A Theory at the End of the Rainbow?

[Doug Nickerson <Doug_Nickerson -at- ONSETCOMP -dot- COM>]

Hello all,

Ok so I'm a programmer who has written for computer magazines and
has written a computer book. Computer book author Laura Lemay, on her Web
page,
details how she designed her own major at Carnegie Mellon, which mixed
courses from
[paraphrasing]:

"1. the computer department
2. English
3. Courses on theory of and the presentation of information."

My question: what could be being referred to (passive ad nauseumus), in
the third point above? What would be the fields of endeavor or departments
of knowledge where one would look for such things?

I'm ignorant. I've heard some reference made to Clustar methods, chunking
and
analyzing needs of the user.  I thought my book was ok, but it lacked much
organization in spots. All you
people know how to organize. Is there some research in something called
perhaps 'theory of learning' that
you draw upon when deciding upon a felicitous arrangement of your
material?  Or have the principles of clear writing, hard work, and
experience helped you more?


Regards,

Doug Nickerson
Bourne, Mass.
"When *I* use a word, it means exactly what i mean it to mean, nothing
more, nothing less."
- Lewis Carroll


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