Author Description

From developing a friendly computer interface to creating animated effects that "make the screen dance," this hands-on guide shows readers how to use HyperCard software to create top-quality instructional programs on the Macintosh. The book describes how to choose subject matter, design a program, and determine the method of presentation - including the type of interaction and guiding metaphors that will be used. It explains how to make programs easy for the user to navigate and control; how to create effective introductions, paths, and transitions; how to create useful feedback and remediation; and how to develop reliable assessment, scoring, and help facilities.To make it easy for readers to learn by doing, twenty-five special HyperCard stacks are used to walk the reader through on-screen demonstration sessions - the stacks are supplied on disk accompanying the book. These modular sessions let readers try their hand at various aspects of CAI before sitting down to create an entire program. Readers will learn how to write scripts, design screens, develop appropriate practice tasks, "bullet-proof" their programs, and integrate graphics, sound, and animation into their lessons. For those with access to videotape and other video sources, a chapter on QuickTime explains how Apple Computer's new system extension can be used to integrate video presentations into computer lessons, creating multi-media instructional programs right on the computer screen.