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Brad Mehlenbacher

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Ph.D

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Personal Homepage:
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~brad_m
Current place of employment:
NC State University

Brad Mehlenbacher is an Associate Professor of Distance Learning (Leadership, Policy, Adult & Higher Education), Primary Area Faculty Member with Human Factors & Ergonomics (Psychology), Affiliated Faculty Member with Communication, Rhetoric, & Digital Media (English and Communication), and Affiliated Faculty Member with the Digital Games Research Center (Computer Science) at NC State University. He teaches graduate courses on instruction and learning with technology and Web-based instruction. He earned his BA and MA at the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada), where he focused on computer-assisted learning and computational text analysis; and his PhD in rhetoric and document design at Carnegie Mellon University, where he focused on online information design, usability, and human-computer interaction.

Mehlenbacher is author of Instruction and Technology: Designs for Everyday Learning (MIT Press, 2010), co-author of Online Help: Design and Evaluation (Ablex, 1993), and has published numerous articles on online information design and evaluation. He has chapters in Assessment Strategies for the Online Learner (Jossey-Bass), The Human-Computer Interaction Handbook (Lawrence Erlbaum), Innovative Approaches to Teaching Technical Writing (Utah State UP), The Society of Text (MIT Press), The Computer Science and Engineering Handbook (CRC Press), and the 1997 NCTE award-winning Computers and Technical Communication (Ablex Press).

Mehlenbacher is elected Chair of the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on the Design of Communication (ACM SIGDOC). At NC State, he has served as usability consultant for the previous and the new NC State Website. Broadly defined, Mehlenbacher's research interest is in applying empirical research and rhetorical theory to the study of human-computer interfaces and online support systems, usability testing methods, and Web-based instruction.

Over the years, Mehlenbacher has consulted for numerous academic and nonacademic institutions, including the Computer Science Department, Engineering Design Research Center, and Communications Design Center at Carnegie Mellon; the Centre for Professional Writing at the University of Waterloo; the Center for the Study of Writing at the University of California at Berkeley; Apple Computer; Bell-Northern Research; Hewlett Packard; SAS Institute; Digital Equipment Corporation; Ricoh Silicon Valley; the American Cancer Society; UNext.com; IBM-Toronto; and IBM-RTP. He lives in Cary, North Carolina, and has two extraordinary daughters, Eleanor Dare and Frances Elizabeth. He has been using Internet-based communication tools since beginning his undergraduate degree in 1980 at the University of Waterloo.

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Publications by Brad Mehlenbacher (bibliography)

2010

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Mehlenbacher, Brad (2010): Instruction and Technology: Designs for Everyday Learning. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press

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“The perpetual connectivity made possible by twenty-first-century technology has profoundly affected instruction and learning. Emerging technologies that upend traditional notions of communication and community also influence the ways we design and evaluate instruction and how we understand learning and learning environments. In Instruction and Technology, Brad Mehlenbacher offers a detailed, multidisciplinary analysis of the dynamic relationship between technology and learning. Mehlenbacher describes how today’s ubiquitous technology conflates our once separated learning worlds—work, leisure, and higher educational spaces. He reviews the ongoing cross-disciplinary conversation about learning with technology and distance education and examines a dozen models of instruction and learning with technology drawn from peer-reviewed research. Taking an integrative perspective toward design, Mehlenbacher offers a framework for everyday instructional situations, describing five interdependent dimensions: learner background and knowledge, learner tasks and activities, social dynamics, instructor activities, and learning environment and artifacts. The technologies that distribute today's classroom across time and space call for a new discussion about what we value in the traditional classroom. Rather than simply offering recipes for creating online instruction, with Instruction and Technology Brad Mehlenbacher lays the groundwork for the long-term multidisciplinary investigation that will be required as researchers and practitioners shape and extend the boundaries of this emerging field. See http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=12243 to request an exam/desk copy.”

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2008

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Mehlenbacher, Brad (2008): Communication design and theories of learning. In: DOC08 2008. pp. 139-146. Available online

“This paper provides a brief overview of the ill-structured information spaces that communication designers create and inhabit, highlighting the need for a research-based understanding of learning. A sociocognitive approach to learning that benefits from the strengths of cognitive and social perspectives is described. As a complex learning activity, communication design and use demand creative, multidisciplinary approaches to data collection, analysis, and interpretation.”

