What is Multimedia Learning

Learning that occurs when students build mental representations from words and pictures that are presented to them (e.g., printed text and illustrations or narration and animation). Multimedia messages include words, graphics and animation. The principles of multimedia learning are focused on maximalisation: a) text-and-illustrations and narration-and-animation efect (students learn more deeply from a multimedia explanation presented in words and pictures than in words alone); b) the coherence effect with text-and-illustration and narration-and-annimation (students learn more deeply from a multimedia explanation when extraneous material is excluded rather than included); c) the spatial contiguity effect with text-and-illustration and narration-and-animation (students learn more deeply from multimedia explanations when corresponding words and pictures are presented near to rather than far from earch other on the page or screen); and d) the personalisation effect with animation-and-naration and animation-and-text (students learn more deeply from a multimedia presentation when the words are presented in conversational style rather than formal style).

Digital Textbook

Elena Railean (Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romania)