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Reviewer: Michael P. Tarka

This collection of research results and theoretical discussion presents the minimalist approach to instructional design as an alternative to the traditional drill-and-practice techniques used in self-instruction material. The major tenets of the minimalist approach are that learners should be able to start immediately on realistic tasks that are meaningful to them, time devoted to reading instructional material should be minimized, and learners must be able to learn from their mistakes. Basically, the instructional material should not interfere with the user's efforts to learn and understand the computer system. Chapter 1 discusses the problems associated with training people to use computer systems via traditional techniques and introduces the minimalist approach. It also includes a synopsis of the remaining eight chapters. Chapters 2 and 3 describe specific learning problems of novice computer users who are learning to use an IBM Displaywriter and an Apple Lisa via drill-and-practice techniques. These two chapters present a qualitative analysis of the learning processes of novice computer users. The analysis reveals the problems encountered by novice users who are trying to learn a new computer system using the drill-and-practice approach. It is clear that the instructional materials contributed to the users' problems. The author does not present a convincing argument that the problems described are not in part due to deficiencies in the human-computer interface design of these products, however. Chapter 4 describes the minimalist instructional model in detail. Each of the nine principles of the minimalist instructional approach is clearly elaborated. Chapters 5 through 8 describe specific research projects in which instructional material based on the minimalist approach was designed, used, and evaluated. The book concludes with chapter 9, a status report on the application of the minimalist approach in the design of instructional material for real-world applications. Overall, this book provides a thorough, well-written survey of the research and theory behind the minimalist instructional approach. The main concepts of the minimalist instructional approach are explained clearly, and sufficient research on this approach is provided to allow the reader to judge its merits. This book is intended for practitioners and researchers in the area of instructional design. It provides an excellent survey o f the research literature while giving enough practical insight into the minimalist approach and the rationale behind it to be of use to the practitioner. This book will be of value to those looking for an alternative approach to the traditional drill-and-practice method of teaching the use of computer systems.