Research
Currently, our research focuses on the four aspects (as shown in the graphic below):

• Information seeking
  Examining whether and how QuikScan speeds up efficient and effective information seeking when readers read selectively.
  
  
• Collaborative reading and decision making under time pressure
  Examining whether and how QuikScan facilitates reading in situations such as business meeting. In these situations, people tend to have much information but little time.
  
  
• Reading comprehension and retention
  Examining whether and how QuikScan enables better understanding and more accuate and longer memory.
  
  
• Visual accessibility
  Examining whether and how QuikScan, equiped with text-to-speech software, helps blind readers understand a document.
  
  

To address the four areas of application, we are planning several experimental studies in the near future in the following circumstances:

• Individual information seeking
  
• Collaborative document-processing in meetings
• Reading comprehension and retention
• Use of QuikScan in professional business meetings
• Use of QuikScan in providing help for visual accessibility

Literature
· Ausubel, D.P. (1963). The Psychology of Meaningful Verbal Learning. New York: Grune & Stratton.
· Ausubel, D.P. (1960). The use of advance organizers in the learning and retention of meaningful verbal material. Journal of Educational Psychology, 51, 267-272.
· Barnes, B.R., & Clauson, E.U. (1975). Do advance organizers facilitate learning? Recommendations for further research based analysis of 32 studies. Review of Educational Research, 45, 637-659.
· Box, J. A. & Little, D. C. (2003). Cooperative Small-Group Instruction Combined with Advanced Organizers and Their Relationship to Self-Concept and Social Studies Achievement of Elementary School Students. Journal of Instructional Psychology, Dec 2003; 30, 4, 285-287.
· Genette, G (1997). Paratexts: the Thresholds of Textuality (Literature, Clture, Theory Ser., No. 20). Transl. Lewin, J.E. New York: Cambridge University Press.
· Lorch, R.F., Jr., & Lorch, E.P. (1996). Effects of headings on text recall and summarization. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 21, 261-278.
· Lorch, R.F., Jr., & Lorch, E.P. (1995). Effects of organizational signals on text processing strategies. Journal of Educational Psychology, 87, 537-544.
· Lorch, R. F., Lorch, E. P., & Inman, W. E. (1993). Effects of signaling topic structure on text recall. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85 (2), 281-290.
· Meyer, B. J. F. (2003). Text coherence and readability. Topics in Language Disorders, 23, 204-221.
· Romano, N.C. & Nunamaker, J. F. (2001). Meeting Analysis: Findings from Research and Practice. In Proceedings of the 34th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.
· Schultz, L.D. & Spyridakis, J. H. (2002). The Effect of Heading Frequency on Comprehension of Online Information. In Proceedings of IEEE International Professional Communication Conference, 513-518.