Experimental Evaluation of Five Techniques for Teaching for the ZOG Frame Editor,
Abstract
With the growing number of computer text editing systems, a question arises about the best way to teach beginners to use a given text editor. The authors are particularly concerned with choosing among several teaching techniques that are available for users of Carnegie-Mellon University's ZOG system and its editor, ZED. (ZOG is a rapid-response, menu-selection, software system intended as a general-purpose interface to a computer). This paper compares five techniques for teaching naive users to edit using ZED: three forms of a manual (on-line in ZOG's net-structured format, off-line, and on-line displayed in parallel with the on-line editing work); a highly structured tutorial; and a human teacher. The techniques are compared with each other and with eight editors evaluated by Roberts and Moran (1982). The results indicate (1) all the techniques take essentially the same time to produce adequate learning; (2) the style in which the teaching techniques are used varies according to accessibility and structure; and (3) ZED learning falls in the middle of the range of Roberts and Moran's editors in terms of minutes required on average to learn to do a new editing task. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 14, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA143433
Entities
People
- A. Newell
- C. K. Robertson
Organizations
- Carnegie Mellon University