Dissertation

Software skills training pose a considerable challenge from the instructional point of view. In many cases, software is learned through demonstration of complex tasks which can impose a significant cognitive load on the learner. Studies suggest that in software applications the visual elements of the interface interact with internal processes and create a flow of information that ultimately leads to the appropriate selection of commands to achieve a specific goal. If this is the case, then training strategies should take the role of external representations and cues into account, as well as the strategies needed to handle these resources.

The objective of this research is to determine alternative instructional interventions based on distributed information resources —in particular video games—, which might ease the initial instructional process for the novice when learning the location and functionality of core commands as well as their sequence.