Immersive virtual reality (VR) is predicted to have a significant impact on education; but most studies investigating learning with immersive VR have reported mixed results when compared to ...low-immersion media. In this study, a sample of 118 participants was used to test whether a lesson presented in either immersive VR or as a video could benefit from the pre-training principle, as a means of reducing cognitive load. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two method conditions (with/without pre-training), and one of two media conditions (immersive VR/video). The results showed an interaction between media and method, indicating that pre-training had a positive effect on knowledge (d = 0.81), transfer (d = 0.62), and self-efficacy (d = 0.64) directly following the intervention; and on self-efficacy (d = 0.84) in a one-week delayed post-test in the immersive VR condition. No effect was found for any of these variables within the video condition.
•An interaction between media and method in learning was investigated.•The pre-training principle was tested when learning about cells with VR and a video.•Pre-training increased knowledge, transfer, and self-efficacy only in VR.•There was a main effect for perceived enjoyment indicating higher enjoyment in VR.•Results provide evidence for a media effect through an interaction with instructional method.
Recent advances in mobile technologies (esp., smartphones and tablets with built-in cameras, GPS and Internet access) made augmented reality (AR) applications available for the broad public. While ...many researchers have examined the affordances and constraints of AR for teaching and learning, quantitative evidence for its effectiveness is still scarce. To contribute to filling this research gap, we designed and conducted a pretest–posttest crossover field experiment with 101 participants at a mathematics exhibition to measure the effect of AR on acquiring and retaining mathematical knowledge in an informal learning environment. We hypothesized that visitors acquire more knowledge from augmented exhibits than from exhibits without AR. The theoretical rationale for our hypothesis is that AR allows for the efficient and effective implementation of a subset of the design principles defined in the cognitive theory of multimedia learning. The empirical results we obtained show that museum visitors performed significantly better on knowledge acquisition and retention tests related to augmented exhibits than to non-augmented exhibits and that they perceived AR as a valuable and desirable add-on for museum exhibitions.
•We conducted a cross-over framed field experiment to measure the effect of augmented reality (AR) on learning outcomes.•The field experiment was situated in a mathematics exhibition.•Participants learned significantly better from augmented exhibits than from non-augmented exhibits.•Participants perceived AR as a valuable add-on to the exhibition and wish to see more AR applications in museums in the future.
The literature provides some evidence for the effectiveness of online educational videos in students' learning. Also, general features of educational videos such as production style and video length ...were investigated to some extent. However, the actual cognitive features of educational videos available on the Internet have remained almost untreated, so far. The main goal of this study is to use learning analytics to investigate how far educational videos on YouTube support cognitive features –as formulated in the cognitive theory of multimedia learning– and how far these features support students' learning. We measure the Video Cognitive Value (VCV) by viewers' rating, particularly using the number of Likes based on a survey that we conducted to understand the semantics of Likes and Dislikes of YouTube's educational videos. Then, a sample of 105 videos was collected and analyzed with respect to cognitive features. A regression analysis showed that only four out of ten investigated features are significant for VCV (pretraining, modality, spatial contiguity, and embodiment) and the regression model could only explain 63% of the data variance. Further tests were performed to include other factors such as the video production style, the video length, the talking speed, the gender of the speaker, and whether she/he speaks English as native language. The expanded model showed only a slightly improved adjusted R-square value (68%). These results suggest that further research is required to identify and specify additional cognitive features in educational videos towards deeper understanding of the video cognitive value.
•Principles of Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning are only partially significant for online videos’cognitive value.•Content understanding seems to be the most relevant reason for liking an educational video on YouTube.•The speaker’s gender is not relevant for liking or disliking an educational video on YouTube.•Videos by native speakers or with higher talking rates are more likely to be liked.•Disliking YouTube's educational videos seems to be arbitrary and useless for analytics.
In text comprehension research, a passive validation mechanism has been observed that checks the consistency between incoming and previous text information (or prior knowledge).
In two pre-registered ...online studies, we investigated whether a passive cross-modal validation mechanism occurs during the processing of multimedia materials (i.e., text combined with pictures).
Participants (Experiment 1: N = 146; Experiment 2: N = 235) were recruited via Prolific.
