| Items, topics and tasks |
A collection in SuperMemo is a set of elements. Each element makes up a page of information visible on a single screen. Elements in SuperMemo can be of three types: items, topics or tasks.
This is the function of these three element types:
Let us first emphasize the difference between topics and items. Topics are used to introduce the student to a given subject, while items are used to rehearse the same subject in order to retain it in memory. Typically, you can import an article from the Internet (this will be a topic), extract its most important fragments (which will also be topics) and then convert it to question-and-answer material. Those questions-and-answers will be items
For example, a topic may contain the following text:
To rehearse the knowledge of the facts presented in the above text, the following question-answer items might have been used:
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Topics and items are presented for review in the learning process in a different way:
If you generate items from topics by means of reading tools (see: Incremental reading), items will usually be children of topics in the knowledge tree. Even if you move items away from their parent topics, you can always jump back to the source topic by using the reference hyperlink button on the navigation toolbar.
Tasks differ from topics only with the fact that they are kept on one of your tasklists. Tasklists are prioritized lists of tasks. Tasklists which are composed of articles to read are called reading lists. Tasks can also enter the learning process and still remain on the tasklist. This makes it possible to apply incremental reading to tasks without using a strict reading prioritization determined by the reading list.
The following table summarizes the differences between items, topics and tasks:
Properties |
Items |
Topics | Tasks |
Length |
Must be as short and simple as possible |
May be longer, contain lengthy texts and rich graphics | Maybe either short (e.g. task description, URL, etc.) or long (e.g. reading list articles) |
Repetitions |
Repeated as many times as it takes to keep them in memory |
Presented in always increasing intervals | May never enter the review process. If they are subject to review, they behave in the same way as topics |
Purpose |
Used for rehearsing knowledge |
Used as an introduction to knowledge | Use to define to-do-tasks, e.g. articles to read, jobs to do, e-mail to respond to, etc. |
| Creating |
Usually by Add new (Ctrl+A) or by Reading : Remember cloze on the component pop-up menu |
Usually by pasting articles from the clipboard with Ctrl+Alt+N, by Reading : Remember extract on the component pop-up menu, or by converting tasks to topics (e.g. with Remember) | Usually by Add a new task (Ctrl+Alt+A), Add a new article (Ctrl+Alt+R), or Add e-mail (Ctrl+Alt+E) |
Setting the type |
Check Type : Item on the element pop-up menu or Element type : Item in the element parameters dialog box (Ctrl+Shift+P) |
Check Type : Topic on the element pop-up menu or Element type : Topic in the element parameters dialog box (Ctrl+Shift+P) | Check Type : Task on the element pop-up menu or Element type : Task in the element parameters dialog box (Ctrl+Shift+P) |
Repetition cycle |
First question components are presented. Answer components are presented only after choosing Show answer |
Topics are just presented as they are (even if some components are checked as Answer) | Rarely do task take part in repetitions. They are just presented as they are (even if some components are checked as Answer) |
Processing |
They are intended for active recall of information from memory |
They are intended for passive review or reading | They await processing in a tasklist. If they enter the review process, they are intended for passive review or reading |
Nature |
Stimulus-response (most often: question and answer) |
Synthetic | As chosen by the user for a specific purpose. May be synthetic, descriptive, include a single picture or e-mail, etc. |
Location in knowledge tree |
Best placed as children of the parent topic |
Best located as parents of items that concern the same subject | Usually located on a tasklist |
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Priority in the learning and review process |
Introduced into the learning process via the pending queue (first come first served), with Remember or with Remember cloze | Introduced into the review process by Remember or Remember extract. Less often: picked from the pending queue or created from a task picked from a tasklist | May not take part in the review process at all. Introduced into review by tasklist priority sequence with Remember (and usually converted to a topic at the same time) |
The structure of the knowledge tree will usually be determined by the operations you perform in the process of incremental reading. However, if you create a collection for use by others and would like to build a clear structure of presentation pages (topics) and the testing material (items), you can follow these steps: