

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2005 (Jun 27, 2005) pp. 3919–3924

Avenue ASL, an integrated software environment to capture, evaluate, self-assess, and manage American Sign Language (ASL) performance, is being developed at the University of Minnesota to improve student language learning and increase the efficiency ...

Topics: Assessment, Software, Students, Languages, Video

The Design Evolution of Geographic Online Learning Environments

Aaron Doering; Charles Miller; Cassandra Scharber; George Veletsianos

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2008 (Mar 03, 2008) pp. 2010–2013

In this brief paper we 1) present an overview of three online geography education environments (i.e. MSE, LGGT, and Geothentic) designed to help learners and instructors achieve the aforementioned instructional scenario, 2) use a lens of design...

Design and Development of a Reading, Writing, and Language e-Assessment Environment for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing K-8 Learners

Charles Miller; Simon Hooper; Susan Rose; Luke Lecheler

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2009 (Oct 26, 2009) pp. 1792–1797

Hearing loss has a devastating impact on the development of children’s English-language literacy skills. This paper presents a narrative of the design, development, and future integration of a web-based progress-monitoring environment in the area of ...

GeoThentic: Designing and Assessing with Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Aaron Doering; Cassandra Scharber; Charles Miller; George Veletsianos

Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education Vol. 9, No. 3 (September 2009) pp. 316–336

GeoThentic, an online teaching and learning environment, focuses on engaging teachers and learners in solving real-world geography problems through use of geospatial technologies. The design of GeoThentic is grounded on the technology, pedagogy, and ...

Topics: Instructional Materials, Teaching Methods, Instructional Design, Educational Technology, Social Studies

Transforming Knowledge for Sustainability: Towards Adaptive Academic Institutions

Thaddeus R. Miller; Tischa Munoz-Erickson; Charles L. Redman

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education Vol. 12, No. 2 (2011) pp. 177–192

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to argue that the types of and ways in which academic institutions produce knowledge are insufficient to contribute to a transition to sustainability. Design/methodology/approach: Reflecting on experiences at...

Transforming E-Assessment in American Sign Language: Pedagogical and Technological Enhancements in Online Language Learning and Performance Assessment

Charles Miller; Simon Hooper; Susan Rose; Michael Montalto-Rook

Learning, Media and Technology Vol. 33, No. 3 (September 2008) pp. 155–168

The rapid increase in demand for American Sign Language (ASL) instruction between 1998 and 2002 created pervasive challenges in effectively assessing and documenting ASL learner performance. To address these challenges, we designed and developed the ...

Clear, Convincing, and Compelling: Exploring Information Visualization Design Opportunities in Online Learning

Charles Miller; Brad Hosack; Lucas Lecheler; Aaron Doering

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2012 (Oct 09, 2012) pp. 1159–1165

Information visualization, a fusion of art and science, is a visual and interactive methodology that affords users to experience complex data and explore the rich, inherent narrative of the context, without needing to reference and process an...

GeoThentic: Designing and Assessing with Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Aaron Doering; Cassandra Scharber; Charles Miller; George Veletsianos

Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference 2009 (Mar 02, 2009) pp. 4056–4061

GeoThentic, an online teaching and learning environment, focuses on engaging teachers and learners in solving real-world geography problems through use of geospatial technologies. The design of this learning environment is grounded in the...

The Avenue Platform: Redefining World Language E-Assessment

Lucas Lecheler; Charles Miller; Bradford Hosack; Susan Rose; Simon Hooper

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2013 (Oct 21, 2013) pp. 1213–1221

The Avenue platform, designed and developed by faculty and staff in Learning Technologies, Educational Psychology, and the LT Media Lab at the University of Minnesota, is an innovative online performance assessment framework comprised of two...

Topics: Instructional Design, Tools & Systems

Designing with and for Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: The Evolution of GeoThentic

Aaron Doering; Charles Miller; Cassandra Scharber; George Veletsianos

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2009 (Oct 26, 2009) pp. 221–228

How should a K-12 geography teacher use a geospatial technology such as Google Earth in the classroom? Should they have students pinpoint a series of locations and measure the connecting distances, essentially using the technology as a mere digital...

The Effects of Digital Video Quality on Learner Comprehension in an American Sign Language Assessment Environment

Simon Hooper; Charles Miller; Susan Rose; George Veletsianos

Sign Language Studies Vol. 8, No. 1 (2007) pp. 42–58

The effects of digital video frame rate and size on American Sign Language (ASL) learner comprehension were investigated. Fifty-one students were randomly assigned to one of three video-size treatment groups: 480x360, 320x240, and 240x180 pixels....

Using Multiple Media and an Online Learning Environment to Capture Intersections between Education and Sustainability Worldwide

Aaron Doering; Charles Miller; Cassie Scharber; Jeni Henrickson

World Conference on Educational Media and Technology 2013 (Jun 24, 2013) pp. 1264–1272

Education for Sustainable Development has increasingly taken on importance around the world over the past decade. The Earthducation project is examining intersections between education and sustainability in climate hotspots on all the continents,...

“Timber for President": Adventure Learning and Motivation

Aaron Doering; Cassandra Scharber; Eric Riedel; Charles Miller

Journal of Interactive Learning Research Vol. 21, No. 4 (October 2010) pp. 483–513

Adventure learning (AL) provides learners with opportunities to explore real-world issues through authentic learning experiences within collaborative online learning environments. This paper reports on an AL program, designed using Keller’s ARCS...

Topics: Educational Technology, Integration, Internet, Distance Education, Instructional Design

Earthducation: Employing Video Narratives to Track the Intersections between Education and Sustainability in Climate Hotspots Worldwide

Aaron Doering; Charles Miller; Cassie Scharber; Jeni Henrickson

World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2012 (Oct 09, 2012) pp. 952–961

Education for Sustainable Development has increasingly taken on importance around the world over the past decade. As such, the Earthducation project is examining intersections between education and sustainability in climate hotspots on all the...