Article Critique

By Sandy Nightingale

Multimedia Information and Learning

By Lawrence J. Najjar

School of Psychology

Georgia Institute of Technology

     This article discussed several studies that were done to show that multimedia may be able to help people learn more information more quickly compared to traditional classroom lecture.  The author stated that there is a virtual explosion of computer-based multimedia instructional applications based on the assumption that multimedia information helps people learn.

     A very significant finding of several of the studies cited by the author was that learning appeared to take less time when multimedia was used.  Although most of the studies discussed in the article found multimedia instruction to speed up and increase learning, there were several factors discussed that may also be responsible for the learning advantages.

     Among these factors is the fact that computer-based instruction forces the instructor to better organize and structure the lessons.  Another factor is that computer-based multimedia instruction tends to be more interactive than traditional classroom lecture.  Several studies have found that people learn material faster and have better attitudes toward the material when they learn in an interactive environment.  Two other factors are that the novelty of multimedia information has a slight, temporary, positive effect on learning, and that students are in control of the learning pace.

     The article went on to give examples of when one media supports another to aid in the learning process.  It also stated that not all media combinations increase learning.   In a study of poor first grade readers, the addition of pictures with words actually distracted the learner and decreased learning.

     The article closed stating that although multimedia seems to help people learn in several situations, some unanswered questions still remain.  One big question is how we could improve our assessment of multimedia learning to make it better matching the media we use in our information presentation.

     I felt that the author did a good job trying to show both sides of the story and did a great deal of research to find studies to prove his points.  Most of what he presented in the article seemed to just make sense, such as the fact that learners learn better when the lessons are better organized and when the learning is self-paced and interactive.  Both of these facts are in support of the idea that multimedia speeds up learning.  I wasn’t surprised by the result of the study of poor first grade readers, which found that pictures actually distracted the learner and decreased learning.  I see that every day in my own first grade class.