1:30 p.m.. — 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 23, 1999

Software Design and Use Informed by Results from Cognitive Science Research.

Room 1311, Edison Bldg., 130 S. Ninth Street. Registrants $75; non-registrants $125. Pre-registration Required.

Instructors: Andy C. Reese, Director of Electronic Curriculum Resources, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA and Thomas M. Nosek, Associate Dean for Information Technology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Hands-on: Pentium PCs with Windows. Limited to 20 participants

Who Should Attend: Interested in a better understanding of how people acquire, process, store, and recall information so you can create more effective presentations? Then this workshop is for you.

Synopsis: Dr. Reese will summarize results from the cognitive/learning sciences that are relevant to maximizing learning in any setting. From his experience as a software author and in overseeing development of the electronic curriculum at CWRU, Dr. Nosek will provide practical examples of how this information can be applied to software design and use, effective presentations, course design, etc. The last portion will be a hands-on opportunity for individuals to put some of these ideas into practice by working on a personal project using the computers provided. Only skills needed are those of Microsoft Office or PowerPoint. Participants are then expected to share ideas.

Details: Until recently, software designers often focused on capitalizing on the technical capabilities of computers and making the software user friendly. They tended to pay less attention to what they wanted the user to learn and the best way to aid them in that learning. Advances in understanding how people acquire, process, store, and recall information have implications for software design and use and for medical education in general. In the first part of the workshop, Dr. Reese will provide a theoretical overview of this new information from the cognitive sciences about learning, including Gardner’s ideas concerning multiple intelligences. Dr. Nosek will then give practical examples of how this information can be used from his experience as a software author and in overseeing development of the electronic curriculum at Case Western Reserve University. The last 1.5 hours will be a hands-on opportunity for individuals to put some of these ideas into practice by working on a personal project using computers provided. The project could be a PowerPoint presentation of your research (or Slice presentation), a class lecture, a stand-alone presentation of a topic, etc. The workshop leaders will, of course, be available for consultation, but we would also expect the participants to share ideas and suggestions.

Benefits: The attendee will be introduced to relevant information from the cognitive/learning sciences along with supplemental written materials. They will have a chance to learn about specific, practical examples of how this information can be used in software design. Knowledge about how people learn and recall information also helps us make rational decisions about to most effectively use information technology in the curriculum.