Abstract: The disclosure provides a computer-based learning system that minimizes the “distance” between applications (for which instructions are provided) and the instructions themselves. That is, the instructional material provided is dynamically integrated with a “state” of one or more applications, which constantly change as a user interacts with the application. Further, the instructional information is visually presented within a common screen, window, or focus region as the application, in a minimally intrusive manner. For example, the instruction window can be an overlay that is designed to “hide from” or to avoid obscuring application content of particular interest to a user. Various techniques can be used to ensure the instructions are provided unobtrusively, including use of transparency settings to make instructions legible, resizing techniques, variable shading, font size/contrast/style adjustments, and the like.