Article: Using Multimedia Resource to Impact Online Learning

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by Mary Young, Instructional Designer II, Learning and Educational Center

There are many intriguing technology resources that are available for teaching and learning. Psychology professor Richard Mayer, whose research on The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, explores how blending various forms of media can help learners with retention. The integration of video, audio, and images in online course design offers alternative avenues for student engagement, particularly for those who face reading challenges or may benefit more from visual and auditory learning modalities. For example, a challenging theoretical idea can become more accessible when paired with a relatable video explanation, while a difficult mathematical problem may be better understood through a visual step-by-step representation. Multimedia resources can be used to create interactive assignments like infographics, timelines, AR/VR simulations, case studies, podcasts, and videos. These tools can encourage creativity and help students build real-world skills they can use beyond the classroom (Ocobrock, 2020). Multimedia learning activities not only enhance student engagement and improve retention but also create safe opportunities for students to apply their knowledge in real-world scenarios, making them an essential component of modern education.  

 

Multimedia Learning Can Enhance Student Engagement  

Meaningful learning and multimedia learning are closely connected. According to The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML), developed by Mayer (2009), students understand and retain information more effectively when content is presented using multiple modalities such as images, text, audio, and video. Multimedia tools can help to ensure that learning is available to diverse learners by providing options like closed captions or transcripts for videos, which assist learners who are hearing impaired or those who prefer reading along. Students are able to interact with educational videos at their own pace, pausing the content whenever necessary and creating visual diagrams or outlines to illustrate their understanding. Interactive multimedia learning content such as quizzes, simulations, clickable diagrams, and educational games can motivate learners to actively engage in the online learning environment.  The CTML multimedia design principles can help course designers to provide a structured approach to developing learning materials that are engaging among varying media formats. By aligning instructional design with how learners process visual and auditory information, these guidelines help reduce cognitive overload and enhance accessibility, making educational content more meaningful and learner centered. (Cavanagh & Kiersch, 2022).

Multimedia Learning Can Help with Retention  

Multimedia learning activities allow students to demonstrate skills and knowledge by presenting them in multiple forms. CTML, explains how students take in and process information when it is presented in multiple modalities like videos and text. In multimedia learning, sensory memory captures what students see and hear, while working memory is a cognitive structure where the conscious processing of information takes place, so it has a limited capacity. It is important to design multimedia materials that support how students take in, process, and store new knowledge in long-term memory. Instructional design concepts, such as the Self-Explanation Principle (Johnson & Mayer, 2010), has been useful in helping students learn through multimedia resources. This technique allows learners to connect new information with what they already know. This form of encoding can help boost learning retention and shift information from short-term to long-term memory (Rammsayer & Ulrich, 2011). Self-explanation is a learning strategy that promotes deep understanding by prompting students to draw inferences from the learning materials, recognize any previous misconceptions they may have regarding a subject, and revise their prior knowledge (Cavanagh & Kiersch, 2022). Self-explanation learning activities could include students collaborating in small groups using a digital whiteboard or Microsoft Word document to explain a list of concepts. Self-explanation learning activities could involve creating a presentation on the operation of a system, detailing the impact of each step in a process, analyzing the motivations of a character in a story through a podcast or a video essay, or interpreting concepts from a textbook or article. Active engagement through these methods improves comprehension and retention (Edessa, 2019).  

Multimedia Learning Can Provide a Safe Environment for Real-World Scenarios. 

In higher education, multimedia tools have enabled the implementation of digital assignments. Using multimedia resources can be advantageous for student learning and the cultivation of technology skills, time management, and teamwork. For instance, technology tools such as PowerPoint  and Annoto can enable course designers to create interactive scenario-based learning simulations, where learners can engage with the cause-and-effect dynamics of different decisions and behaviors without fear of causing harm or facing real-world repercussions. If learners make unfavorable decisions, they can restart the simulation and begin the learning activity again, with a better understanding of what they should do to accomplish the desired results. Multimedia resources such as eLearning modules and virtual reality scenarios offer valuable opportunities for students to develop essential soft skills that can prepare them for success in professional workplace environments.

Tips for Designing a Multimedia Assignment 

Course designers should consider the time required for learning how to use specific tools, the scope and sequence of the learning activity, and whether they align with the learning objectives. Starting small with a low-impact learning activity is a good way to implement multimedia learning because it gives course designers the opportunity to test the waters with one multimedia project assignment. Instructors can review what worked, what didn’t work, and revamp the assignment for the next iteration of the course. Multimedia learning can take different forms such as: 

  • Video Curated, instructor-created pre-recorded video, or a series of videos can be used to explain complex concepts or demonstrate procedures and techniques. 
  • Images and infographics: Curated or created Images and infographics can be used to present data and information in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand manner. 
  • Interactive Media: Interactive elements, such as quizzes, simulations, and games, can be used to engage learners and provide them with a more immersive learning experience. 
  • Audio: Curated or created audio recordings such as podcasts or voice notes can be used to provide learners with spoken instructions, feedback, or commentary on course materials (Clark & Mayer, 2016).

Multimedia Resources Can Provide Opportunities to Enhance the Quality of Learning

Digital media technologies have considerable potential to improve the quality of learning and instruction in higher education. Incorporating multimedia tools in course assignments can motivate students through innovative options and promote increased engagement with academic content. These tools empower learners to create, engage in critical thinking, and function at the higher cognitive levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. When designing engaging multimedia projects for a course, it is important to establish clear and measurable learning objectives for the assignment, specify what multimedia materials- such as infographics, podcasts, and videos, that students may utilize or produce for the assignment, and determine how much time it will take to complete. 

 If you would like assistance with creating a multimedia assignment or selecting what resource tools are needed, please contact the Learning and Educational Center (LEC) through Designlink.

 

References: 

Cavanagh, T. M., & Kiersch, C. (2023). Using commonly available technologies to create online multimedia lessons through the application of the cognitive theory of multimedia learning. Educational Technology Research and Development, 71, 1033–1053. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-022-10181-1

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction (3rd ed.). Pfeiffer.

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2016). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (4th ed.). Wiley.

Cognitive theory of multimedia learning. (n.d.). https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781139547369.005

Edessa, S. (2019). The effectiveness of adapting the 5E model cycles as daily lesson plans and uses for lesson delivery processes in teaching biology. Gamtamokslinis Ugdymas / Natural Science Education, 16(1), 63. https://doi.org/10.48127/gu-nse/19.16.63

Johnson, C. I., & Mayer, R. E. (2010). Applying the self-explanation principle to multimedia learning in a computer-based game-like environment. Computers in Human Behavior, 26(6), 1246–1252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.03.005

Mayer, R. E. (2021). Multimedia learning (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Ocobock, C. (2020). Infographics, podcasts, and videos: Promoting creativity and building transferable skills among undergraduate students. Teaching and Learning Anthropology, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.5070/T33247050