Author: Menno de Jong
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004488723
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 180
Book Description
Brochures play a significant role in governmental public information provision. Every year many brochures are distributed to inform, instruct or persuade people. These brochures may benefit from a systematic design process, including applied research such as pretesting. Among communication professionals, the importance of pretesting is practically undisputed. Readers from the target audience are assumed to provide valuable insights into whether a document really works. Organizations therefore increasingly try to include a pretest in the design process of important documents. Various pretest methods have been developed and are being used in practice. However, little is known yet about the merits and restrictions of the available approaches. This book provides a framework for scholarly research into pretesting, and presents a series of studies into the validity of one particular pretest instrument: a combination of the plus-minus method and a semi-structured questionnaire. This is one of the prevailing pretest approaches in the Dutch public information sector. The validity of the pretest instrument is assessed in two complementary ways. First, the question is addressed as to whether a revision on the basis of pretest results actually leads to an improvement in the functional quality of brochures. Second, a study is presented in which text and subject-matter experts judge the importance of pretest results. The pretest instrument appears to yield a large amount and a great variety of reader feedback, which in a subsequent revision may contribute to significant improvements in the effectiveness of brochures.
Reader feedback in text design
Author: Menno de Jong
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004488723
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 180
Book Description
Brochures play a significant role in governmental public information provision. Every year many brochures are distributed to inform, instruct or persuade people. These brochures may benefit from a systematic design process, including applied research such as pretesting. Among communication professionals, the importance of pretesting is practically undisputed. Readers from the target audience are assumed to provide valuable insights into whether a document really works. Organizations therefore increasingly try to include a pretest in the design process of important documents. Various pretest methods have been developed and are being used in practice. However, little is known yet about the merits and restrictions of the available approaches. This book provides a framework for scholarly research into pretesting, and presents a series of studies into the validity of one particular pretest instrument: a combination of the plus-minus method and a semi-structured questionnaire. This is one of the prevailing pretest approaches in the Dutch public information sector. The validity of the pretest instrument is assessed in two complementary ways. First, the question is addressed as to whether a revision on the basis of pretest results actually leads to an improvement in the functional quality of brochures. Second, a study is presented in which text and subject-matter experts judge the importance of pretest results. The pretest instrument appears to yield a large amount and a great variety of reader feedback, which in a subsequent revision may contribute to significant improvements in the effectiveness of brochures.
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004488723
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 180
Book Description
Brochures play a significant role in governmental public information provision. Every year many brochures are distributed to inform, instruct or persuade people. These brochures may benefit from a systematic design process, including applied research such as pretesting. Among communication professionals, the importance of pretesting is practically undisputed. Readers from the target audience are assumed to provide valuable insights into whether a document really works. Organizations therefore increasingly try to include a pretest in the design process of important documents. Various pretest methods have been developed and are being used in practice. However, little is known yet about the merits and restrictions of the available approaches. This book provides a framework for scholarly research into pretesting, and presents a series of studies into the validity of one particular pretest instrument: a combination of the plus-minus method and a semi-structured questionnaire. This is one of the prevailing pretest approaches in the Dutch public information sector. The validity of the pretest instrument is assessed in two complementary ways. First, the question is addressed as to whether a revision on the basis of pretest results actually leads to an improvement in the functional quality of brochures. Second, a study is presented in which text and subject-matter experts judge the importance of pretest results. The pretest instrument appears to yield a large amount and a great variety of reader feedback, which in a subsequent revision may contribute to significant improvements in the effectiveness of brochures.
Reading and Writing Public Documents
Author: Daniƫl Janssen
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 9789027232014
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 318
Book Description
Annotation Government documents--forms, brochures, letters, and policy papers--that are difficult to understand create problems both for the public they're intended to help and for government agencies. In this collection, researchers from five universities in the Netherlands survey recurring problems in government documents and offer possible solutions. The contributors are linguists, document designers, and other communication experts who have studied public documents both empirically and from a design point of view. Though the subject is Dutch documents, the text is in English, and the work may be of interest to those investigating government communication in other nations as well as those who produce similar documents in the private sector. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 9789027232014
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 318
Book Description
Annotation Government documents--forms, brochures, letters, and policy papers--that are difficult to understand create problems both for the public they're intended to help and for government agencies. In this collection, researchers from five universities in the Netherlands survey recurring problems in government documents and offer possible solutions. The contributors are linguists, document designers, and other communication experts who have studied public documents both empirically and from a design point of view. Though the subject is Dutch documents, the text is in English, and the work may be of interest to those investigating government communication in other nations as well as those who produce similar documents in the private sector. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).
