DOI: 10.1148/rg.226015721
(Radiographics. 2002;22:1561-1565.)
© RSNA, 2002
Improving Educational Computer Exhibits at Radiologic Meetings by Modifying Computer Environment: Results of an Observational Study1
William J. Weadock, MD,
Frank J. Londy, RTR,
John Lin, MD and
James H. Ellis, MD
1 From the Department of Radiology, University of Michigan Hospital, 1500 E Medical Center Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Received September 4, 2001; revision requested January 5, 2002 and received July 1; accepted July 22. Address correspondence to W.J.W. (e-mail: weadock@umich.edu).
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Abstract
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An observational study of educational computer exhibits (ECEs) at the 86th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in 2000 was performed to determine the frequency with which the ECEs were in working order. At any given time, an average of 10% of the 71 exhibits were found to be inoperable, and, although some exhibits were functioning 100% of the time, others were not functioning up to 55% of the time. These observations underscore the importance of careful design when creating a computer-based exhibit for a meeting. Downtime of ECEs at meetings is the result of both intentional and unintentional user actions. Given that traditional poster presentations are "working" 100% of the time, modifications made to the environment of an exhibit computer to reduce downtime would be beneficial. Several relatively easy computer configuration steps can be taken that will likely improve the amount of time that an exhibit is functional. Electronic exhibits allow a more interactive experience for users and, with some assistance, will continue to be an effective educational tool.
© RSNA, 2002
Index Terms: Computers, educational aid • Radiological Society of North America 86th scientific assembly and annual meeting • Radiology and radiologists, research
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Introduction
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In the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of educational computer exhibits (ECEs) at the annual meetings of the American Roentgen Ray Society and the Radiological Society of North America. At previous meetings, it was noted that there were always some ECEs that were disabled. There are some simple steps that may be taken to improve the functionality of ECEs.
ECEs may offer the viewer more educational potential than traditional scientific posters. ECEs range from a simple poster-type format to complicated computer programs that may include multimedia and user interactivity. Size limitations affect the number of images and amount of text that can be included in a poster, whereas an ECE format allows the author to include an unrestricted amount of information. Some ECEs include hundreds of images with accompanying text grouped by organ system or disease, providing the viewer with a wide range of examples. The ability to include video clips and animations in ECEs can also aid in teaching specific points (1). An ECE may allow users to browse their way to the specific information they seek or lead them through a topic. A well-presented ECE can offer the viewer greater educational opportunity than an oral presentation or poster and may exceed the value of a multihour refresher course in that it allows the reader to learn at his or her own pace.
Beyond the actual authoring, the computer’s operating system environment must be considered to maximize the educational benefit of an exhibit presented at a meeting. If an ECE is not functioning during the meeting, its content is irrelevant. Preparing the system in advance for possible problems will decrease exhibit downtime and improve the overall usefulness of the exhibit.
In this article, we describe an observational study of ECEs we performed at the 86th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in 2000. We also discuss our findings and present several suggestions for improving ECE performance in the future.
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Materials and Methods
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There were a total of 71 ECEs at the 2000 RSNA annual meeting. Each exhibit was periodically checked to see if it was functioning. These checks were performed approximately every 3 hours over the course of the meeting. This time interval was chosen principally based on author availability. In general, data were collected prior to the first lecture period, again around noon, and again before and after the afternoon lectures. Each of the 71 exhibits was evaluated 19 times over the course of the meeting.
No attempt was made to grade the intellectual quality of the various exhibits. At no time during data collection were any of the exhibits disabled by the authors.
Over one-half of the 71 exhibits (53%) were World Wide Web browser–based. Microsoft Internet Explorer (Redmond, Wash) was the most common application (41% of exhibits), followed by Netscape Communicator (AOL–Time Warner, Dulles, Va) (13%), Microsoft PowerPoint (7%), and Microsoft Excel (3%). We were unable to determine the main presentation application in 20 exhibits (28%) (Fig 1).
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Figure 1. Graph illustrates the types of applications used at the 2000 RSNA annual meeting. The most popular ECE applications were Internet browser-based, with Microsoft Internet Explorer being the most common choice.
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Over the 19 evaluations performed during the meeting, an average of 10.1% (range, 3%–23%) of the 71 computer exhibits were inoperable (Fig 2). There was a trend for the percentage of exhibits that were functional to increase as the day progressed. Twenty-one of 71 exhibits were operational at all 19 observation times. In contrast, one exhibit was nonfunctional 55% of the time.
