Multimedia
The ability to
transfer learning to the solution of new problems has long
been recognized as a better measure of learner understanding
than mere retention of the material (Wertheimer, 1959). (page 3)\
From generative theory, I take the idea
that meaningful learning occurs when learners select relevant
information from what is presented, organize the pieces of
information into a coherent mental representation, and integrate
the newly constructed representation with others. From
dual coding theory, I take the idea that these cognitive processes
occur within two separate information processing systems:
a visual system for processing visual knowledge and a
verbal system for processing verbal knowledge. (page 4)
He keeps using the phrase "more creative." Maybe I missed something, but I don't remember him defining his understanding of the term "creative"
Multimedia is a more effective form for helping students learn information regarding cause and effect relationships. Pictures need captions, software animations need narrations. When both are present, spatial learners are able to take both types of input, and integrate them together, allowing them to transfer the information to new contexts and problems.
Dual-Processing
A dual-processing model of multimedia learning. For
Group AN, shown in the top panel, the incoming animation and
narration initially are held in different working memory spaces. For
Group AT, shown in the bottom panel, the incoming animation and
text initially are held in the same memory space. (page 2)
Experiment 1 - Students who were engaged in the AN group did significantly better in retention, matching, and transfer that students in the AT group. This gives evidence for the dual-processing model, that when exposed to visual and audio learning, learners have more memory space to work with, and they are able to make connections. When it is just visual, learners lose focus and miss important things because they are trying to cram everything into the same memory space.
Experiment 2 yielded very similar results and conclusions. As a side note, it seems very interesting that the authors clearly aren't choosing a p value before they run their statistics, because they are presenting values from .01-.05. Although p-values are usually chosen to be .05, it seems statistically unethical to present them this way.
Third, in split-attention situations, an overload in visual
working memory reduces the learner's ability to build
coherent mental models that can be used to answer transfer
questions. In contrast, when words are represented in an
auditory working memory and pictures are represented in
visual working memory, the learner is better able to organize
representations in each store and integrate across stores.
Consistent with this interpretation, across two experiments
AT students generated fewer solutions on the transfer test
than did AN students.
These results seem very believable, and they seem to make sense. I'm not quite sure that the process is as simple as it is presented here, but I do think that the variation in modes allows the brain somehow to increase its processing power, enhancing learning. I don't know that there is evidence to support that the brain is using more or less space, and that it is getting overloaded.
Instructional Time
To be honest, I felt that the most helpful and useful part of this article was the author's descriptive definitions of the different ways that time is used in the classroom. I think that anyone with teaching experience can benefit from 1) being aware of the different ways that time is used in a learning experience and 2) reflecting on the way that time is used in their own classroom. The focus of the article was to provide a way to use these different measures of time on task to improve educational research for design, but I think the definitions of how time is used helps any educator or designer formulate an idea of how to design instruction that optimizes on the best use of time.
US Department
Studies in which learners in the online condition spent more time on task than students in the face-to-face condition found a greater benefit for online learning.5 The mean effect size for studies with more time spent by online learners was +0.46 compared with +0.19 for studies in which the learners in the face-to-face condition spent as much time or more on task (Q = 3.88, p < .05).6
The general take home message for me from these articles was the powerful statistics and arguments for the dual-coding model. Although I am not so sure that the way we learn can be fully described to a simple model, there isn't a question that when two modes, visual and audio, are presented simultaneously, the brain is better prepared to accept the information. They attribute it to memory space, but I think it could be a number of things. Maybe instead of space, the brain realizes that 2 modes of information are coming in and it works harder to prepare to receive the information than it would if just one mode were present.
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