Usability of Complex Information Systems
Author: Michael Albers
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1439828954
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 392
Book Description
Why do enterprise systems have complicated search pages, when Google has a single search box that works better? Why struggle with an expense reimbursement system that is not as easy as home accounting software? Although this seems like comparing apples to oranges, as information and communication technologies increasingly reach into every industry
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1439828954
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 392
Book Description
Why do enterprise systems have complicated search pages, when Google has a single search box that works better? Why struggle with an expense reimbursement system that is not as easy as home accounting software? Although this seems like comparing apples to oranges, as information and communication technologies increasingly reach into every industry
Evaluating Websites and Web Services: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on User Satisfaction
Author: Yannacopoulos, Denis
Publisher: IGI Global
ISBN: 146665130X
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 354
Book Description
The pervasiveness of the Internet has had a significant impact on global politics, economics, and culture. To create a truly effective product in such a saturated digital environment, developers must study what has come before and how they can utilize existing tools to even greater effect. Evaluating Websites and Web Services: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on User Satisfaction explores some of the various approaches to the study and assessment of Internet technologies, providing scholars, researchers, developers, and professionals with critical knowledge and an interdisciplinary perspective on e-services in a variety of functional areas, from government and commerce to social media and education.
Publisher: IGI Global
ISBN: 146665130X
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 354
Book Description
The pervasiveness of the Internet has had a significant impact on global politics, economics, and culture. To create a truly effective product in such a saturated digital environment, developers must study what has come before and how they can utilize existing tools to even greater effect. Evaluating Websites and Web Services: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on User Satisfaction explores some of the various approaches to the study and assessment of Internet technologies, providing scholars, researchers, developers, and professionals with critical knowledge and an interdisciplinary perspective on e-services in a variety of functional areas, from government and commerce to social media and education.
The SAGE Handbook of Writing Development
Author: Roger Beard
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1848600380
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 617
Book Description
Writing development is currently the focus of substantial international debate because it is the aspect of literacy education that has been least responsive to central government and state reforms. Teaching approaches in writing have been slower to change than those in teaching reading and pupil attainment in writing has increased at a much more modest rate than pupil attainment in reading. This handbook critically examines research and theoretical issues that impact on writing development from the early years through to adulthood. It provides those researching or teaching literacy with one of the most academically authoritative and comprehensive works in the field. With expert contributors from across the world, the book represents a detailed and valuable overview of a complex area of study.
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1848600380
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 617
Book Description
Writing development is currently the focus of substantial international debate because it is the aspect of literacy education that has been least responsive to central government and state reforms. Teaching approaches in writing have been slower to change than those in teaching reading and pupil attainment in writing has increased at a much more modest rate than pupil attainment in reading. This handbook critically examines research and theoretical issues that impact on writing development from the early years through to adulthood. It provides those researching or teaching literacy with one of the most academically authoritative and comprehensive works in the field. With expert contributors from across the world, the book represents a detailed and valuable overview of a complex area of study.
Chinese-Dutch Business Negotiations
Author: Xiangling LI
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004484698
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 216
Book Description
The Chinese are known as an inscrutable people in the West. With the rapid globalisation of world business, China, with its booming economy and as one of the world's largest emerging markets, is attracting increasing numbers of international traders and investors. Various sources have shown that language and culture are, among other factors, two of the major obstacles to successful business collaborations between the Chinese and Westerners. This dissertation aims to help remove these obstacles by offering some insights into the intricate mechanisms of business negotiation between the Chinese and the Dutch. While most of the research concerning Chinese-Western communication has used everyday conversation as the subject of study, this research chooses negotiation, the core of international business, as its subject. Micro-level qualitative discourse analyses are used as the main research method in addition to ethnographic methods such as the questionnaire survey and interview. The main data used are simulated as well as real-life video-taped Chinese-Dutch business negotiations. Questionnaire survey and interview data from real-life Chinese and Dutch negotiators are used as support data. The phenomena recurrently cropping up across the negotiations are examined at a turn-to-turn level to pinpoint places where problems arise that prevent the negotiators from reaching mutual understandings and fulfilling negotiation goals. The deep-rooted cultural concepts underlying the linguistic phenomena prove to be the main trouble sources. The results of this research are relevant for both the academic and business world.
