The effects of training wheels and self-learning materials in software training

The role of software training is becoming increasingly important due to the growing variety and complexity of modern software products. This paper focuses on the effectiveness and feasibility of two different kinds of individual learners' support in software training in classroom settings. This research question was investigated by analysing 11 text-processing courses which were conducted on the basis of a quasi-experimental research design. Firstly, the user interface was varied, i.e. half of the courses used the regular standard user interface of the software, whereas the other half used a training wheels interface in which all irrelevant functions were blocked. Secondly, in half of the courses all instruction was given by a human tutor whereas the participants in the other half received written self-learning material. A total of 72 university students majoring in different fields participated. Dependent measures were learning time, learning outcome, and learner satisfaction.