If not designed in consideration to the workings of the human mind, multimedia learning environments can impose too high a demand on working memory. While such high cognitive load presents challenges for learners of all ages, older learners may be particularly affected as research on cognitive aging has shown the efficiency of working memory declines with age. Research has suggested that cognitive load theory (CLT) and the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) are likely to accommodate the cognitive needs of older learners; however, few of the principles emerging from these theories have been examined in the context of cognitive aging. The abundance of studies has focused on younger learners, prompting the need for further research of CLT and CTML principles with regard to age. This study contributes to the body of research on the cognitive aging principle by extending research on the modality effect with middle-aged learners. Ninety-two participants ranging in age from 30 to 59 were exposed to multimedia learning treatments presented as animation with concurrent narration and animation with concurrent text, followed by retention, concept, and transfer tests of multimedia learning. Demographic and descriptive statistics were performed along with a multivariate analysis of variance. The findings did not show a modality effect with middle-aged learners; however, results need to be interpreted with care as possible explanations may entail other causes for the lack of a modality effect other than age.

National dialogue and scholarly research illustrate the need for engaging science, math, technology, and engineering (STEM) innovations in K-12 environments, most importantly in low-income communities (President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2012). According to Educating the Engineer of 2020, "current curricular material does not portray STEM in ways that seem likely to excite the interest of students from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds" (Phase, 2005). The National Educational Technology Plan of 2010 believes that one of the most powerful ways to transform and improve K-12 STEM education it to instill a culture of innovation by leveraging cutting edge technology (Polly et al., 2010). Augmented reality (AR) is an emerging and promising educational intervention that has the potential to engage students and transform their learning of STEM concepts. AR blends the real and virtual worlds by overlaying computer-generated content such as images, animations, and 3D models directly onto the student's view of the real world. Visual representations of STEM concepts using AR produce new educational learning opportunities, for example, allowing students to visualize abstract concepts and make them concrete (Radu, 2014). Although evidence suggests that learning can be enhanced by implementing AR in the classroom, it is important to take into account how students are processing AR content. Therefore, this research aims to examine the unique benefits and challenges of utilizing augmented reality (AR) as a supplemental learning technique to reinforce mathematical concepts while concurrently responding to students' cognitive demands. To examine and understand how cognitive demands affect students' information processing and creation of new knowledge, Mayer's Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) is leveraged as a theoretical framework to ground the AR application and supporting research. Also, to enhance students' engagement, gamification was used to incorporate game elements (e.g. rewards and leaderboards) into the AR applications. This research applies gamification and CTML principles to tablet-based gamified learning AR (GLAR) applications as a supplemental tool to address three research objectives: (1) understanding the role of prior knowledge on cognitive performance, (2) examining if adherence to CTML principles applies to GLAR, and, (3) investigating the impact of cognitive style on cognitive performance. Each objective investigates how the inclusion of CTML in gamifying an AR experience influences students' perception of cognitive effects and how GLAR affects or enhances their ability to create new knowledge. Significant results from objective one suggest, (1) there were no differences between novice and experienced students' cognitive load, and, (2) novice students' content-based learning gains can be improved through interaction with GLAR. Objective two found that high adherence to CTML's principles was effective at (1) lowering students' cognitive load, and, (2) improving GLAR performance. The key findings of objective three are (1) there was no difference in FID students' cognitive load when voice and coherence were manipulated, and, (2) both FID and FD students had content-based learning gains after engagement with GLAR. The results of this research adds to the existing knowledge base for researchers, designers and practitioners to consider when creating gamified AR applications. Specifically, this research provides contributions to the field that include empirical evidence to suggest to what degree CTML is effective as an AR-based supplemental pedagogical tool for underrepresented students in southwest Virginia. And moreover, offers empirical data on the relationship between underrepresented students' perceived benefits of GLAR and it is impact on students' cognitive load. This research further offers recommendations as well as design considerations regarding the applicability of CTML when developing GLAR applications. / PHD / The purpose of this research is to examine the unique benefits and challenges of using augmented reality (AR) to reinforce underrepresented students’ math concepts while observing how their process information. Gamification and Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) principles are applied to create tablet-based gamified learning AR (GLAR) applications to address three research objectives: (1) understanding the role of prior knowledge on cognitive performance, (2) examining if adherence to CTML principles applies to GLAR, and, (3) investigating the impact of cognitive style on cognitive performance. Each objective investigates how the inclusion of CTML in gamifying an AR experience influences students’ perception of cognitive effects and how GLAR affects or enhances their ability to create new knowledge. This research offers recommendations as well as design considerations regarding the applicability of CTML when developing GLAR applications for underrepresented students in southwest Virginia.

