Describes functionality and user interface issues associated with the design of an automated system that provides a visually based online index to multimedia information for higher education. Topics include online lectures; bibliographic access; and the need for a hypermedia system that presents an integrated view of the materials with graceful…

A portal is the digital infrastructure for an online campus. Community portals, online service portals, and enterprise-wide platforms represent the three basic portal variations available for online campuses. They are differentiated by the offices represented, the campus audience served, and benefits provided to the school as a whole. (PGS)

This study of undergraduates investigates how cognitive style, online database experience, and task type influence users' search behavior on the Web. Considers time spent, the number of nodes visited, search performance, navigational style, and ways to improve Web interfaces and Web user training programs. (Author/LRW)

Reviews the top periodical databases for elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools based on the opinions of library media specialists and teachers. Explains the evaluation criteria which include searchability; navigability; help available; appearance, including consistency of page design; reading level; speed; document printing and…

Describes a study of university students that examined the influences of navigation in hypertext learning environments and discusses advantages and disadvantages of hypertext as instructional media. Discusses active (self-directed) versus passive (pre-sequenced) access; knowledge acquisition; emotional outcomes; and knowledge utilization with a…

The Virtual Grand Tour (VGT) is a paradigm for integrating a presentation of an overview of a larger subject with the possibility of launching at any time an exploratory study of a given sub-topic. The name derives from the paradigm's emulation of those 18th-century travels intended to educate (especially) young, affluent British men; today, with…

As more archival metadata and archival records become available online, providing effective interfaces to those materials is increasingly important to give users access. This article describes five approaches from the hypertext and visualization research communities which can be used to improve such access: (1) navigating hierarchical structures,…

This paper describes an approach for developing adaptive electronic textbooks and presents InterBook, an authoring tool based on this approach which simplifies the development of adaptive electronic textbooks on the World Wide Web. The following topics are discussed: (1) content structuring, including the domain and user models, the glossary, and…

A new Courseware Development Environment (CoDE) is currently being developed for Hyperwave World Wide Web servers. CoDE provides instructional designers with an easy-to-use yet powerful environment to develop online training; students have the ability to access this training using a standard Web browser. Functionality of the Hyperwave server is…

An adaptation of a live workshop, this guide offers pertinent information and practical techniques for users to become proficient searchers and conscious evaluators of World Wide Web resources. The book does not provide comprehensive coverage of the Internet, rather it gives the exact amount and level of information needed to perform a successful…

Describes a study of graduate students that focused on determining the relationship among student characteristics, including gender, learning style, and prior computer experiences, and non-linear interval-based navigation of a hypermedia program. Highlights include a literature review, interval frequencies, and suggestions for future research.…

Reports the design and evaluation of a prototype for learning modules compliant to the SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) standard for use with hypermedia systems in Web-based instruction. Discusses a study of undergraduates that considered relations between individual differences in learner characteristics, including intrinsic…

A study of 59 undergraduates identified predominant patterns of navigation in studying hypermedia lessons. The study found participants employed an initial systematic, top-down, left-to-right (depth first) strategy to ensure full coverage, then a more spotty and less systematic review. Argues that culture, language, biases, organization of the…

Reports findings of a three-part research project that examined the information seeking behavior and success of 22 seventh-grade science students in using the Web. Discusses problems encountered, including inadequate knowledge of how to use the search engine and poor level of research skills; and considers implications for Web training and system…

Summarizes the issues, debates, and decisions that helped to shape "The Washington Post's" online service, Digital Ink. Highlights include: differences between online and print versions of the newspaper, structure of the user interface, organization of information, content, searching and navigation, and advertising. (JKP)