Discusses job aids as a method to improve human performance by replacing the requirement for a specific skill or knowledge. Types of job aids are described, the role of job aids in training is explained, job aid design is examined, and benefits of job aids are discussed. (10 references) (LRW)

Discusses the role of hypertext as a communications medium and factors that must be considered in hypertext design and applicability. Implications of the division of labor in knowledge work and for our conception of literacy are addressed. (MES)

Provides eight guidelines for the effective design of questionnaires to be used in the assessment of training needs. Highlights include cost effectiveness; the use of surveys; front-end analysis; and examples for each guideline. (LRW)

Discussion of computer-based communications (CBC) focuses on issues involved with screen design and layout for electronic text, based on experiences with electronic messaging, conferencing, and publishing within the Australian Open Learning Information Network (AOLIN). Recommendations for research on design and layout for printed text are also…

Discusses the use of expert systems for the development of instructional design and recommends instead the cognitive approach of an instructional design workbench. Distinctions between expert systems and advisory systems are examined, the problem-solving process of instructional design is described, and design requirements for an instructional…

Discusses elements involved in the visual design of the computer-learner interface. Topics discussed include the need for consistency in screen layout; information representation, including accuracy in images and visual cuing strategies; and menu selection interfaces, or command representations, including their placement on the screen. (11…

Explains how to make a well-designed signage package that is effective and enhances visitor first impressions of an institution. Examines questions to ask when planning traffic-pattern signage and the significance of the different hierarchy of signs; concludes with advice on signage design. (GR)

Explains how to build World Wide Web home pages using frames-based HTML so that librarians can manage Web-based information and improve their home pages. Provides descriptions and 15 examples for writing frames-HTML code, including advanced concepts and additional techniques for home-page design. (Author/LRW)

Emphasizes the need to focus educational technology (ET) research on design as well as on technology. Suggests that what should distinguish the field of educational technology is designing with technology, and conducting research that examines the relationship between design and technology. Discusses technology as enabling new designs, not driving…

Discusses Web site design and provides a listing of Web sites for library automation vendors and other related resources. Each listing consists of the site's name, a brief summary of its resources, the URL, and a picture of the opening page of the site. (LRW)

Discusses community of practice, situated cognition, learning as demand driven, learning as a social act, and learning via ways of seeing. Expands these ideas through Vygotsky's writings, including zone of proximal development and the general genetic law of cultural development; and considers implications for the design of Web-based learning…

Provides design options for making Web sites more accessible to blind or visually impaired users. Highlights include valid alt-tags on graphics; helpful link text; cascading style sheets (CSSs) to separate content from page structure; descriptive links to tell what a significant graphic is about; and not using text only as a valid alternative.…

Presents four examples of how schools are redefining their libraries into more flexible and comfortable places for students and faculty. Photos and project costs are included for each example. (GR)

Describes electronic performance support systems (EPSSs) that can enhance performance and reduce training times and costs. Provides examples of EPSSs; explains why instructional designers and trainers should be interested in EPSSs; and discusses design considerations, including part task/whole task support, embedded versus linked, and user…

Presents three college residence halls that show how administrators are working to provide students with all the comforts of home. Photos and floor plans are included. (GR)