Are undergraduate students well prepared to read and compose hypertext?

The ability to craft a well-formed argument is one of the hallmarks of a liberal education. This includes not only the ability to state a thesis but also to structure a coherent presentation of the evidence to support that position -- all assembled in a persuasive manner.

Faculty often characterize the writings of inexperienced students as an jumble of disconnected thoughts. In this context, hypertext may be particularly inappropriate since it panders to the student's incoherent thought process by providing a medium that legitimizes the lack of tight connection among the main ideas.

It is worth noting that well constructed hypertexts can -- and should -- contain similar connectivity among ideas as in linear prose. The major difference is whether the connections are arranged temporally or spatially and whether the reader is allowed to chart a personal path through the material.