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Pierce, Robert, Mehlenbacher, Brad, Costa, Carlos J., Albers, Michael J. and Protopsaltis, Aristidis (2008): Panel design of communication: new steps. In: DOC08 2008. pp. 183-184. Available online

“SIGDOC comes from a technical writing tradition, where literature and rhetoric play an important role. Communication is now giving a broader focus, especially as influences come from graphical design, web design, digital sound or digital multimedia. In Lisbon, we expect to discuss this focus of SIGDOC. This is an important transition that is being done, without loosing its identity. In fact, from the revision process the heterogeneity of view point was identified. This is the result of including more participants from multimedia, computer science and graphical design. For the second time, SIGDOC will take place outside the American continent. For the first time it takes places in a non-English speaking country. It is the ideal place to discuss an important issue either for the technical documentation, either for software engineering or for design of communication communities: translation, internationalization, localization, and globalization. Bologna process is transforming and making an authentic revolution in the European university panorama. This may be faced either as a threat or as an opportunity. In this context, the discussion about a curriculum in design of communication is an important step that may be undertaken by the SIGDOC. It is a step that may contribute to its affirmation either in academia or in practitioner context.”

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2007

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Mehlenbacher, Brad (2007): Triangulating communication design: emerging models for theory and practice. In: Proceedings of the 25th annual ACM international conference on Design of communication 2007, El Paso, Texas, USA. pp. 87-94. Available online

“This paper describes the enduring dichotomy between what is defined as science and what is defined as non-science, and shows how this dichotomy serves as a backdrop for current divisions between theory and practice. The canonical concept of invention and contemporary interest in problem setting highlight the similarities between the activities of theoreticians and practitioners and inform the development of a useful definition of rhetorical or communication design. While recent developments in activity-, work-, and ecologically-centered design provide a powerful metaphor for contextualizing communication design work, a tentative argument is made for attending to emerging opportunities and challenges related to distributed space and time.”

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Pierce, Robert, Protopsaltis, Aristidis, Mehlenbacher, Brad and Zachry, Mark (2007): What is design of communication?. In: Proceedings of the 25th annual ACM international conference on Design of communication 2007, El Paso, Texas, USA. p. 181. Available online

“What is the Design of Communication? In this panel, four SIGDOC members from different areas come together to discuss the interdisciplinary area of DOC.”

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2006

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Stamey, John, Novick, David G., Spinuzz, Clay and Mehlenbacher, Brad (2006): Research issues in the design of communication. In: ACM 24th International Conference on Design of Communication 2006. pp. 129-130. Available online

2000

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Mehlenbacher, Brad (2000): Intentionality and Other Nonsignificant Issues in Learning. In ACM SIGDOC *Journal of Computer Documentation, 24 (1) pp. 25-30

“In this second of three commentaries on Martinez, Mehlenbacher praises her "useful framework for evaluating the success or failure of particular learning environments." But he notes that intentionality is really just one among five dimensions of instructional situations (learner background, learner tasks, social dynamics, instructional methods, and learning tools) that all interact to influence educational outcomes.”

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1996

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Hill, Charles A. and Mehlenbacher, Brad (1996): Readers' Expectations and Writers' Goals in the Late Age of Print. In: ACM 14th International Conference on Systems Documentation 1996. pp. 257-266. Available online

“Most of us are very comfortable acknowledging that reading and writing electronic texts is now firmly a well-established part of our everyday life, but we only occasionally examine the generational differences between our grandparents' notions of text and our children's. This is largely because our demographic is a transitional one, caught between a well-learned familiarity with hardcopy texts and the challenge of intense movements to online environments. This paper traces our movement from hardcopy texts to digital texts, and speculates about how readers' and writers' expectations of texts are being transformed by emerging technologies. Specifically, digital texts are erasing traditional distinctions between written and spoken discourse, increasing the interconnectedness of texts, increasing the demand for user control over texts, integrating various modes of communication, and intensifying the relationship between readers and writers.”

