Title: Cognitive Flexibility and Hypertext: Theory and Technology for the Nonlinear and Multidimensional Traversal of Complex Subject Matter
Abstract: Traditional methods of instruction rely on linear media (e.g., textbooks and
lectures). Linearity of media is not a problem when the subject matter being
taught is well structured and fairly simple. However, as content increases in
complexity and ill-structuredness, increasingly greater amounts of important
information are lost with linear approaches and the unidimenionality of organization that typically accompanies them. The advent of random access computer technologies makes practicable new forms of nonlinear and multidimensional learning and instruction that are better suited to conveying complex
content. For example, it becomes a straightforward matter to revisit the same
content material in a variety of different contexts, with each visit bringing
out additional aspects of that content's complexity that are missed in the
single pass of linear coverage. We use the expression random access instruction
to refer to a cluster of fundamental issues brought into play by nonlinear
learning with random access media. This chapter discusses a unified theoretical approach to those fundamental issues, an approach that provides a foundation of principles to guide random access instruction.
Publication Year: 2012
Publication Date: 2012-10-12
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 632
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