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004484698
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 216
Book Description
The Chinese are known as an inscrutable people in the West. With the rapid globalisation of world business, China, with its booming economy and as one of the world's largest emerging markets, is attracting increasing numbers of international traders and investors. Various sources have shown that language and culture are, among other factors, two of the major obstacles to successful business collaborations between the Chinese and Westerners. This dissertation aims to help remove these obstacles by offering some insights into the intricate mechanisms of business negotiation between the Chinese and the Dutch. While most of the research concerning Chinese-Western communication has used everyday conversation as the subject of study, this research chooses negotiation, the core of international business, as its subject. Micro-level qualitative discourse analyses are used as the main research method in addition to ethnographic methods such as the questionnaire survey and interview. The main data used are simulated as well as real-life video-taped Chinese-Dutch business negotiations. Questionnaire survey and interview data from real-life Chinese and Dutch negotiators are used as support data. The phenomena recurrently cropping up across the negotiations are examined at a turn-to-turn level to pinpoint places where problems arise that prevent the negotiators from reaching mutual understandings and fulfilling negotiation goals. The deep-rooted cultural concepts underlying the linguistic phenomena prove to be the main trouble sources. The results of this research are relevant for both the academic and business world.
Genre Variation in Business Letters
Author: Maurizio Gotti
Publisher: Peter Lang
ISBN: 9783039116812
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 420
Book Description
The focus of this volume is on the business letter genre, a seminal and widely used genre in business communication. Since the introduction of the Internet, interest in this genre has increased once again, because of the digital format of the letter. E-mail has partially taken over the multiple functions of the traditional business letter and bypassed, again partially, the fax. However, the letter has also survived in its written form. Since the 1990s, genre theory has been receiving a lot of attention, both in academic and pedagogical circles. Discourse analysts have increasingly discovered the importance of the genre concept for the understanding of discourse. Not only do we get a better understanding of the linguistic characteristics (register, lexico-grammatical features) of texts, but we also become aware of their macrostructures which appear to be organised according to genre expectations and conventions rooted in the socio-cultural context. This evolution is also reflected in the different research approaches to the business letter, as shown by the various chapters of this volume.
Publisher: Peter Lang
ISBN: 9783039116812
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 420
Book Description
The focus of this volume is on the business letter genre, a seminal and widely used genre in business communication. Since the introduction of the Internet, interest in this genre has increased once again, because of the digital format of the letter. E-mail has partially taken over the multiple functions of the traditional business letter and bypassed, again partially, the fax. However, the letter has also survived in its written form. Since the 1990s, genre theory has been receiving a lot of attention, both in academic and pedagogical circles. Discourse analysts have increasingly discovered the importance of the genre concept for the understanding of discourse. Not only do we get a better understanding of the linguistic characteristics (register, lexico-grammatical features) of texts, but we also become aware of their macrostructures which appear to be organised according to genre expectations and conventions rooted in the socio-cultural context. This evolution is also reflected in the different research approaches to the business letter, as shown by the various chapters of this volume.
