As an introduction to our first week of discussing design principles, we'll look briefly at two programs, one of which uses a "storybook" sort of narrative to structure the user's experience, and another that uses a "laboratory" or "playground" metaphor to structure that experience. The programs are Freddi Fish (Humongous 1994) and Thinkin' Things I (Edmark, 1995), both for children ages 4-8.
The field of computer science is young compared to many other disciplines in the university, just as the introduction and use of computers in schools is a relatively recent development; thus, it is no surprise that we find it difficult to distinguish between knowledge, opinion and error in those areas of "research" where computer science and the use of computers in school overlap. Perhaps the best example of this difficulty can be found in the design and evaluation of educational software. Although there is already a significant literature on interface design and human-computer interaction, a quick survey of this literature reveals that the methods of study are primitive compared to those of other sciences, the sample sizes are insignificant by statistical standards, and the sample populations are biased in ways that prevent generalizing most if not all of the studies' conclusions.
So what is an educational software designer to do? Well, articles like "Screens for Learning" can lead us to ask good questions, even if the conclusions of the authors seem obvious. In the 1998 version of CS92, Elaine Chen articulated some of these questions in her Notes on Interface Articles and Will Heublein took that analysis further with his Spring 2000 notes, by proposing questions and exercises that get us to question basic assumptions about the design of the user interface. Similarly, articles like Copeland 1987 let us think about the design of educational software in terms of the sorts of functions we think the computer program should perform and the sorts of experiences the users of that software should have.
The articles we're reading from this collection, by Nickerson and Schwartz, might be thought more ambitious than those we read on Tuesday. The concerns of the authors, and indeed all of the authors in the volume, are with how well-designed software can improve the effectiveness of learning, and specifically in the development of students' understanding of the material they study.
We'll spend most of the class time in discussion led by June, but here are a few additional questions about Schwartz' "The Right-Sized Byte" that each time should consider: