Patterns of image comparison using compare and contrast feature in Urinalysis Tutor™     

Sara Kim  & Michael Astion 《British journal of educational technology : journal of the Council for Educational Technology》2000,31(4):349-357

This study examined how students interacted with a computer-based feature, Compare and Contrast , which facilitated image comparisons. Unlike previous research, which explored the use of images ordered and presented by investigators, this study examined emerging patterns of image comparison as students selected the presentation mode. Three main image-viewing modes emerged including one successive mode and two simultaneous modes: (1) single image viewing in which only one image was viewed at a time; (2) paired viewing in which different pairs of images were displayed; and (3) anchored viewing in which a single image in one image panel served as an anchor against which multiple image comparisons were made using the second panel. Overall, anchored viewing was the most predominant image-viewing mode used by the students (41%) compared to single viewing (22%) and paired viewing (11%). Students who viewed images in the anchored-viewing mode attained the highest scores on the post-test exam. Our study suggests that a computer instructional program with a user-controlled interactivity feature can provide insights on how learners form different types of visual comparison strategies. Future experimental studies involving interface design that explicitly supports single, paired, and anchored viewing modes could confirm or challenge the results of our study and therefore, contribute to on-going research on the effective mode of image presentation for visual concept acquisition.  相似文献   

Design implications from a usability study of GramStain-Tutor^TM     

Sara Kim  Douglas M. Brock  Adam Orkand  & Michael L. Astion 《British journal of educational technology : journal of the Council for Educational Technology》2001,32(5):595-605

To examine interface issues in an educational software program, we recruited twenty-two users in health sciences departments for a usability study. Using the GramStain-Tutor™ (GST) CD-ROM, these users performed tasks in navigating the program and using various interactive features. Their actions and comments were recorded with a digital video recorder and an audio recorder. The main results of our study are: (a) the majority of the users did not use the multiple navigational options available in the program; (b) navigational patterns differed based on the training background and content knowledge of the users; (c) several visual cues critical to program use were not discovered by the majority of the users; and (d) icons representing specific functions were not intuitive from users' perspectives. We demonstrated how a usability study of a relatively small number of users can identify specific problems in interface design. We recommend these interface problems be addressed before conducting educational studies that examine how educational software programs affect student learning.  相似文献