Week 2 - Activity 6 - Blog Instruction Using Text and Hypertext

Our activities for this week were on the topic of text and hypertext.  Our assignments required that we use only text or hypertext on our instruction set.  I really enjoyed all of the assignments for this week.  At work, part of my duties require that I create short, step-by-step instructions that the faculty or students can use to learn a simple task for a new software or application.  For very short instructions (half a page of less), I typically try to use simple text and limit the use of hypertext.  I do so when I want the user to focus on the simple task at hand.  Although I have not had professional training for developing instruction sets, I based my designs purely on the feedback I receive from my users.

I don’t necessary think that using text-only format on an instruction set hurts or helps explain a subject matter.  I think deciding which format to use will depend on how easy or difficult it is to explain the topic.  If images or videos will help explain the topic better, then they should be used.  As a learner myself, I’ve gone to Wikipedia to learn a new vocabulary word or searching for a specific topic and then find myself reading something totally unrelated to original search.  Although it can be distracting for some students, it can also open many doors to learning about other topics. 

According to Shapiro (2004), although there are similarities in the cognitive processes when reading traditional text and hypertext, there are also differences.  When reading hypertext, “subject-matter knowledge contributed to readers developing a unique self-guided text when reading hypertext.  That is, readers’ past experiences and prior knowledge lets them to make choices about the sequence for reading information in ways that are not possible when reading, printed text” (p. 607).  I found this to be very interesting because this means that although learners might be provided with the same set of reading content, providing users with hypertext can provide learners with a unique experience.    

I also found the article by Hartley very useful.  One of the points that grab my attention was the recommendation for using fonts with serifs for the body of the text while using fonts without (sans) serifs for headers for other purposes.  Although I was familiar with most of the other recommendations, this particular information was new to me and I know that I will put it to good use.

References

Shapiro, A., & Niederhauser, D. (2004). Learning from hypertext: Research issues and findings. Handbook of research on educational communications and technology, 2, 605–620.

Hartley, J. (2004). Designing instructional and informational text. Handbook of research on educational communications and technology, 2, 917-947.