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Figure 2. Graph illustrates the downtime of ECEs as measured periodically during each day of the 2000 RSNA scientific assembly. ECEs were more likely to be operational later in the day. The authors believe that this is due to maintenance performed by exhibitors as the day progressed.
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Discussion
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An ECE affords presenters with a rich palette with which to present their material. The ability to seamlessly combine text, images, and video in this medium may enhance the depth of a presentation. This capability also allows the viewer to follow his or her own line of inquiry into the subject matter to whatever depth he or she elects to go and may result in much greater viewer participation.
The complexity of an ECE and its dependence on both a computer and a user to be functional may lead to failure. In general, it is not the presentation itself, but rather the configuration of the computer that leads to failure, including both the hardware and software environment. ECE developers may devote their time solely to the creation of the exhibit and overlook the configuration of the computer.
Additionally, many developers fail to take into account that intentional mischief will occur. On many occasions, we encountered exhibits that were not performing properly as the result of intentional tampering, which included (a) surfing the Web, (b) running other software programs on the computer, (c) viewing an exhibit’s hypertext markup language (HTML) code, (d) searching for files on the hard disk, (e) attempting to print, (f) turning the computer off, (g) deleting the entire exhibit from the computer, and (h) problems with hardware configurations. Other problems included computer responses to user input that likely were not options the authors had intended the user to see. Although these input actions are not malicious, they may disable a computer or cause a window to appear that can confuse the user. These actions included right-clicking on open windows, which may bring up a dialog box in many applications, or pressing certain keyboard combinations (eg, pressing Control-P may bring up a print dialog box).
The Web is mostly based on HTML, and there is considerable experience with its use. Basically, this application platform allows the user to interact by clicking on different objects on the screen, with each click determining what occurs next. Because the average user likely has some experience with either Internet Explorer or Netscape, exhibits based on this platform may perform better: Most users understand what to do and what not to do. If the exhibit application were to stop and only the desktop were visible, the user would likely click on the desktop icons to try to restart the exhibit.
HTML exhibits vary in complexity: Some require knowledge of the HTML programming language, whereas others may easily be created from within other programs, including Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. However, if an exhibit is not created properly, this same flexibility that HTML offers may also be its downfall. Logical coding errors can be decreased with use of one of a large number of dedicated HTML editing programs, including Microsoft Pagemaker, Macromedia Homesite and Dreamweaver (San Francisco, Calif), and Adobe Pagemill (San Jose, Calif). Commercial applications may be particularly helpful to the novice in improving Web-based media creation.
A limitation of this study is that, except for HTML-based exhibits, many other application programs had few ECEs based on them. Most of the discussion is directed toward HTML-based ECEs, but there are likely similar configuration options available for other applications. The authors were less familiar with some of the application programs, and complete evaluations are beyond the scope of this article.
The more functional exhibits often had two important features.
1. They limited access to the computer’s other functions, including features of the operating system, thereby minimizing intentional or unintentional disabling. Additionally, limiting the use of the browser to only the exhibit (including removal of default bookmarks and elimination of built-in e-mail and print capabilities) further reduces opportunities for mishaps. Furthermore, when the exhibit application program is not running in full screen mode, part of the desktop is visible. Maximizing the application window makes an errant click on a desktop icon impossible. These icons could include those that start other programs or allow viewing of the directory of the hard disk, both of which could potentially disable an exhibit.
2. They had a tool or instructions to help the end user start or restart the exhibit. This assumes that users are viewing the ECE to gain knowledge, and that if they encounter a computer problem, they will be able to attempt to restart the exhibit. Simple directions on a card or an icon on which to click are all the help a user should need. A summary of suggestions for improving ECE functionality is given in the Appendix.
Anecdotally, two of the authors (W.J.W., J.L.) had four Internet browser–based ECEs with all of the modifications listed in the Appendix, and during only one of the 76 total observations of these four exhibits was one of the exhibits nonfunctional (total percentage of downtime for all four exhibits was 1.3%). In this lone instance, a user had found the keyboard underneath the desk and had attempted to print the exhibit to a nonexistent printer by right-clicking on the browser and selecting the Print option.
As the graph in Figure 2 illustrates, the exhibits tended to become more functional as the day progressed. This may have been the result of "babysitting" on the part of the exhibit authors. Throughout the day, people were seen maintaining exhibits by restarting the application program when the program was not working. It was assumed that these people were the authors, but they may have been end users restarting exhibits.
