Task analysis

About: Task analysis is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 10432 publications have been published within this topic receiving 283481 citations.

Applying Human Factors to the Design of Medical Equipment: Patient-Controlled Analgesia

Abstract: Objective. Medical instruments commonly have poorly designed user interfaces that promote human errors with life-threatening consequences. The primary hypothesis of this study was that a specific user interface could be made safer and more efficient if redesigned using human factors techniques and principles. Methods. The user interface of a commercially available patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump, the Abbott Lifecare 4100 PCA Plus II infuser, was evaluated using a cognitive task analysis of bench tests and field observations. Based on this analysis, the user interface was redesigned. Important elements of the new design include a dialog structure with fewer steps, a dialog overview showing the user's location in the programming sequence, better command feedback, easier error recovery, and clearer labels and messages. The changes were evaluated by comparing a computer prototype of the new interface with a computer simulation of the old one. Twelve student nurses performed six programming tasks with each interface. Task completion time, number of errors, and subjective mental workload were collected for each trial. Results. The results showed significantly faster programming times (F(1,11) = 6.85, P < 0.025), lower mental workload ratings (χ2(1) = 4.45, p < 0.025, one-tailed), and fewer errors (χ2(1) = 3.33, p < 0.05, one-tailed) with the new interface. Conclusion. Adopting a human factors approach to redesigning the PCA interface led to significantly faster, easier, and more reliable performance. These findings have important implications for improving the design of other computer-based medical equipment.

Task-Specific Motivation: An Integrative Approach to Issues of Measurement, Mechanisms, Processes, and Determinants

Abstract: The present paper identifies and discusses contemporary problems in the self-regulation, expectancy-value, and goal-setting conceptualizations of task-specific motivation. Three issues are examined in detail: (1) the construct validity of performance measures as a criterion of motivation on cognitive tasks; (2) the influence of objective task characteristics on both the measurement of motivation and the motivation process itself; and (3) the measurement, meaning, and function of the perceived effort-performance relation and probabilistic measures of performance expectations. Within each issue, theoretical advances in information processing and decision making are integrated with previous empirical findings pertaining to performance motivation. Examination of these issues suggests that further emphasis be placed on form analyses of three cognitive mechanisms and on validating a conceptual framework concerning the influence of situational and individual-difference factors on specific cognitive components. A...

Integrating Computer Technology into the Classroom

Abstract: From the Publisher: This text focuses on integrating computers into teaching through the use of an inquiry-based, easy-to-use model for creating lesson plans Teachers can use this 10-step process to design student-centered learning environments in which computer technology is integrated as a tool for learning rather than as a delivery mechanism In addition, this text provides many practical examples and tips throughout to facilitate student understanding of chapter content Coupled with this approach is an underlying foundation that addresses the National Education Technology Standards for Students and Teachers and the national curriculum standards Features of this edition: New Chapter 3, Teacher as Designer I: Teacher's Toolbox, includes new material on writing behavioral and cognitive objectives, learner analysis, task analysis, and generative strategies New Chapter 5, Implementations: From Plan to Action, provides step-by-step guidance for setting up and implementing a lesson that has students using computers during problem-solving lessons New Chapter 8, The Role of Assessment, presents information on how to use multiple forms of assessment, such as task lists and rubrics, to assess student learning from an integrated lesson New Chapter 12, Presentation of Results, synthesizes the ideas presented in two chapters of the first edition It describes and illustrates how students can use various computer tools to present their results New Chapter 14, Educational Software, describes strategies for assessing and integrating inquiry-based and traditional types of software into an NTeQ lesson plan The two Internet chapters from the first edition have been revised to include a sharper focus on web tools, policies, and using the Internet as a tool in a new Chapter 13, The Internet in the Classroom A Companion Website extends the content of the text, provides students with many helpful resources, activities, and projects, and allows students to check their comprehension of chapter material

Bilingual Children's Acquisition of English Verb Morphology: Effects of Language Exposure, Structure Complexity, and Task Type

Abstract: This study investigated whether bilingual-monolingual differences would be apparent in school-age children’s use and knowledge of English verb morphology and whether differences would be influenced by amount of exposure to English, complexity of the morphological structure, or the type of task given. French-English bilinguals (mean age = 6;10) were given a standardized test with two production probes and a grammaticality judgment probe for English verb morphology. Results indicated that all three factors—exposure, complexity, and task type—influenced how closely bilinguals approached monolingual norms. These results are consistent with Gathercole’s (2007) constructivist model of bilingual acquisition for the exposure and complexity effects. The task effects can be explained in view of cognitive differences in processing between bilinguals and monolinguals and, thus, are also argued to be compatible with a constructivist model. The implications of bilingual-monolingual differences for language assessment are discussed.