ERROR-INFORMATION IN TUTORIAL DOCUMENTATION - SUPPORTING USERS ERRORSTO FACILITATE INITIAL LEARNING

Novice users make many errors when they first try to learn how to work with a computer program like a spreadsheet or wordprocessor. No matte r how user-friendly the software or the training manual, errors can an d will occur. The current view on errors is that they can be helpful o r disruptive, depending on the extent to which they are controlled in the learning process. This study examines one of the ways in which suc h error control can be brought about, namely by investigating the desi gn and role of error-information in a (tutorial) manual. The error-inf ormation was designed to support the detection, diagnosis and correcti on of errors of novice users, and it was based on a general model of e rror-handling. In an experiment a manual that contained ample error-in formation was compared to a manual in which there was hardly any error -information. The outcomes showed that the presence of the error-infor mation in the manual helped subjects perform better during practice as well as after practice. Among others, these subjects completed traini ng faster and showed superior corrective knowledge and skill after pra ctice, in addition to having acquired the same level of constructive s kill. The discussion addresses the compensating roles of support for e rror-handling on screen and on paper.