Hypertext Writing Profiles and Visualisation Margit Pohl Peter Purgathofer Institute for Design and Technology Assessment University of Technology Vienna margit@igw.tuwien.ac.at purg@igw.tuwien.ac.at Abstract University students increasingly use hypertext to write their assignments. To employ hypertext effectively, more information about the hypertext authoring process is needed. There are features of hypertext which are not reflected in traditional theories of composition, especially the possibility to structure information visually. Our study indicates that graphical overview maps which can be edited are a rather attractive feature of hypertext authoring systems. Nevertheless, not all students profit from such features. Students employ different writing styles when they create hypertext documents. The majority of students experiments with hypertext’s new features but others are still influenced by the model of the book. Key Words: hypertext authoring, visualisation, written composition, organisation of knowledge 1. Introduction Hypertext is increasingly used in university education. Many students write their assignments as hypertext documents. Some students find it difficult to do this (Pohl et al 1995). On the other hand, there are devices, for example tools for structuring knowledge visually, which might be helpful. A detailed analysis of the process of authoring hypertext should offer some information about the problems students encounter and possibilities to overcome these problems. Unluckily, no models about the hypertext authoring process exist so far. Models of the composition of linear text only have a limited value for the investigation of hypertext authoring. One of the most influential models of written composition within the framework of cognitive psychology has been formulated by Hayes and Flower (see e.g. Hayes & Flower 1980, Flower & Hayes 1980). They describe writing as a process similar to problem solving. It is a goal-oriented activity during which several different constraints must be fulfilled more or less simultaneously. A similar model was developed by Bereiter and Scardamalia (1987). In a very general sense, the original Hayes-Flower model also encompasses the creation of hypertexts. Nevertheless, there are features of hypertext writing which cannot be captured by this model. It can be argued, for example, that the development of graphical overview maps (a feature - 1 -