The Success of Advanced Learning Technologies for Instruction

Abstract

The development and implementation of new advanced learning technologies (ALTs) is an important achievement at all levels of education and in business and industry. However, the benefits of ALTs are often not fully realized until issues surrounding their use by instructors, students and others are recognized and taken into consideration. These are referred to as ‘human factors’ issues and they can often become a major influence in the success of technological applications. This paper identifies a range of human factors issues of importance in a variety of settings. Recent evaluative and research information describing human factors in three graduate programmes using ALTs is presented and discussed. The paper concludes with a summary discussion of these results and their impact on human interaction with technology.