National Technical Reports Library

The National Technical Information Service acquires, indexes, abstracts, and archives the largest collection of U.S. government-sponsored technical reports in existence. The NTRL offers online, free and open access to these authenticated government technical reports. Technical reports and documents in its repository may be available online for free either from the issuing federal agency, the U.S. Government Publishing Office’s Federal Digital System website, or through search engines.

Details

Example Elaboration as a Neglected Instructional Strategy.

DE200415006311

Publication Date	2001
Personal Author	Girill, T. R.
Page Count	14
Abstract	Over the last decade an unfolding cognitive-psychology research program on how learners use examples to develop effective problem solving expertise has yielded well-established empirical findings. Chi et al., Renkl, Reimann, and Neubert (in various papers) have confirmed statistically significant differences in how good and poor learners inferentially elaborate (self explain) example steps as they study. Such example elaboration is highly relevant to software documentation and training, yet largely neglected in the current literature. This paper summarizes the neglected research on example use and puts its neglect in a disciplinary perspective. The author then shows that differences in support for example elaboration in commercial software documentation reveal previously over looked usability issues. These issues involve example summaries, using goals and goal structures to reinforce example elaborations, and prompting readers to recognize the role of example parts.
Keywords	Teaching strategies Cognitive psychology Technical writing Documentation Problem solving Learning Research programs Computer software Interest groups Technology innovation
Source Agency	Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee
Corporate Authors	Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA.; Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Supplemental Notes	Sponsored by Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	200413

Example Elaboration as a Neglected Instructional Strategy.

Example Elaboration as a Neglected Instructional Strategy.
DE200415006311

Publication Date	2001
Personal Author	Girill, T. R.
Page Count	14
Abstract	Over the last decade an unfolding cognitive-psychology research program on how learners use examples to develop effective problem solving expertise has yielded well-established empirical findings. Chi et al., Renkl, Reimann, and Neubert (in various papers) have confirmed statistically significant differences in how good and poor learners inferentially elaborate (self explain) example steps as they study. Such example elaboration is highly relevant to software documentation and training, yet largely neglected in the current literature. This paper summarizes the neglected research on example use and puts its neglect in a disciplinary perspective. The author then shows that differences in support for example elaboration in commercial software documentation reveal previously over looked usability issues. These issues involve example summaries, using goals and goal structures to reinforce example elaborations, and prompting readers to recognize the role of example parts.
Keywords	Teaching strategies Cognitive psychology Technical writing Documentation Problem solving Learning Research programs Computer software Interest groups Technology innovation
Source Agency	Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee
Corporate Authors	Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA.; Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Supplemental Notes	Sponsored by Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	200413