Plant a Tree in Cyberspace: Metaphor and Analogy as Design Elements in Web-Based Learning Environments

Analogy and metaphor are figurative forms of communication that help people integrate new information with prior knowledge to facilitate comprehension and appropriate inferences. The novelty and versatility of the Web place cognitive burdens on learners that can be overcome through the use of analogies and metaphors. This paper explores three uses of figurative communication as design elements in Web-based learning environments, and provides empirical illustrations of each. First, extended analogies can be used as the basis of cover stories that create an analogy between the learner's position and a hypothetical situation. The Dragonfly Web pages make extensive use of analogous cover stories in the design of interactive decision-making games. Feedback from visitors, patterns of usage, and external reviews provide evidence of effectiveness. A second approach is visual analogies based on the principles of ecological psychology. An empirical example suggests that visual analogies are most effective when there is a one-to-one correspondence between the base and visual target analogs. The use of learner-generated analogies is a third approach. Data from an offline study with undergraduate science students are presented indicating that generating analogies are associated with significant improvements in the ability to place events in natural history on a time line. It is concluded that cyberspace itself might form the basis of the next guiding metaphor of mind.