DLT 2 ...Communications Process

The rigamarole of being understood

Asked to remark on 'communications' in the context of the current assignment, I take this to primarily concern issues related to how I conceptualize and implement communication with the various users of the 'product.'

My project, which is an e-learning module about chromatic harmony (a branch of music) has to embody a solution to expressing quite a number of moderately complex concepts to the user.

While a good portion of the module illustrates ideas and processes with diagrams, original and outsourced video examples, etc, text is left to get across the remaining grist of it, and this entails very careful, clear exposition of the subjects involved.

When we encounter new material, it is easy to misunderstand things, to get caught up in ambiguities and grey areas, to be obstructed by question marks.

In my assignment, it has been necessary to think out and rethink many passages in the text to try to put the ideas across as unambiguously as possible, or, in the case of instructions, leave the user in no doubt as to what is required.

Vocabulary is another issue; I found it rather difficult attempting to express the content in words that any 10 year old could understand; sometimes the 'right' (or necessary) word is not a short word. The reader may thus need a fairly decent working vocabulary - however - one idea I had to resolve this was to simply hyperlink all the 'higher-end' words to a definition resource, either in the module or online. These hyperlinks would appear as the usual text (not blue, or underlined) and the reader could be notified in advance to simply click on any troublesome words. I am of several minds about this and have not yet implemented the feature.

Typical users of the module, however, are not projected as being children or the semi-literate; I think interested students and adult parties are likely to find it reasonably digestible.

My summation of this aspect of the process is to say that, like many of the project's other facets, there is much to be taken into account and attended to here; far more than would meet the eye on a cursory consideration.

It also reveals to me that some facility with words can prove to be very important when formulating educational materials.