Due to the ever-increasing leveraging of technology in learning and human performance, multimedia e-learning continues to see rapid adoption as an instructional method for both business and formal education environments. Cognitive load theory (CLT) and the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) provide prescriptive strategies to optimize…

To support digital literacies in schools, fundamental reorientation and rethinking is required to develop 'appropriate' pedagogical practices which are aligned with (and extend) the current curriculum. To achieve this, new flexible frameworks and tools are needed to support educators to work creatively and productively within the current…

Introduction: While prior research has delved into the emotional aspects of instructional design, it has not extensively examined whether integrating affective features specifically relevant to the theme of the learning materials is essential for enhancing learning effectiveness compared to incorporating general affective features. This study aims…

In this study, temporal speech cues were integrated into online curriculum to solve non-routine problems in curricular multimedia. Teachers-in-training (n=56) were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions. It was expected that participants in the temporal speech cues condition would be more likely to solve problems than those in the…

Simplified user interfaces (SUIs) refer to a new design technique in technical communication that simplifies screenshots by removing irrelevant elements and highlighting only the essential information. While there is consensus on the benefits of signaling in multimedia learning, there is currently no empirical evidence on the effects of SUIs on…

This dissertation describes strategies instructional designers can use to foster essential processing when designing multimedia instruction with different combinations of the use and non-use of the modality and segmenting principles described by Clark and Mayer (2016). This study investigated the main effects of segmenting and modality, and…

The term transmedia learning is focused on how students learn in both formal and informal learning environments, across multiple platforms. This article identifies the literature on transmedia learning across the last decade and draws together a consistent definition. A conceptual model for transmedia learning is outlined and further advances a…

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…

Background: Emotional design of multimedia lessons involves adding features that are intended to increase learner enjoyment and promote learning--such as adding narrative, anthropomorphizing non-human elements, and using warm colours. Objective: The present study extends this work to examine the potential of Japanese animation (anime) for…

Positive emotional design has been shown to have an important impact on multimedia learning. However, before learning multimedia materials, students may inevitably be stressed by external factors such as learning uncertainties brought about by COVID-19, that can affect their final performance. Moreover, whether the principles of emotional design…

The goal of this qualitative study was to answer the question: How do educators make sense of learning in virtual reality? This study utilized multimedia learning theory and cognitive load theory to explore how educators understand virtual reality in education. Pre- and post-interviews as well as a VR experience were conducted with 13 educators…

In the Winter semester of 2020 during a multimedia design and production class for pre-service teachers, the students were introduced to basic computer coding concepts such as variables, conditional statements, various expressions, logic, and syntax. For their final project, the students were asked to create an interactive instructional app using…

Instructional designs that include two or more artifacts (digital manipulatives, tables, graphs) have shown to support students' development of reasoning about covarying quantities. However, research often neglects how this development occurs from the student point of view during the interactions with these artifacts. An analysis from this lens…

Background: Zoomorphism, an obverse of conventional anthropomorphism, has been shown in many cases to be a powerful tool with respect to the metaphorical use of animals. Objectives: This study introduced zoomorphism into the instructional video design of pedagogical agents (PAs). Method: We first developed three image sets, each of which…

The use of metacognitive prompting to support self-regulated learning is a well-established area of research in education. Despite receiving considerable attention, the precise mechanism of prompting and its effects on the learning process remain unclear, especially in the context of multimedia learning. This study employed a controlled laboratory…