Abstracts - Earli

Who benefits from situated prompts in authentic learning environments?Holger Horz, Unviersity of Koblenz-Landau, GermanyClaudia Winter, University of Mannheim, GermanyStefan Fries, University of Mannheim, GermanyLearners often neglect support (glossaries, help sites etc.) in computer-based learningenvironments since they experience it as an unrelated add-on. We assumed that prompts presentingsituated strategic and metacognitive support (‘situated prompts’) lead to an increased support useresulting in a higher cognitive load of learners, which than causes a lower learning performance iflearners have a lower thematic expertise. To scrutinize the differential effect of situated promptswe conducted an experiment with 69 students (undergraduates vs. graduates). Students learnedeither with a learning environment with or without situated prompts. As expected, learning withsituated prompts resulted in an increased support usage. Furthermore, two interaction effectsoccurred. (1) Graduates learned slightly better with a programme including situated promptscompared to a programme without prompts whereas undergraduates performed better withoutsituated prompts. (2) Undergraduates stated a higher perceived cognitive load if they learned witha program with situated prompts compared to undergraduates learning with a program withoutsituated prompts. In the group of graduates no differences occurred concerning the perceivedcognitive load. The results are interpreted within the framework of cognitive load theory.The role of graphical and text-based argumentation tools in hypermedia learningJoerg Zumbach, University of Salzburg, AustriaIn this study the effects of visualization tools on argumentation skills, knowledge acquisition, andmotivation during hypermedia learning were examined. Participants in this experiment had tocomplete an argumentation task on environmental issues by using a hypermedia learningenvironment as resource. In one condition, participants were provided with a graphical conceptmappingtool in order to complete an argumentation task. In a second condition, a simple twocolumnedword-pad has been given. Results suggest that a graphical argumentation tool canenhance learners’ motivation, but has no influence on knowledge acquisition or quality ofarguments. Overall, results reveal that the assignment of an argumentation task to hypermedialearning environments was an effective instructional strategy that led to enhanced knowledgeacquisition.Effects of computer assisted metacognitive instruction on learning performanceMaria Bannert, Chemnitz University of Technology, GermanyMelanie Hildebrand, Chemnitz University of Technology, GermanyKatja Junghanns, Chemnitz University of Technology, GermanySuccessful learning is mainly based on metacognitive activities which has to be performed andconstantly monitored during learning. Research reveals that many learners have difficulties inperforming these metacognitive activities spontaneously which most probably results in lowerlearning outcomes. So, the key issue of the study is to develop effective metacognitive instructionsby means of computer support. Based on earlier research a computer assisted training session wasdeveloped and evaluated experimentally. With this support device students are explicitly instructedto activate their repertoire of metacognitive knowledge and skills which should further enhancelearning and transfer. To test this assumption students of the experimental group (n=29) wereinstructed in a short computer assisted training session lasting about 30 minutes whymetacognitive activities are useful and how to apply them during learning. Students of the control– 380 –