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Mehlenbacher, Brad (1996): Spaces Without Places. In ACM SIGDOC *Journal of Computer Documentation, 20 (3) pp. 18-22

1994

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Mehlenbacher, Brad, Hardin, Beth, Barrett, Chris and Clagett, Jim (1994): Multi-User Domains and Virtual Campuses: Implications for Computer-Mediated Collaboration and Technical Communication. In: ACM Twelfth International Conference on Systems Documentation 1994. pp. 213-219. Available online

“Despite being the focus of 170 articles in the Fall of 1993, few researchers have documented how the Internet, an environment that attracts over 6000 new users per month, will affect the technical communication profession [18]. In particular, researchers have devoted little attention to the rapid emergence of an Internet tool that has the potential to increase collaboration among professional technical communicators. This paper represents one such attempt and describes an electronic tool we are building at NCSU called the TechComm-VC (Virtual Campus), a Multi-User Domain, or MUD.”

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1993

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Mehlenbacher, Brad (1993): Software Usability: Choosing Appropriate Methods for Evaluating Online Systems and Documentation. In: ACM Eleventh International Conference on Systems Documentation 1993. pp. 209-222. Available online

“The objective of this paper is to bring users to the foreground of on-going system and documentation development efforts by doing five things: (1) outlining existing methods to elicit user reactions to software; (2) describing how to design informal usability tests employing each method; (3) discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each method given the time and resource constraints facing technical communicators and software designers; (4) recommending times during the software development cycle, when certain methods are particularly fruitful in providing valuable design feedback, and; (5) providing an extensive bibliography on usability testing methods.”

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Duffy, Thomas M., Palmer, James E. and Mehlenbacher, Brad (1993): Online Help: Design and Evaluation. Norwood, NJ, Intellect

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1992

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Mehlenbacher, Brad (1992): Navigating Online Information: A Characterization of Extralinguistic Factors that Influence User Behavior. In: ACM Tenth International Conference on Systems Documentation 1992. pp. 35-46. Available online

“The paper examines the extralinguistic factors that influence user behavior with online information systems. Extralinguistic factors include any interface features which are "outside" how users understand and comprehend written texts online. Extralinguistic features, therefore, are interface features that support (1) how users formulate their information goals or represent their tasks, (2) how users navigate to new or related topics of interest to them, and (3) how users quickly scan (rather than read) online information. It is argued that text comprehension is only one task that users engage in when using online information systems. A model of online user behavior that includes goal setting, navigating, scanning, and text comprehension is outlined. I argue that a broader definition of online information use is necessary and discuss various design principles for avoiding communication breakdowns before users reach their desired information. Finally, I conclude by suggesting that a Participatory Design Approach to the design of human-computer interfaces is one method of undermining our tendency, as software designers, to apply design advice and guidelines without first accounting for user tasks and information goals.”

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1989

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Mehlenbacher, Brad, Duffy, Thomas M. and Palmer, James E. (1989): Finding Information on a Menu: Linking Menu Organization to the User's Goals. In Human-Computer Interaction, 4 (3) pp. 231-251

“Design paradigms often ignore the diverse goals users bring to the computer interface. Any human-computer interaction can be viewed as a marriage of two systems: The user begins the interaction by formulating an information goal, and the computer software meets that goal with a sometimes complex list of potential topic areas. The user then accesses that topic list through the computer interface. Part of the act of accessing the topic list is selecting a potential topic, and this action is often supported by a menu interface. Although research is pervasive on how best to organize menu items to facilitate learning, search speed, and reduced selection errors, little has been done to examine the impact of different types of user goals or cues on a menu's effectiveness. In a study using three distinct cues -- direct match, synonym, and iconic -- and two menu organizations -- alphabetical and functional -- data suggest that (a) the functional menu is more effective than the alphabetical menu for the synonym and iconic cues, (b) learning occurs with both menu designs (i.e., selection speed increases rapidly across the five trial blocks), and (c) users make fewer errors with the functionally organized menu. The results, in general, encourage more rigorous investigation of the interaction between the tasks users bring to menu interfaces and the optimal design of those menus.”

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1988

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Mehlenbacher, Brad, Duffy, Tom, Palmer, Jim, Truschel, Maria, Denchfield, Karen and Aaron, Ann (1988): Help for the Designers on Online Help Systems. In ACM SIGCHI Bulletin, 20 (1) pp. 66-69

1983

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Duffy, Thomas M., Palmer, James E. and Mehlenbacher, Brad (1983): Online Help: Design and Evaluation. Norwood, NJ, Intellect

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User-contributed publications

Here is a list of publications that have been submitted by the author himself/herself or a website visitor:

Mehlenbacher, B., Bennett, L., Bird, T., Ivey, M., Lucas, J., Morton, J., & Whitman, L. (2005). Usable e-learning: A conceptual model for evaluation and design. Proceedings of HCI International 2005: 11th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, Volume 4 — Theories, Models, and Processes in HCI. Las Vegas, NV: Mira Digital P, 1-10.

