This paper describes a general methodology and prin ciples for the preparation of tutorials, or computer-assisted in structional courses, to introduce first-time users to computer ter minals. The methodology and principles are especially designed to prepare tutorials that will make computers seem friendly and that will motivate casual or discretionary users to learn more about computers. Examples are drawn from a tutorial prepared for the IBM 3277 Display Station.T ECHNOLOGICAL advances in the past 20 years have brought sophisticated computing power within reach of a large population of what has variously been referred to as occasional [1], casual [2,3], and discretionary [4] users. Availability, however, does not mean acceptance. A common theme running through many current articles in professional journals, popular magazines, and newspapers is that a large percentage of people regard modern computers with awe and are afraid of having any interaction with them. That point of view receives some confirmation from an attitude study recently completed in our laboratory by E. Zoltan. A statistical analysis of replies to a 64-item questionnaire by over 500 professional persons (CPAs, lawyers, pharmacists, and physicians) extracted several significant factors from the data. One of the major factors was a strongly negative one associated with such adjectives as "unforgiving," "dehumanizing," "depersonalizing," "impersonal," and "cold." Still another factor was characterized by the words "difficult," "complicated," and "computer languages not simple to understand."Why is this so? The terminal of a modern computer should not in itself be terrifying. After all, a keyboard resembles an ordinary typewriter and a visual display unit is like an ordinary television screen. In our opinion the negative attitudes many people have about computers are due partly to the way in which people are introduced to computers and partly to the language associated with computers. As a corollary we contend that it is possible to introduce the first-time user to a computer in a way that is interesting and even enjoyable.In this paper we describe a methodology and principles for preparing tutorials to introduce first-time users to computer terminals. The tutorials are in essence computer-assisted-instruction (CAI) courses in which the computer is the subject of instruction. The examples in this paper are drawn from an introductory tutorial we have prepared for the IBM 3277 Display Station, Model 2. The tutorial teaches first-time users the basic skills required to operate the keyboard and display. . Address correspondence to Prof. Chapanis. users that they can communicate with a computer easily and effectively. Our tutorial uses the computer as an adaptive teaching system. It is adaptive in the sense that it (a) allows students, or users, to proceed at their own pace, and (b) introduces variations in the presentation of materials according to the student's performance. Variations are made through branches that are controlled by the user's response...
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