Hypertext Introduction

Introduction to Learning in Hypertext

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Advantages &
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Reading Hypertext

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References

Hypertext is made up of interlinked pieces of text or other objects stored electronically (Troffer, 2000). Each unit of information is called a node, module or topic, and is associated to other modules or external texts or objects by links. Modules or nodes are connected with links. Links can be made to external as well as internal ideas. These links, which readers are free to navigate at will, can make connections between texts, graphics, audio, or video. This non-linear form of writing emulates the way we think through an association of ideas. The most commonly used hypertext environment is the World Wide Web.

Hypertext is not a new concept. The concept of hypertext is credited to Vannevar Bush , who described the idea in an article entitled, "As we may think" in The Atlantic Monthly in 1945. Bush (1945) stated, "our methods of transmitting and reviewing the results of research are generations old and by now are totally inadequate for their purpose" (Bush, 1945, Section 1, para. 4). He went on to describe a mechanized method that would connect research by linking and association of ideas, the way the mind works.

It (the human mind) operates by association. With one item in its grasp, it snaps instantly to the next that is suggested by the association of thoughts, in accordance with some intricate web of trails carried by the cells of the brain. (Bush, 1945. Section 6, para. 2).

The term hypertext, was coined by Ted Nelson in 1963. Nelson still pursues his approach to hypertext, deep hypertext, the XANADU® model. The most common hypertext environment with which people are familiar is the World Wide Web, created by Tim Berners Lee. The appeal for most people that work with the World Wide Web is the link, the very essence of hypertext.

There are a variety of hypertext learning environments, but they all share common characteristics:

Association of ideas through links;
A choice of paths for readers, and not all readers follow the same path;
Immediate access to reference documents;
Movement through hypertext by browsing or navigating;
Focus of thought is always shifting in a hypertext environment;
Hypertext supports constructivism.

The different types of hypertext are generally characterized by the structure or purpose (Miall, 1997). Some hypertext environments are prestructured with a table of contents and a general path to follow. Structured hypertext limits the freedom of navigation of the user. Self-navigating hypertext allows users of the environment greater flexibility as to where they might go. There is no logical predetermined order in which to progress through the document. The user of the system determines the order in which nodes are visited. Another way of distinguishing hypertext is whether it is literary or non-literary.

A hypertext learning environment provides many advantages for learning. Although some educators have expressed concern about disorientation and confusion in a hypertext learning environment, these factors can be overcome with careful design. Burbules and Callister (1996) note that the "structure of hypertext environments parallels and can facilitate the ways in which we learn: nonsequentially, dynamically, and interactively, through associations, and by exploration" (Hypertext, Knowledge and Thought section, para. 1).

Hypertext reading and writing are different from reading and writing in a linear text environment. Educators who embrace the constructivism educational philosophy have employed hypertext to enable constructivist learning. Hypertext learning environments have also been successfully employed to enhance learning opportunities for at-risk students.

Many educators use hypertext learning environments successfully in a number of subject areas. Teachers' attitudes and beliefs about hypertext and how it can be used, whether for drill and practice or more complex thinking skills, are major determining factor in the successful use of hypertext by teachers as an instructional tool (Lawless & Smith, 1997).

Explore our site and see the potential for learning in a hypertext environment.