Mehlenbacher, B., & Dicks, R. S. (2004). A pedagogical framework for faculty-student research and public service in technical communication. In T. Bridgeford, K. S. Kitalong, & D. Selfe (Eds.), Innovative Approaches to Teaching Technical Writing (pp. 219-237). Logan, UT: Utah State University P.

Mehlenbacher, B. (2003). Documentation: Not yet implemented but coming soon! In A. Sears & J. Jacko (Eds.), The Human-Computer Interaction Handbook: Fundamentals, Evolving Technologies and Emerging Applications (pp. 527-543). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Mehlenbacher, B. (2002). Assessing the usability of online instructional materials. In R. S. Anderson, J. F. Bauer, and B. W. Speck (Eds.). Assessment Strategies for the On-line Class: From Theory to Practice (pp. 91-98). New Directions for Teaching and Learning Series, Number 91. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Mehlenbacher, B., Miller, C. R., Covington, D., & Larsen, J. (2000). Active and interactive learning online: A comparison of Web-based and conventional writing classes. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 43 (2), 166-184.

Lee, M. F., & Mehlenbacher, B. (2000). Technical writer/subject-matter expert interaction: The writer’s perspective, the organizational challenge. Technical Communication, 47 (4), 544-552.

Tomasi, M. D., & Mehlenbacher, B. (1999). Re-engineering online documentation: Designing examples-based online support systems. Technical Communication, 46 (1), 55-66.

Hill, C. A., & Mehlenbacher, B. (1998). Transitional generations and World Wide Web reading and writing: Implications of a hypertextual interface for the masses. TEXT Technology, 8 (4), 29-47.

Selber, S. A., Johnson-Eilola, J., & Mehlenbacher, B. (1996). Online support systems. ACM Computing Surveys, 28 (1), 197-200.

Mehlenbacher, B. (1995). Charting the future of technical communication: SIGDOC’94 and the great divide. ACM Journal of Computer Documentation, 19 (2), 20-32.

Mehlenbacher, B. (1994). The rhetorical nature of academic research funding. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 37 (3), 157-162.

Mehlenbacher, B. (1993). Concerning SIGDOC’92: Text transformation and the world of multimedia documentation. ACM Journal of Computer Documentation, 17 (4), 23-32.

Duffy, T. M., Palmer, J. E., & Mehlenbacher, B. (1993). Online help: Design and evaluation. Human-Computer Interaction Series. Norwood, NJ: Ablex, ISBN 0-89-391-858-X.

Duffy, T. M., Higgins, L., Mehlenbacher, B., Cochran, C., Wallace, D., Hill, C. Haugen, D., McCaffrey, M. Burnett, R., Sloane, S., & Smith, S. (1989). Models for the design of instructional text. Reading Research Quarterly, 24 (4), 434-457.

Mehlenbacher, B., Duffy, T. M., Palmer, J. E., Truschel, M., Denchfield, K., & Aaron, A. (1988). Help for the designers of online help systems. ACM SIGCHI Bulletin, 20 (1), 66-69.

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Changes to this page (author)

15 Apr 2010: Book was added to the page (approved by an editor)
15 Apr 2010: Author was added to the bibliography (approved by an editor)

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Publication statistics

Publication period:1983-2010
Publication count:16
Number of co-authors:19

Productive colleagues

Brad Mehlenbacher's 3 most productive colleagues in number of publications:

David G. Novick:34
Carlos J. Costa:19
Michael J. Albers:13

Collaboration count

Number of publications with 3 favourite co-authors:

James E. Palmer:3
Thomas M. Duffy:3
Robert Pierce:2

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Brad Mehlenbacher

Ph.D

Publications by Brad Mehlenbacher (bibliography)

User-contributed publications

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Changes to this page (author)

Publication statistics

Productive colleagues

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Conference Calendar

Jack Carroll on HCI

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