DEMONSTRATION

BREAKOUT SESSION

Developing Tools for the PDA: Factors in Instructional and Interface Design

Robert Trelease, PhD and Anju Relan, PhD
School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA

ABSTRACT:

This session will be a discussion of the issues inherent in delivering material on small screens to mobile students. The facilitators will be doing a demonstration of the UCLA system on Friday, but this session is for more general issues. UCLA has experience with the recently purchased School of Medicine AvantGo server.

Framed as questions, the following factors emerged as the most critical in developing PDA tools at UCLA:

a) What effect does the screen size have on information formatting?

b) What kinds of student input options should be considered? Is written feedback an option?

c) What are the cognitive implications of mobile computing? Can these be integrated in the design of PDA tools?

d) What kind of cognitive space does a PDA occupy in a diverse learning environment, given its interaction with the Web, and other computing resources?

e) How do memory limitations affect the design of applications?

(f) What are the best ways of integrating the PDA in the curriculum?

g) What kinds of accommodations are required for future growth of PDA's, such as remote access to Internet, large memory, color availability

The group will begin by discussing these and then branch in other directions sharing experiences or asking questions.

BENEFIT TO PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING SESSION:

Participants will benefit from learning about the processes involved in creating unique software for the PDA. Other benefits include face to face interaction with the presenters to have their questions answered.

Robert Trelease, PhD
60-051 Center for Health Sciences
School of Medicine, UCLA
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Phone: 310-206-9971
Email: trelease@ucla.edu
Website: http://compubio.medsch.ucla.edu/

CO-AUTHORS:
Anju Relan, PhD
60-051 Center for Health Sciences
School of Medicine, UCLA
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Phone: 310-206-0572
Fax: 310-267-0320
Email: arelan@ucla.edu