We used the epistemic Stroop paradigm (Richter et al., 2009), which makes use of the fact that the passive validation mechanism induces positive or negative response tendencies that can interfere with the processing of an unrelated task if it requires an opposite response. Participants received either matching (valid) or mismatching (invalid) text-picture stimuli. Following each stimulus, participants performed an unrelated probe-word task reacting to the probe words “wrong” or “right”. The dependent variables were reaction time and error rates in the unrelated probe-word task. Experiment 1 used one-sentence-picture stimuli, while Experiment 2 used longer text-segments-picture stimuli.
Linear mixed-effects models showed interactions of validity and probe word for reaction times (Experiments 1 & 2) and error rates (Experiment 1). Post-hoc comparisons indicated prolonged reaction times or higher error rates when the probe word task required a response opposite to the outcome of the validation process.
This study is the first to demonstrate that a passive cross-modal validation mechanism checks the consistency between written text and accompanying pictures. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding information processing in multimedia contexts.
•During processing multimedia passive cross-modal validation mechanisms occur.•The mechanism checks whether incoming text and picture information is consistent.•The mechanism occurs with one-sentence-picture and longer-text-picture stimuli.
Researchers of cognitive load theory and the cognitive theory of multimedia learning have identified several strategies to optimize instructional materials. In this review article we focus on five of ...these strategies or solutions to problematic instructional designs in multimedia learning: (a) the multimedia principle (use visualizations and drawings to complement texts); (b) the split-attention effect or spatial contiguity principle (show texts contiguously or integrated with visualizations); (c) the redundancy effect, alike the coherence principle (remove nonessential learning information); (d) the signaling principle (cue or signal essential learning information); and (e) the transient information effect or segmenting principle (segment or control the pace of animations and videos). Usually, both cognitive theories have investigated solutions that instructors, teachers, and designers should pursue to optimize students’ learning. Here, in a novel approach, we show that these strategies can also be used by learners who want to self-manage their cognitive load and learning process. We provide several examples of both instructor- and learner-managed solutions aligned with these strategies. When assessing which agent, either the instructor or the learner, was most effective, we observed mixed results in the literature. However, the expertise reversal effect may help predict the direction of these effects: novice students may learn better under instructor-managed conditions, whereas more expert students may learn more under learner-managed conditions.
This paper proposes a novel empirical framework based on Source Credibility Theory and Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning to identify the effect of features (such as review text, review title ...and reviewer attributes) on the perceived helpfulness of an online review in the presence of product type (tangible vs. intangible) as a moderator. In addition, we employed quantile regression as a robustness check. We investigated two sets of hypotheses – first, the direct relationships within each variable and the helpfulness, and second, the moderating effect of product type (tangible vs. intangible) on each relationship. The results show that a more readable review can help the user process information faster. The arousal, star ratings received, and multimedia content positively affect review helpfulness. The practical implications of the paper are as follows. First, it highlights the importance of using multimedia content, such as videos and images that reviewers submit, in addition to regular textual reviews. Second, we propose a customised sorting mechanism based on product type to highlight the significant reviews for a specific product. The theoretical implications of the paper are as follows. The textual and multimedia information represents the fundamental essence of a review. This is part of the essential processing outlined by the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning because the essential processing helps comprehend the message more easily. However, review length had an inverse U-shaped (concave) relationship because a long review increases extraneous processing.
Multimedia pedagogical agents are on-screen characters that allow users to navigate or learn in multimedia environments. Several agents’ characteristics may moderate their instructional ...effectiveness, including appearance, gender, nonverbal communication, motion, and voice. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis to test hypotheses from diverse theories predicting the effects of these agents’ characteristics. We tested predictions of cognitive load theory, cognitive theory of multimedia learning, computers are social actors, social agency theory, uncanny valley, and the action observation network. Our meta-analysis of 32 effect sizes (
N
= 2104) revealed a small overall effect (
g
+ = 0.20), showing that learning with multimedia pedagogical agents was more effective than learning without these agents. As predicted by the redundancy effect of cognitive load theory and the coherence principle of cognitive theory of multimedia learning, 2D agents (
g
+ = 0.38) tended to be more effective than 3D agents (
g
+ = 0.11). As predicted by the computers are social actors hypothesis, most of the agents’ characteristics, including nonverbal communication, motion, and voice, appeared not to moderate their effectiveness. We conclude that multimedia pedagogical agents help learning through multimedia, and that students may be able to learn similarly from different types of agents.
