Jens Kaasbøll, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, 2005
User training
0,00014%
20%
Hardware and software
development
User training
80%
99,99985%
Project
Textbook
1
Constructivism — a theory of learning
• New skills and knowledge is based on what we
already know
– Basing learning of IT on previously learned
knowledge that is not adequate
“It did not do what I intended”
• We construct our own knowledge
– We don’t copy the teacher’s understanding
• We learn through processes of assimilation and
accomodation
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Jens Kaasbøll, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, 2005
Structure of understanding of
opening and closing programs
Clicking X in upper right corner
Window
on screen
No
Window
Clicking program at bottom of screen
3
Teacher tells about minimizing
Resulting structure:
Clicking X or _ in upper right corner
Window
on screen
No
Window
Clicking program at bottom of screen
• Assimilation
– New elements are fitted into existing models
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Jens Kaasbøll, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, 2005
Differentiating between
program and window
Program
running
• Program
– Running
Clicking _
The state of the program
is preserved
• Window
– Visible
– Minimized
– Stopped
The state of the program
is lost
• Accomodation to a
new mental model
Window
on screen
Clicking
program in
Start menu
Window
minimized
Clicking button
on taskbar
Clicking X
Program
stopped
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Accomodation
• Changing structures of understanding
• Conceptualisation
• Reorganising previously known elements in new
structures
• If we assimilate elements that do not fit
– The elements are forgotten / lost
– Assimilated in inadequate models
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Jens Kaasbøll, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, 2005
Lessons from educational science
• Half of what has been learnt is forgotten within a month
→ Practice immediately after teaching
• What has been learnt can be transferred to similar conditions
→ Conditions during training must resemble those at work
• Learning both skills and general concepts improves the ability
to transfer learning to less similar conditions
→ Training should encompass both skills and concepts
Normal user training course
c
•The teacher demonstrates computer
operation by means of a video projector
•The learners repeat
How does this training
correspond to the lessons
above?
7
Alternative to parrot teaching
Herskin (1994)
Brugervenlig edb-undervisning
•
•
•
Personal experience with ”parrot training”
– The teacher demonstrates computer operation by
means of a video projector
– The learners repeat
– The learning result is the ability to repeat what the
teacher does
Suggested teaching method
1. The teacher presents an overview
2. The learners read, do, and take notes
3. The teacher summarizes
Suggested results
– The learners understand
– The learners bring back a piece of documentation that
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they have adapted to their own understanding
Jens Kaasbøll, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, 2005
The alternative hands-on training
1. Overview
Problem
Principle
Procedures
2. Hands-on
Instruction
Sheet
Exercise
3. Summary
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• How
–
–
–
–
–
1. Overview
Presentation of task that is independent of the software details
No windows, mouse clicks or menues should be mentioned
Provide explanations by means of visualisations and examples
15 minutes
So that the learners face the teacher and not the screens
• What
– Problem
• Explain the purpose of the task to be learnt
• Relate the task to be learn to what the users are familiar with
– Principles
• Explain the ways the computer structures its data and operations
• Provide an example
– Procedures
• Present 2-5 different phases that the tasks consists of
• Provide an example
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Jens Kaasbøll, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, 2005
An instruction sheet
Phase
Why
Interaction
Applying
style
Highlight the paragraphs(s)
Click the down-arrow in the style menu
Move mouse and click the style to apply
Modifying
style
Click Format
Click Style …
A new window appears
Click the Modify … button
A new window appears
Click the Format ? button
Click the property of the format to change,
eg, the Font
Change the font
Click OK
Click OK
Click Apply
An instruction
sheet for novices
•
•
Save and open
Aim
•
Rationale
–
–
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Finding data next time you use a program
The computer stores data in named files in folders. In
order to open a file that you have been using before, you
have give it a name the first time you save it and
remember which folder you save it in.
•
Operations
1
Saving. Before quitting a program:
1.1 Click the button. Why?
1.2 Click the down-arrow in the “Save in” box. Why?
1.3 Type the name you will give the file in the
“File name:” box. Why?
1.4 Click the “Save” button Why?
2 Opening. The next time you have opened the program and want to
work on the same file:
2.1 Click the button Why?
2.2 Click the down-arrow in the “Search in” box. Why?
2.3 Double-click on the file name. Why?
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Jens Kaasbøll, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, 2005
2. Hands-on
• Hand out the instruction sheet after the overview
• The learners carry out the operations and takes notes
• The teacher responds to questions concerning details in
the interaction
• More general questions are taken up in the Summary
• Introductory
– One participant per computer
• Advanced
– Two participants working in pair in front of a computer
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3. Summary
• Issues of understanding
– Responding to questions from participants
– Visualising and explaining
• Additional details of the interaction
• Relating the task to the participants’ work
– How can computer functionality be utilised?
