Contrasting traditional linear media (in which all learners proceed through the instructional materials in an essentially fixed sequence) with interactive technologies and hypermedia (in which two learners may take different paths through the same instructional materials), this paper highlights the importance of recording and analyzing the instructional path taken by each learner, noting that such audit trail data can be used in the production of generalizable rules which explain the influences of social variables, individual differences, and cognitive style on the paths taken through the instruction. Descriptive and inferential approaches to analyzing interactive media audit trails are identified, and some of the issues and concerns raised by such investigation are discussed. The paper concludes with a consideration of research opportunities in interactive technologies of instruction that such analysis would promote. Samples of five methods of representing audit trails are appended. (9 references) (GL)