webIDesign2

An critical summary of : 'Using situatted learning and multimedia to investigate higher order thinking'

Colin McCarty

The study attempts to show that a situated learning environment can be created using a multimedia program with the aim of enhancing higher order thinking. The data shows that the majority of talk was higher order. The constructivist nature of the learning environment provided greater opportunities for students to engage in higher order thinking.

Pointers from cognition research to multimedia use in global flexible learning

Juhani E. Tuovinen

Centre of Learning and Teaching Support, Monash University

This is synthesis of instructional cognition research and suggests some guidelines for the application of multimedia flexible learning in the global context. Discussion focuses on the current state of the art in educational information processing and instructional design; and current understanding of human-computer interaction.

A cognitive theory of multimedia learning: Implications for design principles

R.E. Mayer & Roxana Moreno

University of California, Santa Barbara

The paper argues that to avoid earlier failures in application of technology in education, instructional technology must be guided by a research-based theory of how students learn. A number of principles are introduced: multiple representation principle, contiguity principle, split-attention principle, individual differences principle,

and the coherence principle as applied in course design.

Cognition research and educational multimedia

Juhani E. Tuovinen

Centre of Learning and Teaching Support, Monash University

The work described in the paper is a synthesis of recent instructional cognition research implications for the fundamental educational multimedia theory. Most of the reseach described here has been conducted in the Cognitive Load Theory context.

With advancements in digital technology and communication new delivery systems of education and training have evolved. There is debate whether improved performance in learning is attributable to the new technologies or the prudent application of psychological theories in the design of multimedia courses. Design of E-Learning courses based on various psychological theories has been the focus of attention in recent research efforts. While findings may be inconclusive, there is increasing evidence to suggest that courses that designed in ways that are compatible with human learning processes are more effective, i.e. the design principles should foster the psychological events necessary for learning. Following are empirical studies on digital learning and suggested applications for the design of multimedia E-Learning courses.

Multimedia aids to problem-solving transfer

Richard E. Mayer,

University of California, Santa Barbara

This chapter reviews some encouraging evidence that multimedia learning environments can promote constructivist learning that enables problem-solving. It begins with a description of a multimedia learning scenario, a cognitive theory of multimedia learning, and a set of design principles that lead to constructvist learning. Then, results from more than 40 studies are reviewed. In combination, these studies explore the conditions under which multimedia envionments promote problem-solving transfer of scientific and mathematical principles. The concluding section addresses the problem of how multimedia instructional messages can be designed to promote problem-solvig transfer.

Interactive visual metaphors in multimedia aids to math learning among

English language learners

Roxana Moreno, University of New Mexico, Alburquerque

Richard Duran, University of California, Santa Barbara

The study examined how a computer-based visual metaphor can help students understand the addition and substraction of assigned number. The results indicated that visual metaphors need verbal guidance if they are to be used as an instructional tool to foster mathematical understanding.

Designing multimedia presentations with animation: What does research say?

R.E. Mayer & Roxana Moreno

University of California, Santa Barbara

How can we help students to understand scientific explanations of cause-and-effect systems, such as how lightning storms develop? One promising approach involves multimedia presentation of explanations in visual and verbal formats, such as presenting a computer-generated animation synchronised with narration or on-screen text. In a review of 4 studies conducted by the authors, they found evidence that presenting a verbal explanation of how a system works with an animation does not insure that students will understand the explanation unless research-based cognitive principles are applied to the design.

Animated pedagogical agents in multimedia educational environments

Scotty Craig, Barry Gholson and David Driscoll

University of Memphis, Tennesse

Two experiments exploed the integration of animated agents into multimedia enviornments in the context of Mayer's theory of multimedia learning. Experiment 1 was a 3 (agent properties; agent only, agent with gesture, no agent) X 3 (picture features: static picture, sudden onset, animation) design. Agent properties produced no significant effects. Both sudden onset and animation conditions facilitated performance relative to the static-picture condition. In Experiment 2, they explored the effects of printed text, spoken narration, and spoken narrarion with the printed text, in a mulitmedia environment that included an agent, to investigate effects of redundancy. The spoken-narration-only condition outperformed the other 2, with no differences between printed text and printed text with spoken narration.

Multimedia learning in the digital world

Jose L. Rodriguez Illera

The chapter review the current situation of what is commonly called 'multimedia learning' which uses computer applications that offer different coding systems and forms of representation such as text, sound, images and animation, has become commonplace in the last few years, even though there is not much research available on the subject.

Multimedia learning and cognitive load theory: Effects of modality and cueing

H. Tabbers, R. Martens and J. van Merrienboer

Education Technology Expertise Center (OTEC)

Open University of the Netherlands.

The design of effective multimedia instructions is investigated within the framework of Cognitive Load Theory and Generative Theory of Multimedia Learning. For one hour, 1515 students studied selected material and completed two tests. Measures of mental effort were administered during instruction and tests. Results show that adding visual cues only had a small effect, while replacing the text with audio decreased effectiveness, contrary to expectations. A plausible explanation is that the instructions were user-paced, contrary to the system-paced instructions used in earlier research.

EXAMPLE: A multimedia presentation of a Course on Project Management

Michael Sankey, Distance Learning Centre

University of Southern Queensland.