Franck Ganier

Factors affecting the processing of procedural instructions: implications for document design

In order to improve the design of procedural instructions, technical writers need to know how users proceed when they are using them, from their initial reading, to execute described actions. Several kinds of activities are implicated, such as reading with understanding, action planning, carrying out specific actions, and executive control activities. This paper proposes that by taking into account design factors that affect these activities, technical writers can markedly improve the design of procedural documents. Thus, a model is suggested that combines information on how users deal with procedural documents when faced with new equipment and the mental processes involved in this interaction, together with document design recommendations aimed at enhancing the interactions between users, documents, and equipment.

GVT: a platform to create virtual environments for procedural training

The use of virtual environments for training is strongly stimulated by important needs for training on sensitive equipments. Yet, developing such an application is often done without reusing existing components, which requires a huge amount of time. We present in this paper a full authoring platform to facilitate the development of both new virtual environments and pedagogical information for procedural training. This platform, named GVT (generic virtual training) relies on innovative models and provides authoring tools which allow capitalizing on the developments realized. We present a generic model named STORM, used to describe reusable behaviors for 3D objects and reusable interactions between those objects. We also present a scenario language named LORA which allows non computer scientists to author various and complex sequences of tasks in a virtual scene. Based on those models, as an industrial validation with Nexter-Group, more than fifty operational scenarios of maintenance training on military equipments have been realized so far. We have also set up an assessment campaign, and we expose in this paper the first results which show that GVT enables trainees to learn procedures efficiently. The platform keeps on evolving and training on collaborative procedures will soon be available.

Evaluation of procedural learning transfer from a virtual environment to a real situation: a case study on tank maintenance training

Virtual reality opens new opportunities for operator training in complex tasks. It lowers costs and has fewer constraints than traditional training. The ultimate goal of virtual training is to transfer knowledge gained in a virtual environment to an actual real-world setting. This study tested whether a maintenance procedure could be learnt equally well by virtual-environment and conventional training. Forty-two adults were divided into three equally sized groups: virtual training (GVT® [generic virtual training]), conventional training (using a real tank suspension and preparation station) and control (no training). Participants then performed the procedure individually in the real environment. Both training types (conventional and virtual) produced similar levels of performance when the procedure was carried out in real conditions. Performance level for the two trained groups was better in terms of success and time taken to complete the task, time spent consulting job instructions and number of times the instructor provided guidance. Practitioner Summary: A key issue for virtual environments for training (VETs) is the transfer of skills to real situations. An experiment investigated whether skills acquired in a VET could be applied in a real situation. Results suggest that a procedure can be successfully transferred from the virtual to the real.

OBSERVATIONAL DATA ON PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE AND CONDITIONS OF USE OF WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS

This article presents a study investigating how people deal with procedural documents when using a new domestic appliance. An observational study was carried out in a quasi-experimental setting in order to outline the behavior of users encountering and using an appliance for the first time. The purpose of this observation was to identify two kinds of factors: on the one hand, factors inciting the use of procedural documents accompanying appliances, and on the other hand, design features facilitating the use of these documents when looking for specific information. User behavior and strategies were categorized using two kinds of indicators: 1) the number of times the documents were examined prior to contact with the appliance and/or while carrying out the prescribed tasks; and 2) the total time required to locate information in three different kinds of documents: Text only, Picture only, Text + Picture. Results show that 16 participants out of 30 spontaneously used the procedural documents before starting to use the appliance. However, during the session, 27 participants consulted the documents at least once. This consultation was determined by the task to carry out and the complexity level of the task. Otherwise, results show that time taken to locate information was shortest when instructions were displayed in text-and-picture format.