Some downtime was the result of hardware problems. One exhibit was down for a period of time due to an improper video card. Another exhibit had an error message saying it was searching for a nonexistent Zip drive (Iomega, San Diego, Calif). If a presentation requires special hardware, the author must contact the meeting organizers and make arrangements prior to the meeting.
This study indicated that ECE authors should consider the computer environment when setting up their exhibits. A few modifications can significantly improve the chances of an exhibit running throughout the meeting. The Appendix can be used as a guideline for creating future exhibits. It describes basic operating system features and application features that can be modified or set to decrease the downtime of an exhibit. It is not meant to be an exhaustive review of how to completely control the operating system; consultation with a computer professional may lead to other useful recommendations not included here.
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Conclusions
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ECEs at a recent national radiology meeting were evaluated with respect to their configuration and monitored for operability over the course of the meeting. Although some exhibits were functioning 100% of the time, others were not functioning up to 55% of the time. Given that traditional poster presentations are "working" 100% of the time, modifications made to the environment of an exhibit computer to reduce downtime would be beneficial. Some relatively easy computer configuration steps are available that should improve performance in the future. Electronic exhibits allow a more interactive experience and, with some assistance, will continue to be an effective educational tool.
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Appendix
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The following list of guidelines for browser-based ECEs should improve the uptime of an ECE during a public meeting. These guidelines are based on findings at the 2000 RSNA annual meeting and the authors’ personal experience. Many of the specific details refer to the Microsoft Windows operating system, although similar results can be achieved with Apple MacIntosh systems (Cupertino, Calif).
Suggested Modifications for All Exhibits
- Create the ability to easily restart the exhibit.
- Create a shortcut (Windows) or an "alias" (Macintosh) on the desktop that the user can click on to restart a disabled exhibit. Change the name of this shortcut or alias to "Click Here to Restart Exhibit."
- Place an entry to the presentation program in the Start menu under Startup. This will cause the computer to automatically load the presentation software whenever the computer is restarted. In Windows 2000, ME, NT, 98, and 95, right-click on the Start button and select Explore. Then navigate to the directory, Start Menu/Programs/Startup. Copy the Internet Explorer or Netscape shortcut (see paragraph 1a) to this directory.
- Place simple, written instructions at the exhibit that explain how to restart the exhibit or solve other problems that may have been encountered previously.
- Ideally, upon rebooting, each system should automatically log on and run the exhibit.
- Eliminate opportunities for intentionally or unintentionally disabling the exhibit.
- If the exhibit does not require the use of a keyboard, place the keyboard out of view, leaving only the mouse for the user to use. This limits user interaction with the computer and may deter mischief.
- Disable any active Internet connection. Such a connection can be very useful when there is a problem with initial setup, but if it is not needed during the meeting, it should be turned off by unplugging the network cable from the back of the computer.
- If the site can still be accessed over the Internet when the meeting is over, consider leaving business cards with a Web address on them so that users can further study the exhibit after the meeting.
- Check on the exhibit intermittently throughout the meeting to ensure that it is working correctly.
- Remove any icons from the desktop that are not related to the exhibit.
Suggested Modifications for Browser-based Exhibits
- Run the application in full-screen kiosk mode. In Internet Explorer or Netscape, this can be done by changing the shortcut command to start the program to "iexplore -k filename" (for use with Internet Explorer) or "netscape -k filename" (for use with Netscape), where "filename" is the file name or Web address of the home page of the exhibit. Further information on this topic is available at http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q154/7/80.asp or http://www.netscape.com.
- Eliminate opportunities for intentionally or unintentionally disabling the exhibit.
- Run HTML-based applications locally from the hard disk, rather than from the Internet. To set this up in Internet Explorer or Netscape, enter the directory name in the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) address line. This will speed up the pages in loading and does not require an Internet connection, which tempts users to perform non–exhibit-related Internet functions.
- Disable the right mouse button. Although this can be achieved in several ways, the easiest way is to add some Javascript programming code to each HTML file. An example can be found at http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex9/noright_dev.htm.
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Footnotes
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Abbreviations: ECE = educational computer exhibit,
HTML = hypertext markup language
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References
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- Choi JR, Kruskal JB, Rosen MP, Davis RB. How to create an effective scientific exhibit: analysis of award-winning exhibits from the 1998 RSNA meeting. RadioGraphics 2000; 20:1059-1072.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
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Abstract
Introduction