Designing Tasks in Secondary Education
Author: Ian Thompson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317627164
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 226
Book Description
Engaging students in learning about their subject is a central concern for all teachers and teacher educators. How teachers view and use the pedagogic potential of different tasks to engage pupils with knowledge in different subjects, is central to this endeavour. Designing Tasks in Secondary Education explores models for effective task design, helping you translate the curriculum into the tasks and activities that you ask your students to do in order to facilitate developmental or higher-level understanding of curriculum content. Written by experts in the field of education from a range of subjects and including a foreword written by renowned author Professor Walter Doyle, this book spans an international context and offers a refreshing alternative of how to plan and design tasks that will not only intellectually stimulate but improve teaching quality. Key topics explored include: Designing tasks which engage learners with knowledge Policy perspectives on task design Designing cognitively demanding classroom tasks Task design issues in the secondary subjects Designing Tasks in Secondary Education offers essential insight into task design and its importance for enhancing subject understanding and student engagement. It will challenge and support all education professionals concerned with issues of curriculum design, subject knowledge, classroom organisation, agency in the learning process and teaching quality.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317627164
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 226
Book Description
Engaging students in learning about their subject is a central concern for all teachers and teacher educators. How teachers view and use the pedagogic potential of different tasks to engage pupils with knowledge in different subjects, is central to this endeavour. Designing Tasks in Secondary Education explores models for effective task design, helping you translate the curriculum into the tasks and activities that you ask your students to do in order to facilitate developmental or higher-level understanding of curriculum content. Written by experts in the field of education from a range of subjects and including a foreword written by renowned author Professor Walter Doyle, this book spans an international context and offers a refreshing alternative of how to plan and design tasks that will not only intellectually stimulate but improve teaching quality. Key topics explored include: Designing tasks which engage learners with knowledge Policy perspectives on task design Designing cognitively demanding classroom tasks Task design issues in the secondary subjects Designing Tasks in Secondary Education offers essential insight into task design and its importance for enhancing subject understanding and student engagement. It will challenge and support all education professionals concerned with issues of curriculum design, subject knowledge, classroom organisation, agency in the learning process and teaching quality.
Supporting Dyslexic Adults in Higher Education and the Workplace
Author: Nicola Brunswick
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0470974796
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 233
Book Description
Supporting Dyslexic Adults provides practical advice in supporting dyslexic adults in education and employment, and guidance on the latest research Provides an important overview of current research and practice in supporting dyslexic adults in education and employment, deftly combining academic understanding with everyday issues Contributors possess a wealth of practical experience in the field which provides an indispensible guide to the subject Case studies are included to capture the immediate experiences of dyslexic adults in education and at work to highlight prevalent issues Offers practical advice to adults with dyslexia, from how to disclose their particular needs to employers and colleagues to legal aspects of dyslexia support Highlights to employers the particular skills and strengths that dyslexic adults can bring to the workplace
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0470974796
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 233
Book Description
Supporting Dyslexic Adults provides practical advice in supporting dyslexic adults in education and employment, and guidance on the latest research Provides an important overview of current research and practice in supporting dyslexic adults in education and employment, deftly combining academic understanding with everyday issues Contributors possess a wealth of practical experience in the field which provides an indispensible guide to the subject Case studies are included to capture the immediate experiences of dyslexic adults in education and at work to highlight prevalent issues Offers practical advice to adults with dyslexia, from how to disclose their particular needs to employers and colleagues to legal aspects of dyslexia support Highlights to employers the particular skills and strengths that dyslexic adults can bring to the workplace
Designing Usable Texts
Author: Thomas M. Duffy
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 1483217663
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 440
Book Description
Designing Usable Texts covers the analysis of textual communication processes in the real world of publishing systems and work sites. The book presents topics on designing and understanding of written texts; authoring, editing, and the production process; and training authors of informative documents. The text also describes the policies and processes of editing; lessons in text design from an instructional design perspective; and graphics and design alternatives such as studying strategies and their implications for textbook design. The identification of information requirements such as understanding readers and their uses of texts, modeling users and their use of technical manuals, is also considered. Psychologists and people involved in communication design, document design, information mapping, and educational technology will find the book invaluable.
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 1483217663
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 440
Book Description
Designing Usable Texts covers the analysis of textual communication processes in the real world of publishing systems and work sites. The book presents topics on designing and understanding of written texts; authoring, editing, and the production process; and training authors of informative documents. The text also describes the policies and processes of editing; lessons in text design from an instructional design perspective; and graphics and design alternatives such as studying strategies and their implications for textbook design. The identification of information requirements such as understanding readers and their uses of texts, modeling users and their use of technical manuals, is also considered. Psychologists and people involved in communication design, document design, information mapping, and educational technology will find the book invaluable.