| Chapter 1: | Study One: Introduction / Overview of Study Goals |
The underlying element that makes both of these terms hyper-technologiesis that they structure information nonlinearly by connecting nodes of information. The distinction is that hypertext utilizes information in the form of text, whereas hypermedia utilizes information that can be derived from other media elements such as video, audio, and graphical representations (Bieber, 2000). Therefore, for the remainder of this text, the term hypermedia will be used, but with the assumption that this term actually encompasses both hypermedia and hypertext.
As indicated by the definitions above, the defining characteristic of hypermedia is that it presents information in a nonlinear format. Referencing the earlier work of Ted Nelson, Horney (1993) defined nonlinearity as a structure of information where users can follow personally defined paths of navigation. Hypermedia is simply a format for presentation in which the user or audience member has the ability to examine the content in a nonlinear fashion. What distinguishes hypermedia from multimedia is that it contains depth and richness in the information presented and allows the user to choose how much depth and richness to use (Jonassen & Mandl, 1989).
Hypermedia Characteristics
Hypermedia possesses key characteristics that make it useful when applied to learning (Jonassen, 1988). One characteristic is that hypermedia provides the learner with immediate and constant access to large quantities of information. A second characteristic is that hypermedia allows learners to structure information as they wish without being constrained by the author’s organization structure. Third, through its use of a nonlinear structure, hypermedia allows designers to link together pieces of information in such a way as to make those relationships obvious to the learner. Fourth, hypermedia and the human brain share the same underlying structure, that of nodes of information that are interconnected through associative links.