A New Use for Multimedia Learning in Introductory Physics
1/1/2008
American Association of Physics Teachers Summer Conference
We have recently created multimedia learning modules for use in an introductory calculus-based electricity and magnetism course. We have designed these modules in accordance with the literature from this field of psychology. Our intention is to reduce the cognitive load students experience during their first interaction with new physics material. In particular, we present the material as narrated animations under student control. The idea is to create visual representations that reinforce the words as they are spoken so that the student can use the information from both their auditory and visual short term memories to construct their understanding.
The module is structured as a pre-lecture with embedded assessment that most students require about fifteen minutes to complete. After completing the pre-lecture, students submit another short assessment which we use to create the "lecture" experience. We will present "in vitro" and "in vivo" studies of the effectiveness of this learning environment.