Terms and Conditions :

Lloyd Rieber wrote:I am making the first edition available (in HTML and PDF formats) to all educators (teachers and students) affiliated with non-profit school/organizations at no cost.

Book Summary :

As the title indicates, this book is about computers, graphics, and learning, as opposed to computer graphics for learning. There is a difference. The main subject is the process of learning and how computer graphics and visualization support it.

Although the learning process is fascinating in and of itself, this book also guides and directs the construction of environments that nurture and enhance learning, often referred to simply as instruction.

This book has a more specific mission beyond general instructional design: to exploit the potential of visualization techniques to enhance and improve learning. Graphics long have been a common part of all instructional strategies. Many of the most valuable principles of how visuals can help learning have been identified apart from computer applications. Therefore, designers have much to gain from applying the general theory and research related to visuals, memory, and learning to instructional design.

There is no question that the computer offers unprecedented graphical power for all designers, instructional and otherwise. The range, power, and number of graphical tools for desktop computers are increasing at an astonishing rate. Some of these tools, such as those that provide learners with "real-time, on-line" interaction, offer potentially new learning environments that would not be possible without computer technology. All this often creates a sense of urgency among designers and developers to know and incorporate the latest graphical tools in their courseware. However, one need to continually remind himself that "a power saw does not make a carpenter." There is a need to exploit the graphical power of computers for learning but not fall prey to the idea that using the latest technology is a substitute for good design.

Therefore, it is important to recognize that this book is not intended to teach the reader how to use a computer or to create computer graphics. Some attention is given to the development of computer graphics, but only to serve as an organizer to help the readers understand the range of desktop computer graphics applications.

Intended Audience :

This book is written for the professionals who design and develop these environments in both formal and informal settings. These individuals are usually referred to as instructional designers and/or instructional developers. Many carry this title as the formal result of graduate-level training; others find such a role thrust upon them, perhaps unexpectedly. For this reason, this book is relevant to anyone concerned with or involved in designing graphics for instruction.

No formal training or background in psychology, instructional design, or computer graphics is considered prerequisite to reading this book, as all topics are written at an introductory level.