– How work routines be adjusted?
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Jens Kaasbøll, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, 2005
Exercise
1. Develop a session of alternative hands-on
training with an instruction sheet!
Choose example based on your own
experience of where users fail.
E.g.
•Placing a figure in a Word document
•Create a UNIX link
•Pivot-tables in Excel
2. Teach the rest of the class
3. The learners give feedback to the teacher
c
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Approach to computer literacy in a
third world setting
Venter, Blignaut (1996)
SIGCPR 30,1,233-241
• Comptuer literacy course for novice students in South
Africa
– Mainly black and coloured students in business
studies
• 13 week subject
– Operating system
– Text processor
– Spread sheet
• 305 questionnaires
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Jens Kaasbøll, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, 2005
Results
• 35% passed the exam
• Little correlation with statistics course
• A negative shift in attitude towards computers after
the course
• English and Afrikaans speaking students and male
students performed better at theory
”I come from the Eastern Cape—Transkei. Like
there my first language is Xhosa, so sometimes
you get teachers that speak Xhosa. So if you don’t
understand and you just ask, and they will explain
in Xhosa. When explained in English you don’t get
the message quickly.”
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Playing around
• Users play around with computers during spare time
• Learn while
– Exploring
– Using the computer for private purposes
• Requires that the users
– Have their own computer,
– Are given computers or
– Are given access to computers
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Jens Kaasbøll, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, 2005
”Hole in the wall”
Sugata Mitra
Children and the Internet: New Paradigms for Development
in the 21st Century
Centre for Research in Cognitive Systems, NIIT Limited, New
Delhi
http://www.niitholeinthewall.com/home.htm
• Minimally Invasive Education
– a pedagogic method that uses the learning
environment to generate an adequate level of
motivation to induce learning in groups of children,
with minimal, or no, intervention by a teacher.
• The Kalkaji experiment
– Setting up a computer in a hole in a brick wall in a
slum of Delhi
– No explanation
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Kalkaji
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Jens Kaasbøll, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, 2005
Results
• The regulars are very young children (age 6 to 12) who live in the slum
right next to the Kiosk. Almost all the boys in this age group are users,
but only some of the older girls frequent the Kiosk.
• Children learnt basic operations of the PC for browsing and drawing
within a few days.
• Adults, both men and women did not make any attempt to learn or use
the kiosk.
• MS paint and Internet explorer were the most commonly used
applications
• Children formed impromptu classes to teach one another,
• Children invented their own vocabulary to define terms on the
computer, for example, “sui” (needle) for the cursor, “channels” for
websites and “damru” (Shiva's drum) for the hourglass (busy) symbol.
• Within a month of interaction, children were able to discover and use
features such as new folder creation, cutting and pasting, shortcuts,
moving/resizing windows and using MS Word to create short messages
even without a keyboard.
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• Children were strongly opposed to the idea of removing the kiosk
The learning process
• In general, a trial and error approach is followed. Not afraid of
clicking anything new or following any link. Usually press left
and right buttons on a new button, or link or whatever.
• Very good memories – one kid remembered the entire sequence
of frames on one of the Disney site visual stories. As a result,
are able to remember the steps that they followed to get to a
particular thing and repeat them.
• Are not very good with English (are ok with decoding the letters
and pronouncing them but very little comprehension). But are
still able to match phrases with events and get by quite
comfortably.
• Have a large amount of patience – can spend a long time
getting something just right in Paint.
• Peer tutoring is happening with Sanjay as the main resource.
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Jens Kaasbøll, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, 2005
On the screen
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Playful learning
c
How does the Hole-in-the-wall correspond to
the Lessons from Educational Science?
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Jens Kaasbøll, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, 2005
Support
Skills training
Teaching
Learning outcome
1. Presentation of theory
2. Modelling / demonstration
3. Practice under simulated conditions
4. Structured and open ended feedback
5. Coaching and support
100 %
Bruce Joyce and Beverly Showers (1980) Improvising Inservice
Training: The Messages of Research. Educational Leadership.
Feb., 379-385
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Superusers: How to improve user
support and information flow?
Almnes (2001)
Master thesis, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo
• A study of user support in a local health
administration in Norway
– One support manager
– Over 100 superusers
– Over 1000 users
• Method
– Interviews and logs
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Jens Kaasbøll, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, 2005
Results. Superusers should
• Be selected amongst
– People who are frequently asked for help
– People who have an interest in computing
– Avoid local managers
• Be well trained in the computer system and also in supporting others
• Have responsibility and resources within their area
• Be included in the planning of support
• Participate in the user training
• Be organized
– Belonging to a group
– Sharing experience
– Receiving updates
• Communicate user requests to the computing personnel
• Communicate system updates to the users
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