Hypermedia Learning Environments

Hypermedia and multimedia have penetrated the world of computer games, Internet, and CD-ROM based reference manuals. However, the fields of education, schooling, and training ask more specific benefits from them. This book provides practical approaches to transform these media into learning tools. Crucial helping steps include the migration from expository to exploratory learning strategies, the integration of collaborative learning practices in plenary and individualistic teaching styles, and the evolution from test-driven to experience-oriented training. This volume has three goals: * to discuss the concepts of hypermedia, multimedia, and hypertext and review pertinent research lines; * to provide guidelines and suggestions for developing multimedia applications; and * to place technology within a broader context of education and training through a discussion of rich environments for active learning (REALs). The book takes a developmental focus to helpf readers set up and manage the process of developing a multimedia application. It is not a technical or a how-to manual on working with video, sound, digitized graphics, or computer code. The text takes a unique approach to the idea of media-- viewing media as delivery systems: if video is called for, use it; if sound will help in an application, use it. The fundamental guidelines presented here are usually not media specific. Media works only within the strategies with which they are used. Aimed at practitioners--people who teach about or develop multimedia and hypermedia applications--this volume carefully examines the main components and issues in developing applications. It provides suggestions and heuristics for sound, fundamental design processes.

This hypermedia CD-ROM provides an ideal format for the visual explanation of complex algorithms contained in the text Introduction to Algorithms, by Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, and Ronald L. Rivest. It contains three complementary components: a hypertext version of the book itself, interactive animations of the most important algorithms, and movies explaining the use of the hypertext interface and the animations. The hypertext, including the figures, is stored in HyperCard stacks. It contains tools for navigation, text annotation, tracking of preexisting links, full-text search, and the adding of links and paths through the document. This enables instructors and students to customize the hypertext easily for classroom and personal use. The animations that are implemented in HyperCard are linked with the hypertext and can be controlled interactively by the user. They also include extensive on-line help, making them self-contained. Some animations include scripting facilities allowing users to program animations of specific data structures. The movies ("talking heads" and demonstrations) provide a way to view noninteractive versions of the algorithm animations. These are stored on the CD in QuickTime format. Peter Gloor is Research Associate in the Laboratory for Computer Science, and Scott Dynes is a Ph.D candidate in the Eaton Peabody Laboratory, both at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Irene Lee was formerly a graduate student at Harvard University. Animated algorithms: Asymptotic Notation. Recursion. Simple Data Structures. Sorting Algorithms and Analysis. Hashing. Binary Trees. Red-Black Trees. Minimum Spanning Trees. Single-Source Shortest Paths. Fibonacci Heaps. Huffman Encoding. Dynamic Programming. Matrix Multiplication. Matrix Inverse. Convex Hull. Genetic Algorithms. Neural Networks.

This most unusual book results from the NATO Advanced Research Work shop, "Designing Hypertext/Hypermedia for Learning", held in Rottenburg am Neckar, FRO, from July 3-8, 1989. The idea for the workshop resulted from the burgeoning interest in hypertext combined with the frustrating lack of literature on leaming applications for hypertext. There was little evidence in 1988 that hypertext could successfully support learning out comes. A few projects were investigating hypertext for learning, but few conclusions were available and little if any advice on how to design hyper text for learning applications was available. Could hypertext support learning objectives? What mental processing requirements are unique to learning outcomes? How would the processing requirements of learning outcomes interact with unique user processing requirements of browsing and constructing hypertext? Should hypertext information bases be restruc tured to accommodate learning outcomes? Should the user interface be manipulated in order to support the task functionality of learning outcomes? Does the hypertext structure reflect the intellectual requirements of learning outcomes? What kinds of learning-oriented hypertext systems were being developed and what kinds of assumptions were these systems making? These and other questions demonstrated the need for this workshop. The workshop included presentations, hardware demonstrations, sharing and browsing of hypertexts, and much discussion about all of the above. These were the experiences that you, the reader of this book, unfortunately did not experience.

With the advent of multimedia tools available to everyone, today's educator is no longer dependant on the titles developed by commercial educational software developers. They now have the means to create their own learning environments. This text is designed to provide educators with a structured, accessible methodology, as well as the knowledge necessary to produce high quality environments which can be tailor-made for their specific subject matter or area. Armed with the ideas, concepts and procedures that this book explores, educators can construct their own multimedia learning space.

Multimedia environments suggest to us a new perception of the state of changes in and the integration of new technologies that can increase our ability to process information. Moreover, they are obliging us to change our idea of knowledge. These changes are reflected in the obvious synergetic convergence of different types of access, communication and information exchange. The multimedia learning environment should not represent a passive object that only contains or assembles information but should become, on one side, the communication medium of the pedagogical intentions of the professor/designer and, on the other side, the place where the learner reflects and where he or she can play with, test and access information and try to interpret it, manipulate it and build new knowledge. The situation created by such a new learning environments that give new powers to individuals, particularly with regard to accessing and handling diversified dimensions of information, is becoming increasingly prevalent in the field of education. The old static equilibrium, in which fixed roles are played by the teacher (including the teaching environment) and the learner, is shifting to dynamic eqUilibrium where the nature of information and its processing change, depending on the situation, the learning context and the individual's needs.

"This book provides coverage of a wide range of factors that influence the design, use and adoption of Personalized Learning Environments"--Provided by publisher.

This doctoral dissertation reports on a study that investigated the hypermedia learning environment from the perspective of high school students learning about U.S. culture. Qualitative methods were used to determine student perceptions about learning with hypermedia tools. Data were collected from daily observations, interviews, student products, formal and informal discussions, and questionnaires. This daily, 5-month investigation produced data which were subsequently used to analyze student perceptions. The data were classified into a number of categories and the analysis was cross checked. The study concluded that there are a number of student perceptions that are supportive of the use of a hypermedia learning environment. Students indicated that the nature of hypermedia products promoted a feeling of empowerment. Students became experts on certain topics and shared their expertise. The freedom of choice and opportunity to be creative promoted considerable motivation. Hypermedia documents were viewed by students as much more public than traditional work. Producing a hypermedia document promoted understanding at a deeper level than using a traditional assignment. Teachers in this program concurred that learning was enhanced and all participants in the program indicated the use of a hypermedia learning environment to be advantageous. Copies of the questionnaires used are appended. (Contains 96 references.) (Author/TMK)