Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning

Readers seem to interact differently with print and online texts. Based on the findings of Hartley (1994) and Kember (1995), an overview of the differences in the ways that readers interact with print and online text is provided in the table below.

Print Text	Online Text
People read print text faster and more accurately.	People tire more quickly when reading electronic text.
People seem to search more quickly.	People seem to search more carefully.
Easier for reader to make side-by-side comparisons of pages.	More difficult for reader to flip or skim through.
Paperwork can be cumbersome for a reader to manage and read (e.g. finding information in a technical manual).	Reduces bulkiness of text for reader and allows easier cross-referencing.
Readers are familiar with the access structures associated with print text (e.g. table of contents, chapter titles, headings and sub-headings, indexes).	Online text does not yet appear to have established standard access structures with which readers are familiar.
Text can be read at a pace determined by the reader.	Rate of presentation of text may not be under reader’s control.
Readers can suffer from eye strain from prolonged reading.	Readers can suffer health problems from using VDUs.

Discrepancies between research on the design variables of print-based learning materials and screen-based learning materials suggest that print-based research cannot be generalised to screen design (Schwier & Misanchuk, 1993, p. 210; Hartley, 1994, p. 54). Another isssue is that the education system is currently focused on teaching strategies to learn to handle print text (Biggs & Moore, 1993, p. 339). Teaching strategies to learn to handle online text in schools is still in its infancy. How can we best support our university students in learning strategies to handle online text?

References

Biggs, J., & Moore, P. (1993). The process of learning (3rd ed.). Sydney, Australia: Prentice Hall.
Hartley, J. (1994). Designing on-line text. In Designing instructional text (3rd ed., pp. 149-162). London: Kogan Page Ltd.
Kember, D. (1995). Writing study guides. Wiltshire, UK: Cromwell Press.
Schwier, R. A., & Misanchuk, E. R. (1993). Designing screen displays. In Interactive multimedia instruction (pp. 209-262). Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Educational Technology Publications, Inc.

Web resources

Nielsen, J. (1997, October 1). How users read on the Web. Available: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.html
Nielsen, J. (1997, October 1). Why Web users scan instead of read. Available: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/whyscanning.html
Nielsen, J. (1997, October 1). Measuring the usability of reading on the Web. Available: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/readingmetrics.html

Reading online