Learning Factors and Determining Document-level Satisfaction In Search-as-Learning
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Date
2017-04-26
Authors
Abualsaud, Mustafa
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Waterloo
Abstract
An important use of search engines is as a tool for learning.
Search engines help users find learning material and increases their
knowledge in various topics. The underlying process of learning while
web searching and which documents a search engine should return to
enhance the learner's comprehension and learning is a new area of
research. In order to build better search engines to supplement the learning process and overall satisfaction, documents the learner searches for should be investigated.
In this thesis, we propose six different factors that may be
associated with learning and show which are significant in determining
document-level satisfaction. We describe a lab-based user study in
which each participant was assigned to a learning task with a pre and
post quiz to measure their increase in knowledge after
reading the selected documents. Using data collected at different
stages of the study, our results indicate that documents with
broadness of content, as well as novelty of information, are
significant in determining satisfaction. We also show qualitative
results that indicate a broader to more specific ordering of documents
content is preferred for easier processing and retention of
information.
Our study provides insight into the characteristics of
documents learners prefer to read and the order these documents should
be presented to the learner, and provides us a better understanding of the
learning process that occurs during search-as-learning related tasks.
Description
Keywords
information retrieval, search-as-learning, human learning