"Do screen captures in manuals make a difference?": a comparison between textual and visual manuals

Examines the use of screen captures in manuals. Three types of manuals were compared: one textual and two visual. The two visual manuals differed in the type of screen capture that was used. One had screen captures that showed only the relevant part of the screen, whereas the other consisted of captures of the full screen. All manuals contained exactly the same textual information. We examined immediate use on time (use as a job aid) and on learning (use as a teacher). For job-aid purposes, there was no difference between the manuals. The visual manual with full-screen captures and the textual manual were both better for learning than the visual manual with partial screen captures. We found no effect on user motivation. The tentative conclusion of this study is that screen captures seem not to be vital for learning or immediate use. If one opts for including screen captures, then the conclusion is that full-screen captures are better than partial one

Exploration of concise redundancy in online multimedia learning

With the rapid growth of multimedia in education, the importance of investigating the effect of redundancy, repeating instructional messages to enhance conceptualization in instructional material design, is becoming more important. Various studies have been conducted recently regarding the effects of different forms of redundancy. A multimedia lesson presenting concurrent on-screen text, still graphics or animations, and narration is a typical setting in redundancy research. Concise redundancy is the revision of the on-screen text into a concise form which is presented to the learners concurrently with visualizations and narration. The purpose of this study was to investigate, while controlling for spatial ability, the effects of concise redundancy on students\u27 retention and confidence when learning with highly complex multimedia materials. In addition, the effects of animation or still graphics along with text redundancy were examined. No significant differences were found between the graphic presentations (animation or series of stills) and text redundancy groups (full, concise, or none) on retention or levels of confidence. When examining the results taking into account high and low spatial abilities, no significant differences were found in terms of different graphic presentation (animation or series of stills) and different text redundancy groups (full, concise, or none). However, in one condition, low spatial ability learners exhibited significantly higher levels of confidence than high spatial ability learners when learning with narrated static graphics and concise redundancy. The current study should provide further guidance for researchers who are interested in examining narrated multimedia lessons containing concise redundancy when comparing static graphics to animated graphics

Verbal redundancy in a procedural animation: On-screen labels improve retention but not behavioral performance

Multimedia learning research has shown that presenting the same words as spoken text and as written text to accompany graphical information hinders learning (i.e., redundancy effect). However, recent work showed that a “condensed” form of written text (i.e., on-screen labels) that overlaps with the spoken text, and thus is only partially redundant, can actually foster learning. This study extends this line of research by focusing on the usefulness of on-screen labels in an animation explaining a procedural task (i.e., first-aid procedure). The experiment had a 2 × 2 × 2 between-subject design (N = 129) with the factors spoken text (yes vs. no), written text (yes vs. no), and on-screen labels (yes vs. no). Learning outcomes were measured as retention accuracy and behavioral performance accuracy. Results showed that on-screen labels improved retention accuracy (but not behavioral performance accuracy) of the procedure, especially when presented together with spoken text. So, on-screen labels appear to be promising for learning from procedural animations

Worked examples : effect of modified and conventional worked examples on assembly time, accuracy, and efficiency in a manufacturing environment

unavailabl

Reimagining the Chalk Talk: Animated Handwriting as a Social Cue to Improve Motivation in Multimedia Video Lessons

Animated handwriting in multimedia video lessons, such as those popularized by the Khan Academy, has reimagined the classic teaching technique of writing on a chalkboard while lecturing for online delivery. This digital chalk talk effect mimics classroom lectures where words are written letter by letter on a chalkboard as they are spoken. Low-cost applications, tablets, and document cameras allow instructors at all levels to easily create their own animated handwritten videos. As adoption increases, it is important to understand the effects of this strategy. This study employed a true experimental, between-subjects, posttest design that compared multimedia lessons with different text display formats on outcomes of motivation, mental effort, and learning. Undergraduate student volunteers (n = 234) from a large U.S., West Coast, regional, four-year public university were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: Animated handwritten, animated typewritten, or static typewritten. Each group watched a different version of a five-segment, twelve-minute multimedia lesson about cryptography. Lessons differed only in the visual text display format and contained identical narration and content. Results indicated that multimedia with animated handwritten text produced strong social cues motivating learners. Participants who viewed the animated handwriting reported significantly greater social agency attitudes toward the learning experience than with static typewritten text. They perceived the narrator’s voice as more dynamic with animated handwriting when compared to static, even though the voice was identical. They also reported more attention to the lesson and materials with animated handwriting than either animated typewritten or static typewritten. These motivational gains are accomplished without introducing extraneous cognitive load or negatively impacting learning outcomes. Significant findings from this research demonstrated that animated handwritten text is more than just a signaling strategy. The combination of text being hand-drawn and appearing as if a real person is writing it in real time adds a powerful social cue. Results of this study demonstrate that using animated handwriting in multimedia video lessons is an effective way to increase motivation through social cues that can be accomplished without requiring expansive technical knowledge, expensive equipment or extensive time investments

Task Experience as a Boundary Condition for the Negative Effects of Irrelevant Information on Learning

Research on multimedia learning has shown that learning is hampered when a multimedia message includes extraneou

Applying principles for multimedia learning to eLearning modules to reduce extraneous processing

The purpose of the portfolio is to illustrate tangible examples of effective eLearning design and to explain why they are effective. In this chapter, the products of the portfolio will be thoroughly described. How the products are implemented in the Instructional Design community is then described and explained. The goal of these products is to help the professional Instructional Design community by offering a comprehensive resource showing best practices based on principles to reduce extraneous processing. The products of the portfolio, as described in chapter three are two separate items that are now combined into one deliverable. This overall deliverable is an eLearning module created with Articulate Storyline 360. It has intuitive navigation, branching navigation and self-paced learner-led options to explore the content. The module starts with a main menu page, which has an interactive design. There is a title here and five tabs, one for each principle. As the learner hovers over each of the five tabs, they move on a motion path and reveal the names of the principles. Once the tabs are expanded, they remain that way throughout the whole interaction, no matter how many times the learner navigates from and back to the main menu. The learner can access and return to any of the menu options as frequently or infrequently and in any order in which they desire. This unlocked navigation is purposeful and done so because the implementation of the module is to be a resource. Each button when clicked, brings the learner to the corresponding branching scene. Each scene has a landing slide with the name and brief definition of the principle, as well as three buttons. The learner can click on one button at a time to lightbox a new slide with content that is either an example or a non-example of the principle in action. Each principle has a total of three different examples and/or non-examples. Similar to the free navigation of the main menu, once a learner accesses a lightbox they can close out of it by clicking the X in the upper right corner. They can visit and revisit as many times as they wish. The button to access the lightbox has a responsive design so that once accessed, a checkmark is revealed to signal it has been visited. Each lightboxed slide has a layer on it. The main base layer of the slide displays the featured content. However, to view the explanation of how the example represents the principle, there is an icon in the upper left corner that can be clicked to reveal a layer with an explanation. This layer can be opened and closed as many times as the user wants and can be left in either state without it distracting from the main content of the slide