research contents
overview | instruction and learning with technology | online information design and evaluation | users and usability methods | scientific proposal writing
and research funding |
curriculum vitae
"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it" (Henry David Thoreau)
research overview
Focusing on online information design and evaluation, learner-users and usability, and instruction and learning with technology. Initial interest in assisting the designers of online help systems has expanded to include describing rhetorics of online information, exploring online genres such as tutorials and electronic performance support systems, and applying learner-centered design research to the development of Websites and Web-Based Instruction [see Universität Trier's Computer Science Bibliography (DBLP), Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Author Profile Page, and Vitae.pdf].
"Hold a true friend with both your hands" (Nigerian Proverb)
instruction and learning with technology
Mehlenbacher, B. (2005). eLearning and the Design of Everyday Instruction. The Joseph D. Moore Chair Colloquium Series. Raleigh, NC: NC State.
Mehlenbacher, B., Bennett, L., Bird, T., Ivey, M., Lucas, J., Morton, J., & Whitman, L. (2005). Usable E-Learning: A Conceptual Model for Evaluation and Design. Proceedings of HCI International 2005: 11th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, Volume 4 — Theories, Models, and Processes in HCI. Las Vegas, NV: Mira Digital P, 1-10.
Mehlenbacher, B. (2002). Assessing the Usability of Online Instructional Materials. In R. S. Anderson, J. F. Bauer, and B. W. Speck (Eds.). Assessment Strategies for the On-line Class: From Theory to Practice (pp. 91-98). New Directions for Teaching and Learning Series, Number 91. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Mehlenbacher, B., Miller, C. R., Covington, D., & Larsen, J. (2000). Active and Interactive Learning Online: A Comparison of Web-Based and Conventional Writing Classes. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 43 (2), 166-184.
Mehlenbacher, B. (2000). Intentionality and Other “Nonsignificant” Issues in Learning: Commentary on Margaret Martinez’s “Intentional Learning in an Intentional World.” ACM Journal of Computer Documentation, 24 (1), 25-30.
online information design and evaluation
Mehlenbacher, B. (2003). Documentation: Not Yet Implemented but Coming Soon! In A. Sears & J. Jacko (Eds.). The Human-Computer Interaction Handbook: Fundamentals, Evolving Technologies and Emerging Applications (pp. 527-543). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Tomasi, M. D., & Mehlenbacher, B. (1999). Re-engineering Online Documentation: Designing Examples-based Online Support Systems. Technical Communication, 46 (1), 55-66 (won Distinguished Technical Communication Article in STC’s Outstanding Article Award Competition).
Selber, S. A., Johnson-Eilola, J., & Mehlenbacher, B. (1997). Online Support Systems: Tutorials, Documentation, and Help. In A. B. Tucker, Jr. (Ed.), The Computer Science and Engineering Handbook (pp. 1619-1643). Boca Raton, FL: CRC P.
Selber, S. A., Johnson-Eilola, J., & Mehlenbacher, B. (1996). Online Support Systems. ACM Computing Surveys, 28 (1), 197-200.
Duffy, T. M., Palmer, J. E., & Mehlenbacher, B. (1993). Online Help: Design and Evaluation. Human-Computer Interaction Series. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Duffy, T. M., Higgins, L., Mehlenbacher, B., Cochran, C., Wallace, D., Hill, C. Haugen, D., McCaffrey, M. Burnett, R., Sloane, S., & Smith, S. (1989). Models for the Design of Instructional Text. Reading Research Quarterly, 24 (4), 434-457.
"One meets his destiny often on the road one takes to avoid it" (French Proverb)
users and usability methods
Hill, C. A., & Mehlenbacher, B. (1998). Transitional Generations and World Wide Web Reading and Writing: Implications of a Hypertextual Interface for the Masses. TEXT Technology, 8 (4), 29-47.
Mehlenbacher, B. (1993). Software Usability: Choosing Appropriate Methods for Evaluating Online Systems and Documentation. SIGDOC’93: The 11th Annual International Conference Proceedings. NY, NY: ACM, 209-222 (paper named “Most Innovative of the Refereed Materials” in the Proceedings).
Mehlenbacher, B., Duffy, T. M., & Palmer, J. (1989). Finding Information on a Menu: Linking Menu Organization to the User's Goals. Human-Computer Interaction, 4 (3), 231-251.
scientific proposal writing and research funding
Mehlenbacher, B. (1994). The Rhetorical Nature of Academic Research Funding. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 37 (3), 157-162.
Mehlenbacher, B. (1992).
Rhetorical Moves in Scientific Proposal Writing: A Case Study from Biochemical Engineering
. Unpublished Dissertation. Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Mellon University.