Examines the role of virtual environments as conceptual learning tools in science at the United Kingdom Open University and the notion of presence, or reality. Interviews with competent computer users about their feelings of presence when using virtual environments indicate that audio feedback and ease of navigation are important. (Author/LRW)

Learning with existing web-based resources has become popular and important, for example, in cases where there are diverse learning resources dealing with the same learning topic. However, many resources do not have a clear description of their characteristics, which makes it difficult for learners to select appropriate resources. This article…

Discusses how to make the best use of the Internet and develop effective Web sites based on an architectural analogy. Highlights include new possibilities for collaboration and community building, goals for using technology, successfully introducing change, navigation issues, and the need to create new models instead of replicating old ones. (LRW)

Explains adaptive hypermedia, provides a brief overview of adaptive navigation support techniques in educational hypermedia systems, and analyzes the results of most representative empirical studies. Demonstrates the importance of context and knowledge levels of the users and suggests that meta-adaptive hypermedia systems should be the next step.…

Discusses the rapid growth of the World Wide Web and the lack of use of electronic books and suggests that specialized contents and device independence can make Web-based books compete with print. Topics include enhancing the hypertext model of XML; client-side adaptation, including browsers and navigation; and semantic modeling. (Author/LRW)

Describes the design of an online exhibit about the history of the United Farm Workers union that was created on the World Wide Web by the Walter P. Reuther Library/Archives of Labor and Urban History. Discusses Web design, hypertext links, and ease of navigation. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of navigation buttons in instructional hypermedia programs focuses on a study of college students that investigated the effectiveness of buttons with pictorial representations, buttons with text and pictorial representations, and buttons with text only. Findings indicate that buttons with text labels reduce user confusion concerning…

More than eight years ago, the Internet was a new frontier with a limited number of visitors. Websites on gifted topics were few and far between. With a new interest in the world of gifted children, the author needed more, and it seemed that others did, too. So, to serve her own needs, she created "Hoagies' Gifted Education Page." During this…

This study examines the cognitive costs of navigation aids in a hypermedia learning task. In a 2(navigable vs. non-navigable) x 2(map vs. content list) experimental design cognitive requirements were measured by users' eye movement data. Additionally, data from users' navigation operations, knowledge acquisition, and subjective evaluation of the…

Instructional elements remain the foundation of current instructional design practice. Practice is the instructional element provided after learners have been given information required to master an objective and Navigation is the non-instructional element guides the learner on the sequence of instruction. Linear Navigation can be referred to as…

Discusses Web design for people with disabilities and outlines a process-based approach to accessibility policy implementation. Topics include legal mandates; determining which standards apply to a given organization; validation, or evaluation of the site; site architecture; navigation; and organizational needs. (Author/LRW)

Describes a pedagogical work, carried out within a school of architecture, using a Web-based learning environment to support collaborative understanding of texts on architectural theory. Explains the use of concept maps, creation of a critical vocabulary, exploration of semantic spaces, and knowledge discovery through navigation. (Author/LRW)

Introduces a new way of looking at concepts called Hazyspace that focuses on the messiness of real life and the indeterminancy of concepts as key features in understanding the conceptual domain of human beings. Although Hazyspace has general applicability to education, this discussion focuses on use of the term to describe how new users…

The Math Forum Problems of the Week Library is designed to leverage the power of interactive technology to hold student interest while increasing their success as strategic thinkers. The Math Forum Library is an online source of non-routine challenges in which problem solving and mathematical communication are key elements of every problem. This…

Provides information on designing an effective and efficient computer user interface. Topics include determining an audience's mental model of the subject; creating effective navigation systems; components of the interface; what to consider when designing the interface; and the multimedia interface design process. (Author/LRW)