Tutorials are one of the most fundamental means of conveying knowledge. Ideally when the task involves physical or digital objects, tutorials not only describe each step with text or via audio narration but show it as well using photos or animation. In most cases, online tutorial authors capture media from handheld mobile devices to compose these documents, but increasingly they use wearable devices as well. In this work, we explore the full life-cycle of online tutorial creation and viewing using head-mounted capture and displays. We developed a media-capture tool for Google Glass that requires minimal attention to the capture device and instead allows the author to focus on creating the tutorial's content rather than its capture. The capture tool is coupled with web-based authoring tools for creating annotatable videos and multimedia documents. In a study comparing standalone (camera on tripod) versus wearable capture (Google Glass) as well as two types of multimedia representation for authoring tutorials, we show that tutorial authors have a preference for wearable capture devices, especially when recording activities involving larger objects in non-desktop environments. Authors preferred document-based multimedia tutorials because they are more straightforward to compose and the step-based structure translates more directly to explaining a procedure. In addition, we explored using head-mounted displays for accessing tutorials in comparison to lightweight computing devices such as tablets. Our study included tutorials recorded with the same capture methods as in our access study. We found that although authors preferred head-mounted capture, tutorial consumers preferred video recorded by a camera on tripod that provides a more stable image of the workspace.
@cite_0: In this thoroughly revised edition of the bestselling e-Learning and the Science of Instruction authors Ruth Colvin Clark and Richard E. Mayer internationally-recognized experts in the field of e-learningoffer essential information and guidelines for selecting, designing, and developing asynchronous and synchronous e-learning courses that build knowledge and skills for workers learning in corporate, government, and academic settings. In addition to updating research in all chapters, two new chapters and a CD with multimedia examples are included.
@cite_14: Students learned about teaching principles with a multimedia program that either did not include a classroom exemplar illustrating how to apply the learned principles to the teaching practice (control group) or included a classroom exemplar in video, animation, or text format. Across two experiments, video and animation groups reported more favorable attitudes towards learning and were better able to apply the learned principles than the control group. Text and control groups did not differ in their learning or attitudes towards learning, suggesting that format is an important factor in determining the effectiveness of classroom exemplars as pedagogical tools for teacher education. Results encourage the use of visual classroom exemplars to promote the application of theory into practice.
@cite_4: Two studies examined how examples and their explanations affect learning to program recursive functions. The results are analyzed in the context of a production system model of analogical problem solving, cognitive skill acquisition, and practice. In Experiment 1, subjects received an example of a recursive function, were trained to criterion on one set of recursive functions, and were tested on transfer to a larger set of recursive functions. The structure of the example solution (how it was written) was explained to one group of subjects, whereas the process generated by the example (how it worked) was explained to another group. The explanation of structure was found to reduce training time when compared with the explanation of process. In Experiment 2, subjects were presented with examples that shared many parts of their solutions with training problems (high-similarity examples) or shared few parts with training problems (low-similarity examples). Examples reduced errors on the first opportunity for ...
@cite_6: Objective: The goal of this article is to investigate how instructions can be constructed to enhance performance and learning of procedural tasks.Background: Important determinants of the effectiveness of instructions are type of instructions (procedural information, principles, and examples) and pedagogical goal (initial performance, learning, and transfer).Method: Procedural instructions describe how to complete tasks in a stepwise manner, principles describe rules governing the tasks, and examples demonstrate how instances of the task are carried out. The authors review the research literature associated with each type of instruction to identify factors determining effectiveness for different pedagogical goals.Results: The results suggest a trade-off between usability and learnability. Specific instructions help initial performance, whereas more general instructions, requiring problem solving, help learning and transfer. Learning from instructions takes cognitive effort, and research suggests that lear...
Tutorials can enhance different kinds of learning, learning by example or learning by principle. Eiriksdottir and Catrambone conducted a review of instructions for procedural tasks @cite_6 . They suggest that specific procedural instructions grounded with realistic examples and limited reference to more general principles produce better primary task performance but poor learning and transfer to other tasks. In many cases, users turn to a how-to or tutorial video to obtain specific information without particularly needing or wanting to learn about more general principles -- for example, when fixing their printer. Thus it is critical that tutorial structure supports initial performance, implying a focus on step-by-step instructions. Other work has shown that higher quality examples enhance task performance @cite_4 and that learning can improve with the incorporation of video-based examples in particular @cite_14 . Coupled with Clark's and Mayer's finding that multimedia is especially useful for learners who have low knowledge of a domain'' @cite_0 , this suggests that tools for creating tutorial and how-to video should support links to concrete examples and complementary multimedia materials.