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From: ATDYW@ASUACAD.BITNET
Newsgroups: comp.multimedia
Subject: learning styles and presentation design
Message-ID: <91163.105412ATDYW@ASUACAD.BITNET>
Date: 12 Jun 91 17:54:12 GMT
Organization: Arizona State University
Lines: 21

With all the recent advances in technology that allows us to integrate
various media for desktop presentations, it seems the time is ripe for
advanced thinks to begin looking at presentations a little differently.
Currently, presentations are designed by the author, according to the
author's opinions as to how ideas should be presented - what sequence,
what media to use, etc. Educational psychologists tell us however, that
we all have unique, individual "learning styles." We all have some optimal
way of learning - some by hands on, some by listening, some by visual
means, and so on. Imbedded within this is the notion that we all have
some preferred ORDER in which the ideas should be presented to us. Some
of us will learn better if ideas are presented in a forward sequence, others
will learn better if presented in a backward (like back-chaining) sequence,
others may prefer linear presentations, others may prefer trees. It would
seem we should be able to use computers to accomodate any of these designs
we could determine the opitmal media mix and optimal idea sequence for
a target user/viewer/learner.

I have conducted a few small experiments that suggest readers do in fact
prefer different sequences of ideas. Is anyone else out there working on
this? Any ideas? Can you imagine your favorite journal or magazine
written tailor-made to optimize YOUR learning? What do we mean by "optimal?"