A Meta-analysis of the Segmenting Effect Rey, Günter Daniel; Beege, Maik; Nebel, Steve ...
Educational psychology review,
06/2019, Letnik:
31, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The segmenting effect states that people learn better when multimedia instructions are presented in (meaningful and coherent) learner-paced segments, rather than as continuous units. This ...meta-analysis contains 56 investigations including 88 pairwise comparisons and reveals a significant segmenting effect with small to medium effects for retention and transfer performance. Segmentation also reduces the overall cognitive load and increases learning time. These four effects are confirmed for a system-paced segmentation. The meta-analysis tests different explanations for the segmenting effect that concern facilitating chunking and structuring due to segmenting the multimedia instruction by the instructional designer, providing more time for processing the instruction and allowing the learners to adapt the presentation pace to their individual needs. Moderation analyses indicate that learners with high prior knowledge benefitted more from segmenting instructional material than learners with no or low prior knowledge in terms of retention performance.
•Digital books with visual and auditory enhancements facilitate visual attention.•Children's bilingual proficiency moderates the effects of the enhancements.•Children who were more attentive during ...the readings recalled the stories better.•High-quality eBooks are a good supplement for child bilingual’s language exposure.
This study examined Mandarin–English bilingual children’s visual attention over repetitive readings of Mandarin enhanced digital books and static books as well as the effects visual attention has on story retelling. We assigned 89 4- and 5-year-old preschoolers in Singapore to one of three reading conditions: (a) digital books with visual and auditory enhancements, (b) digital books with only auditory enhancements, and (c) static digital books with neither visual nor auditory enhancements. We presented three stories to the children in four sessions over 2 weeks, traced their visual attention with an eye tracker, and examined their story retelling after the first and fourth readings. The results demonstrated that the digital books with visual and auditory enhancements maintained greater visual attention from children compared with that from children in the other two conditions across the four repetitive readings. Moreover, children’s bilingual language proficiency significantly modulates the conditional effects of attention. Children with higher bilingual proficiency in the visual and auditory enhancements condition outperformed their peers in the other two conditions in terms of visual attention across most readings. However, for the children with lower bilingual proficiency, the digital books with auditory and visual enhancements only outperformed the static condition but not the auditory enhanced condition. Children with lower language proficiency maintained their attention at a relatively high level across the repetitive readings in the enhanced digital book conditions but demonstrated significantly decreased visual attention in the static digital book condition. Because children with better visual attention and higher bilingual proficiency retold the stories significantly better, the results indicate that influencing visual attention helps to improve story comprehension.
When it comes to asynchronous online learning, the literature recommends multimedia content like videos of lectures and demonstrations. However, the lack of emotional connection and the absence of ...teacher support in these video materials can be detrimental to student success. We proposed incorporating talking heads and annotations to alleviate these weaknesses. In this study, we investigated the cognitive and affective effects of integrating these solutions in asynchronous video lectures. Guided by the theoretical lens of Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning and Cognitive-Affective Theory of Learning with Media, we produced a total of 72 videos (average = four videos per subtopic) with a mean duration of 258 seconds (range = 193 to 318 seconds). To comparatively assess our video treatments (i.e., regular videos, videos with face, videos with annotation, or videos with face and annotation), we conducted an educational-based cluster randomized controlled trial within a 14-week academic period with four cohorts of students enrolled in an introductory web design and development course. We recorded a total of 42,425 total page views (212.13 page views per student) for all web browsing activities within the online learning platform. Moreover, 39.92% (16,935 views) of these page views were attributed to the video pages accumulating a total of 47,665 minutes of watch time. Our findings suggest that combining talking heads and annotations in asynchronous video lectures yielded the highest learning performance, longest watch time, and highest satisfaction, engagement, and attitude scores. These discoveries have significant implications for designing video lectures for online education to support students’ activities and engagement. Therefore, we concluded that academic institutions, curriculum developers, instructional designers, and educators should consider these findings before relocating face-to-face courses to online learning systems to maximize the benefits of video-based learning.
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