The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of diagrams and time-compressed instruction on learning and learners' perceptions of cognitive load. The following design factors, visuals (visuals and non-visuals) and time-compressed instruction (0%-normal paced, 25, and 50%) were presented to 216 university students to analyze learning in a…

During student-centered learning, the individual assumes responsibility for determining learning goals, monitoring progress toward meeting goals, adjusting or adapting approaches as warranted, and determining when individual goals have been adequately addressed. This can be particularly challenging while learning from the World-Wide Web, where…

Case-based learning has long been used to bring students into contact with the complexity of real-world situations. Despite this popularity and considerable history, research into how case analysis can support future problem-solving has been limited. The study reported in this paper investigated learners' understanding of multimedia instructional…

This study investigated the effect of jigsaw cooperative learning and animation versus traditional teaching methods on students' understanding of electrochemistry in a first-year general chemistry course. This study was carried out in three different classes in the department of primary science education during the 2007-2008 academic year. The…

Educational multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) have been shown to be effective platforms for situated science inquiry curricula. While researchers find MUVEs to be supportive of collaborative scientific inquiry processes, the complex mix of multi-modal messages present in MUVEs can lead to cognitive overload, with learners unable to…

New technologies allow the display of text, static visuals, and animations. Although animations are inherently attractive, they are not always beneficial for learning. Problems may arise especially when animations modify the learner's cognitive load in an unintended way. In two learning experiments with 40 and 26 university students, the effects…

Describes how a multimedia design team at Wayne State University (Michigan), working on an engineering-education project funded by the National Science Foundation, incorporated Kellers's ARCS (attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction) model into the design and development of a computer-based instructional module for a college engineering…

Outlines some tools and tactics for the knowledge-elicitation process in multimedia design by facilitating communication between the designer and subject matter expert (SME). Defines multimedia SME and exploratory multimedia, and discusses the role of the SME, stages of SME consultation, as well as problems and tips to optimize SME consultations.…

The purpose of this study was to: identify critical characteristics of a situated learning environment from the extensive literature base on the subject; operationalize the critical characteristics of a situated learning environment by designing a multimedia program that incorporated the identified characteristics; and investigate university…

Describes an integrated authoring environment, AIDA ("Ambiente Integrado de Desenvolvimento de Aplicacoes educacionais"), that was developed at the University of Coimbra (Portugal) for educational software. Highlights include the design module, a prototyping tool that allows for multimedia, simulations, and modularity; execution module;…

A study of 38 fifth-grade students investigated the effectiveness of two interactive multimedia instructional spelling programs, one offering behaviorist-visual learning options and the other offering cognitivist-phonological learning options. Both groups showed increased spelling ability, though neither program outperformed the other, suggesting…

This response to a previously published article on the replaceability of media and instructional methods focuses on a study that uses a chemistry multimedia software package to examine cognitive processes in which learners interact with instructional designs and use media and methods to construct understanding. (nine references) (LRW)