Online Tutorial for Micro CDS/ISIS Software

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Date

1995-05

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Publisher

Addis Ababa University

Abstract

User assistance through online help or tutorial facilities are among the major considerations in designing a user interface which in turn is the major factor for successful utilization of a software. Micro CDS/ISIS is an information retrieval software package developed by UNESCO and distributed free of cost to non-profit making organization. in spite of its free availability and large number of users, use of the software has been severely limited by a number of factors, chief among them is lack of adequate user assistance and instruction through online help or tutorial facilities . This thesis is an attempt to design and develop an online tutorial facility for Micro CDS/ISIS software which is believed to contribute greatly to ease of use and learning the software. In accomplishing this task, the software has been analyzed and described in terms of its major functions. Survey of the available developmental approaches has also been conducted and the one appropriate for the current work has been adopted. The tutorial consists of twelve lessons. It is developed using Turbo Vision which is an object oriented application framework for windowing programs. Although all the lessons have been designed , due to time constraints only the first three lessons have been programmed. However, the major design features proposed for the tutorial have been incorporated in these three lessons. Among the features that the tutorial provides is use of menus to provide smooth access to the tutorial lessons , and provision of control button that enables the learner to control the pace of the tutorial , linking of the concepts thereby enabling the learner to get more information on related concepts , use of animated windows and highlights in drawing attention and motivation of learner etc .

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Keywords

Information Science

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