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This paper examines the acceptance, of a group of 79 students, of an educational forum, used for mobile and distance learning, that has been modified to include empathic characteristics and affective principles.

With this study is proposed that the introduction of empathic and affective principles in educational forums is a useful and effective way to increase students’ participation and motivation in educational contexts. After an analysis of existing literature and research on the subject of empathic technology, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) was used as a framework for the research model. The analysis of their acceptance is done via an extended version of the UTAUT that focuses on the use of the variable attitude toward technology and uses gender, age and experience as moderators. A partial least square technique has been used to test the nine hypotheses.

The results confirmed three of the nine hypotheses: performance expectancy and effort expectancy had a positive influence on the students attitudes towards empathic forums, while the effect of social influence and facilitating conditions was considered insignificant; social influence had a positive influence on the students’ behavioral intention to use emphatic forums, while attitude toward technology, performance expectancy, facilitating conditions and effort expectancy were considered not relevant.

The focus of this study was the influence of attitude toward empathic forums, used for mobile and distance learning, and the results establish the grounds for future research on attitude as an important determinant of technology acceptance.

Presents a review on implementing finite element methods on supercomputers, workstations and PCs and gives main trends in hardware and software developments. An appendix included at the end of the paper presents a bibliography on the subjects retrospectively to 1985 and approximately 1,100 references are listed.

This brief report demonstrates how collaborative podcast series project to teach cultural content in English language classroom is design and implemented. This paper aims not only to facilitate speaking practice but also to build students’ cultural awareness, exercise creativity, promote critical thinking and foster learning collaboration.

This classroom observation study involved 78 students majoring English education department in a state Islamic university in East Java, Indonesia. The pedagogical intervention which facilitates this project includes extensive reading and viewing of local culture materials, interview practice project and collective reflections. After completing the project, students wrote collective reflective accounts, submitted their podcast links and followed focus group interview.

From the data analysis, it can be seen that incorporating local culture into English language learning can enhance student learning engagement, cultural awareness and tolerance, and collective reflective practice.

The finding of the study contributes to practical implications addressed to teachers and teacher educators in designing and implementing technology mediated cultural learning.