Background: Although adding embodied instructors on the screen is considered an effective way to improve online multimedia learning, its effectiveness is still controversial. The level of realism of embodied on-screen instructors may be an influencing factor, but it is unclear how it affects multimedia learning. Aims: We explored whether and how…

In multimedia learning, there is a lot of new information that learners are exposed to, making it a cognitively intensive process. Poorly-designed multimedia lessons can introduce distractions that must be dealt with by the learner. However, learners do not all share the same skill at managing incoming information or holding capacity, which could…

Recent findings from psychological studies have shown that emotional arousal improves human memory. However, more evidence is necessary if these results are generalisable to multimedia learning environments. Considering these needs, the study has the goal to examine the effect of emotional arousal on multimedia learning. Fifty-seven participants…

Purpose. Researchers have recommended using comprehensive visual materials in engineering courses, as visuals instill more information in students than auditory information and they have the ability to engage students more effectively than other types of content and to convey the nuances of non-verbal communication. The purpose of this study was…

How does the emotional tone (happy or sad) and gender (male or female) of the instructor's computer-generated voice in a multimedia lesson affect learning processes and outcomes for female learners (Experiment 1) and male learners (Experiment 2)? In two experiments, college students viewed a 2.5 min narrated slideshow on the formation of lightning…

The research aims to investigate the influence of integrating innovative teaching technologies on the effectiveness of the educational process and student motivation. This article employed a quantitative research design utilizing a questionnaire. The total number of participants in the study was 150 students. Participants were divided into…

Evidence regarding the benefits of an instructor's deictic gestures in video lectures on adults' learning may not necessarily be reflective of their effect on children's learning. Furthermore, there is a lack evidence regarding how deictic gestures specifically affect learners' learning process. Based in cognitive load theory, with consideration…

Background: With the rapid popularization of e-learning, how to improve online learning has aroused widespread concern. A human-like pedagogical agent (PA) that displays eye gaze and gestures, is often added to online multimedia lessons to increase social connection and improve learning in e-learning environments. However, there has been a debate…

This study aims to investigate the effect of different formats of emotionally designed educational animations in terms of the emotional worthiness of the material, retention and transfer, intrinsic motivation, subject interest and cognitive load. In this direction, an experimental research approach was adopted. Five emotionally diverged animations…

This study compares students' explanations of the oxidation-reduction reaction between silver nitrate and copper metal after viewing a chemical demonstration and one of four different particulate-level computer animations. The animations differed in the way the ionic charges were depicted (shown or omitted) and the way the transferred electrons…

Two experiments investigated how writing an explanation after studying a multimedia lesson influences restudy behavior (eye movements) and learning. In Experiment 1, college students who wrote a retention-based explanation ('Explain how the car's brake system works') spent more time focusing on the text and less time on the picture during the…

We present "doing language testing" sequences; L2 learners decide for themselves to test themselves or each other explicitly on new linguistic items, outside the official task cycle with no professional present, investing extra time and energy. We examine how and why pairs of learners do this, and its impact on their learning. They use…

Sound effects and music can be used to complement instructional narrations in recorded media presentations. College students (n = 143) participated in a study examining the effects of music and sound effects on learning outcomes when compared to voice-only narration. Four groups of participants listened to a recorded short story and answered…

Learning with hands-on experiments can be supported by providing essential information virtually during lab work. Augmented reality (AR) appears especially suitable for presenting information during experimentation, as it can be used to integrate both physical and virtual lab work. Virtual information can be displayed in close spatial proximity to…

This study investigated the effects of multimedia and modality design principles using a learning intervention about Australia with a sample of college students and employing measures of learning outcomes, visual attention, satisfaction, and mental effort. Seventy-five college students were systematically assigned to one of four conditions: a)…