TIP-EXE: A Software Tool for Studying the Use and Understanding of Procedural Documents

Research problem: When dealing with procedural documents, individuals sometimes encounter comprehension problems due to poor information design. Researchers studying the use and understanding of procedural documents, as well as technical writers charged with the design of these documents, or usability specialists evaluating their quality, would all benefit from tools allowing them to collect real-time data concerning user behavior in user-centered studies. With this in mind, the generic software Technical Instructions Processing-Evaluations and eXperiments Editor (TIP-EXE) was designed to facilitate the carrying out of such studies. Research questions: Does document design, and specifically the matching or mismatching of the terms employed in a user manual and on the corresponding device, affect the cognitive processes involved in the comprehension of procedural instructions? Can we use a software tool like TIP-EXE to assess the impact of document design on the use and understanding of a procedural document? Literature review: A review of the methods employed to study either the use of procedural documents or their cognitive processing, and to evaluate the quality of these documents, revealed the lack of tools for collecting relevant data. Methodology: TIP-EXE software was used to set up and run a laboratory experiment designed to collect data concerning the effect of document design on the performance of a task. The experiment was conducted with 36 participants carrying out tasks involving the programming of a digital timer under one of three conditions: “matching instructions,” “mismatching instructions,” “mismatching instructions + picture”. Based on a click-and-read method for blurred text, TIP-EXE was used to collect data on the time the users spent reading the instructions, as well as the time spent handling the timer. Results and discussion: Results show that “matching instructions” (when the terms employed in the user manual match the terms on the device) enhance user performance. This instructional format results in less time spent consulting the instructions and handling the device, as well as fewer errors. This research shows that TIP-EXE software can be used to study the way in which operating instructions are read, and the time spent consulting specific information contained therein, thereby revealing the effects of document design on user behavior.

Evaluation of Internal and External Validity of a Virtual Environment for Learning a Long Procedure

ABSTRACT Virtual reality is a frequently used tool in vocational training. Nevertheless, its efficiency has not been systematically tested. The main goal of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a virtual environment (VE) for learning a complex procedure in the biomedical domain. Two experiments were performed. The first one assessed internal validity of the VE, which is the effectiveness of using a VE in the process of learning a new procedure. The second one tested external validity of the VE, which is the participants’ ability to reproduce the acquired skills in a real context. We find that internal and external validity must be evaluated before using a virtual environment in long-term procedure learning. The results of such evaluations are a basis for future experiments aiming to optimize learning conditions in a VE and transferring the acquired skills in a real context.

La révision de textes procéduraux

The aim of this paper is to show that procedural texts offer an interesting genre for studying revision processes in writing and for applying research results to help technical writers to revise their texts. Indeed, because such texts require their readers to follow procedures successfully, technical writers have to produce efficient documents. Research on revision generally shows that the efficiency of revision is related to the use of appropriate methods. Technical writers, however, are not always completely successful – perhaps because they are not always aware of some particular methods. Indeed, the pragmatic function of procedural documents makes it essential to revise them. Thus, a study of users’ behavior can help reveal the efficiency – or inefficiency – of procedural documents. Such studies can be used to evaluate different versions of the text as they are revised. This paper aims to provide links between procedural texts and revision processes, as well as describing the problems usually met by technical writers when they are writing and revising such documents. It concludes with a number of suggestions for aiding revision.

A Pedagogical Scenario Language for Virtual Learning Environment based on UML Meta-model

Training to learn the use and maintenance of biomedical devices have various constraints. In order to complete these trainings, we proposed to use virtual reality based on pedagogical scenarios and Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS). In this paper, we first established the existing pedagogical scenario models and ITS. Subsequently we presented our proposal of a formal model based on the concept of learning organization by extension of UML in order to describre some pedagogical scenario and ITS. The use of this model is illustrated by an application of a virtual biomedical analyzer with the aim of learning the technical procedures of the device. Finally, we performed two experiments in order to verify the efficiency of virtual reality training.

List of Volumes

This section contains a list of volumes that have been cited for the book Learning to Write Effectively: Current Trends in European Research . The study of writing from a developmental perspective inquires about the particular ways in which knowledge of writing evolves over time. The term writing, however, has multiple meanings. It can be employed for referring to a cultural practice that fulfills different functions, writing can be used, for example for mnemonic, religious or poetic functions. Moreover, writing is a cultural, institutionally supported practice; children learn to write at school. Their evolving notions about the functions of writing, the way in which they handle the spelling system of their language and their grasp of the different genres of discourse are unavoidably intertwined with schooling. Keywords: mnemonic; spelling system; writing