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Carmen Zahn

[Person] [Project]

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Carmen Zahn, Dr.

Short vita

1966

Born in Tübingen (Germany)

1987 - 1995

Study of psychology at the Eberhard-Karls-University Tübingen, Germany

1989 - 1990

Study of photojournalism and psychology at the University of Missouri Columbia, MO, USA

1994 - 1996

Study of media science & media practice at the Eberhard-Karls-University Tübingen, Germany

1999 - 2002

PhD-student (with scholarship) of the virtual PhD program

February 2003

PhD (Dr.rer.nat), Department of Information und Cognitive Sciences, Eberhard-Karls-University, Tübingen
Topic: "Wissenskommunikation mit Hypervideos-Untersuchungen zum Design nicht-linearer Informationsstrukturen für audiovisuelle Medien" [Knowledge communication with hypervideo - Empirical studies on the design of non-linear informationstructures for videos]

since February 2002

research associate at the Knowledge Media Research Center, Tübingen, Germany

Contact

Phone: ++49 (0)7071 / 979 - 225
FAX: ++49 (0) 7071 / 979 - 100
Email: c.zahn@iwm-kmrc.de
WWW: My homepage

Institut für Wissensmedien
Konrad-Adenauer-Str. 40
D-72072 Tübingen (Germany)

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Ph.D. Project

Topic: Using video segments in multimedia: cognitive processing of dynamic visual information during knowledge acquisition

Supervisors: Prof. Dr. F. W. Hesse (Tübingen), Prof. Dr. H. Spada (Freiburg)

Start/End of the Ph.D. project: Febuary 1999 - February 2003

Summary:

Hypervideos are digital videos which contain hyperlinks  to other video scenes or additional texts, graphics or images.  As  videocentric media, hypervideos are dynamic and based on the strictly linear structures of film. Additionally, as hypermedia, hypervideos are interactive and organized in a non-linear fashion. Hence,  hypervideo as an organizational concept appears to be a combination of both, linear video on the one hand, and hypertext on the other. 

However, comparing hypervideo to each of these related media more closely, some important differences can be noticed: First, what  makes hypervideos different from linear video, is the possibility for users of the former to interact directly with the presented video material on different interactivity levels. Second, what distinguishes hypervideos from hypertexts is the fact that hyperlinked videos are based on films rather than on texts, which makes them not only more visual but also much more dynamic than "traditional" hypermedia . Taking these profound differences into account, hypervideos may well be considered a unique and new medium. 

Assuming this and further assuming that "...each medium entails some particular, even unique, attributes that matter or can be made to matter in learning" (Salomon, 1979) my dissertation focuses on hypervideos as learning devices.  In accordance with constructivist perspectives, hyperlinked videos can be seen as incorporating great potentials to support knowledge acquisition (Guimarães, et al., 2000). On the other hand, limitiations might be expected comparable to those described in the literature on hypertext (e.g. Schweiger, 2001). Whether or not  the potentials of hypervideo will develop, may depend to some extent on the way hypervideos are designed. Thus, basic questions about which features of hypervideo will affect learning  become especially interesting. 

One of the basic features of hypervideo, which is a very distinctive and constituent one, is dynamic linking (Sawhney, 1996).  Dynamic linking puts additional  time pressure on users, who have to decide on following a link embedded in the video or not. How might dynamic linking relate to  the process of learning? The present PhD project was set up to approach this question by empirical investigation. Specifically, I am working on the following questions:
 

• How will surface features of the presented dynamic visual information affect the interactive behavior and information processing of learners?
• How can  hypervideo structures be designed to support learning?
• Which effects of dynamic linking can be assumed when hypervideo is used in an educational setting?
• How do learners make use of different versions of hyperlinked videos in a given learning situation ?

Publications:

Holz, K. & Zahn, C. 1995. Rituale und Psychotherapie. [Rituals and Psychotherapy] Berlin: Verlag für Wissenschaft und Bildung.

Zahn, C., Schwan, S., Barquero, B. (2002). Authoring Hypervideos: Design for learning and learning by design. In: Bromme, R. Stahl, E. (Eds.): Writing Hypertext and Learning: Conceptual and Empirical Approaches (pp. 153-176). London: Pergamon Press

Zahn, C. & Häusermann, J. (2002). Kommunikative Funktionen des Hörfunkmagazins. In: J.-F. Leonhard, H.-W. Ludwig, D. Schwarze & E. Straßner (Hrsg.), Medienwissenschaft. Ein Handbuch zur Entwicklung der Medien und Kommunikationsformen, Band 3 (S. 2019-2026). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter

Zahn, C. (in press). Wissenskommunikation mit Hypervideos - Untersuchungen zum Design nicht-linearer Informationsstrukturen für audiovisuelle Medien. Münster: Waxmann.

Presentations

Zahn, C., Schwan, S., Barquero, B. & Hesse, F.W. (2002, September). Hypervideo - Eine Studie zum Lernen mit neuen Medien. 43. Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie. Berlin

Teaching

Stahl, E., Schwan, S., Zahn, C. & Finke, M. (2003). Schwerpunktseminar "Lernen mit Neuen Medien: E-learning in Hochschullehre und beruflicher Personalentwicklung". Gemeinsames Lehrprojekt der Universitäten Münster und Linz in Zusammenarbeit mit dem IWM Tübingen und der ZGDV Darmstadt.

Zahn, C. (2002). Rezeptionsanalyse. Seminar.

Zahn, C. (2001). Einführung in die Klinische Psychologie.

[Top of Page] [Person] [Project] Carmen Zahn

Last update 9 Oct 2003, Erik Ründal
URL: www.vgk.de/projects/zahn/index.html