Structure and Tools

1
Structure and Tools

• Multimedia titles have structure or architecture
• Navigational structure determines how user can go
  through the overall content
• Activity structure determines how learner
  interacts within a local activity on a screen
• Can you provide an example of each?
• Why do e-learning designers especially need to
  plan navigational and activity structures?
• Different models of structure lend themselves to
  different multimedia development tools

2
Linear

• Present content sequentially
• Which relies more on linear structure UC or AE?
• Why might a linear structure seem less
  interactive, under users control?
• But how can it still be interactive?
• Why might it be a good idea to start by
  designing a a linear structure, then elaborate?

3
Hierarchy

• Tree root is main menu screen, with branches to
  sub-menus or leaf screens
• How are The Universal Computer and The
  Analytical Engine organized with a hierarchical
  structure?
• What are the pros and cons of this approach?
• How can drawbacks of hierarchical structure be
  overcome?

4
Multi-track

• Multiple streams of synchronous media
• User can switch between different channels in
  focus, or collage several together
• I.e., you can watch a full-screen movie, or call
  up a sidebar with text and/or control buttons
• How does UC feature a limited use of multi-track?
• Cartoon Guide to Physics has three distinct
  tracks
• One track has user-driven experiments with laws
  of physics
• In Lucys World track, a character explains
  physics as a story
• Hall of Fame track provides biographical and
  in-depth info

5
Interactive stories

• User controls order of outcome of story
• Branching story structure
• Starts with common trunk
• User chooses between different branches
• Example in UM A Taste of C
• Why are branching structures more expensive to
  produce?

6
Web stories

• Initial sequence, or cut scene, sets the stage,
  introduces characters, etc.
• User then explores a web of places to collect
  clues and meet more characters
• When you solve a key to puzzle, another cut scene
  advances the story some more, opening the doors
  to new web of places

7
Virtual space

• A familiar multidimensional space, such as a
  room or a book, which users know intuitively how
  to navigate though.
• How would a book UI support this?
• To what other structure is a virtual space
  usually similar?

8
Modular

• Independent media objects which user can
  manipulate
• Barbie game lets children mix match dolls,
  houses, clothing accessories
• Pieces are independent of each other could even
  be sold as separate units
• Constructive each piece has behaviors that
  combine to create unpredictable interactions
• Why might a constructive approach be useful for
  e-learning?

9
Simulation

• Build a model of some slice of the real or
  imaginary world, then run it
• Popularized by games like SimCity
• What kind of e-learning applications are
  especially suitable for simulations?
• Immersive training or testing applications
• Can simulations be useful for other e-learning
  applications?
• See Turing Machine in The Universal Computer

10
Reflection

• Linear, hierarchical, interactive story, web
  story, virtual space, modular, or
  simulationwhich navigational structure(s) might
  you use in your project? Why? Justify your
  answer in terms of your content, your audience,
  what you believe will facilitate learning, and
  ease or difficulty of development.

11
Authoring tools

• Software for creating multimedia titles
• Authoring tools match with different
  architectural styles
• Range in a continuum from general languages like
  C and Java to specialized tools like HyperCard,
  Toolbook, Director and Authorware

12
Cards and Stacks

• Metaphor of index cards, which developers arrange
  into stacks of cards
• Hypercard the first popular multimedia authoring
  tool, for Macintosh
• Supercard adds better color and richer media
  types
• Thus cards can link to other cards in a stack
  structure, and stacks link to other stacks
• Good for creating hierarchical and linear
  structures, simple interactive stories and
  simulations

13
Myst authored in Hypercard
14
Time-based tools

• Metaphor is a film director constructing a title
  out of scenes in a movie set
• Director assembles a cast of characters
• Characters (sprites) move on a stage
• Plots created as a score of frames
• Flash borrows its UI from Director, fine-tuned
  for web
• What kind of navigational structures can we
  create with these tools?
• Good for linear, multi-track or hierarchical
  structures, especially with animation
• Especially strong at arranging synchronization of
  sprite behaviors

15
Icon-based tools

• Metaphor is a flow line onto which developer
  drags elements
• Authorware, IconAuthor visual programming by
  combining media building blocks
• What kinds of structure can you create with icon
  tools?
• Linear structures are obviously easy
• Hierarchical structures supported with maps and
  frames that nest other flow lines
• Menu structures are possible with user
  interactions
• Different elements can execute concurrently thus
  multi-tracking structures and animations are
  possible

16
Scripting languages

• For programming event handlers, e.g.
• on mouseUp
• pause stop the animation
• end mouseUp
• Event may occur on any part of a card, sprite,
  frame or icons
• Directors Lingo is known as a very rich
  scripting language
• Authorware and Flash also have scripting languages

17
Object-oriented tools

• Artifacts using self-contained units with
  well-defined interfaces
• Smalltalk, C. Python, Java, ActionScript 3.0
• Also mTropolis, ScriptX and MediaForge
• Dynamic binding lets objects determine what
  behaviors mean at run-time
• Especially suitable for modular or constructive
  models and simulations
• Kaleida's DreamScape http//www.catalog.com/hopki
  ns/lang/scriptx/demo/demo1.html

18
General programming languages

• Visual Basic and Java use an event-driven model
  code attached to objects waits for user- or
  system-triggered events, then springs into action
• Java comes with a rich library of classes,
  including Swing and Java Media Objects library
• C is Microsofts answer to Java
• Good for simulations and may improve performance
• Why is it generally better to use a more
  specialized tool for multimedia applications?