The seductive details effect in technology‐delivered instruction

Seductive details are highly interesting information tangential to course objectives. The inclusion of seductive details generally harms performance on recall tests, but few studies have used multimedia training or investigated effects on performance on recognition tests or transfer tasks. We conducted two studies using computer‐based training, instructing college students to use either Excel or Word mail merge. Contrary to most prior results, we found no negative effect for seductive details on recognition tests, and we found a facilitative effect on transfer performance. We discuss implications for theories of learning and transfer, and practical implications for instructional design and delivery.     

Problems relating to examinations in three-year technical/natural science courses of study at the Federal Armed Forces University,Munich

In Part 1 Zimmermann describes the conditions of study, taking as a starting point the considerations relating to the founding of Federal Armed Forces universities in Hamburg and Munich and explaining their educational concept. He then gives an account of the organization, modus operandi and curricular considerations of the Federal Armed Forces University, Munich. These observations are focussed on the successful attempts to offer scientific study courses (four in Hamburg and seven in Munich) providing, after three and a quarter to, at the most, four years, qualifications which are equal in standard to the corresponding diplomas of public universities. Owing to the fact that study courses are shorter and equal in standard, the success rate is, by comparison, slightly lower at the moment. This applies in particular to the technical/natural science courses. The reasons for this will be indicated. As a result of this situation, there is a desire for optimum examination procedures.Ulbricht reports in Part 2 on a study of the problems relating to examinations which he conducted at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering. First of all he discusses the criteria for good grading procedures, then describes the four most common ones and applies them to the results of a written test in engineering mechanics held as part of the preliminary diploma examination; a quantitative comparison produces remarkable results. In conclusion, he studies the required length of the written test and proposes that it should be halved.This article is a considerably revised version of an essay entitled Reformed Study Courses in Engineering: Investigations into the Design of Examinations in Engineering Mechanics following a Three-Year Prescribed Period of Study at the Federal Armed Forces University, Munich which appeared in 1979/80 in technic didact 4: 209–217 and 5: 11–21.