Categories: Communication Design, Theory & Rhetoric, Technology
Summary & Citation:
Martindale's dissertation, of which this article was based on the first chapter, made the contribution of questioning the importance of the medium over the text in computer-based tutorials. Twenty-two years later, related problems with the importance of design over content still plague the internet, distance education, and digital learning.
"This argument suggests that designers and researchers of computer-based tutorials (CBTs) should pay less attention to computers and more to communication. That is, while HCI research has its place, understanding how to communicate information in ways that students can understand is more important to the design of effective instruction" (Martindale, 1993, p. 110).