In this study, factors affecting eye tracking measures and achievement in multimedia learning were explored. Familiarity, redundancy, and control are three important factors, which affect the levels of achievement in multimedia learning. In this study, three experiments were conducted in which the main effects and interactions of familiarity, redundancy, and pace investigated. In Experiment 1, a chemistry lesson with narration were studied twice as multimedia lesson. In Experiment 2, different group of participants studied two versions of chemistry lessons. Both versions had subtitles / however, in one version in Experiment 2, narration was removed from background during the experiment. In Experiment 3, different group of participants studied two versions of mechanism lessons. One of the mechanism lessons was system-paced. The other one was also self-paced / however, in this one, the learner decided to proceed to next slide as his or her own choice. After studying lessons, participants completed an achievement test, which consisted of recognition, recall, and transfer questions. The results showed that fixation count, fixation duration, total fixation duration, and total visit duration showed significant differences as well as interactions as per fragments, familiarity, areas of interest, and type of images, varying in accordance with the lesson type. The correlations among scores of achievement tests and eye tracking metrics were also reported. The results are discussed within the scope of cognitive theory of multimedia learning design principles and cognitive load theory in the conclusion chapter.

Ownership of mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones, has quickly risen in the last decade. Unsurprisingly, they are now being integrated into the training and classroom setting. Specifically, the U.S. Army has mapped out a plan in the Army Learning Model of 2015 to utilize mobile devices for training purposes. However, before these tools can be used effectively, it is important to identify how the tablets' unique properties can be leveraged. For this dissertation, the touch interface and the interactivity that tablets afford were investigated using a procedural-motor task. The procedural motor task was the disassembly procedures of a M4 carbine. This research was motivated by cognitive psychology theories, including Cognitive Load Theory and Embodied Cognition. In two experiments, novices learned rifle disassembly procedures in a narrated multimedia presentation presented on a tablet and then were tested on what they learned during the multimedia training involving a virtual rifle by performing a rifle disassembly on a physical rifle, reassembling the rifle, and taking a written recall test about the disassembly procedures. Spatial ability was also considered as a subject variable. Experiment 1 examined two research questions. The primary research question was whether including multiple forms of interactivity in a multimedia presentation resulted in higher learning outcomes. The secondary research question in Experiment 1 was whether dynamic multimedia fostered better learning outcomes than equivalent static multimedia. To examine the effects of dynamism and interactivity on learning, four multimedia conditions of varying levels of interactivity and dynamism were used. One condition was a 2D phase diagram depicting the before and after of the step with no animation or interactivity. Another condition utilized a non-interactive animation in which participants passively watched an animated presentation of the disassembly procedures. A third condition was the interactive animation in which participants could control the pace of the presentation by tapping a button. The last condition was a rifle disassembly simulation in which participants interacted with a virtual rifle to learn the disassembly procedures. A comparison of the conditions by spatial ability yielded the following results. Interactivity, overall, improved outcomes on the performance measures. However, high spatials outperformed low spatials in the simulation condition and the 2D phase diagram condition. High spatials seemed to be able to compensate for low interactivity and dynamism in the 2D phase diagram condition while enhancing their performance in the rifle disassembly simulation condition. In Experiment 2, the touchscreen interface was examined by investigating how gestures and input modality affected learning the disassembly procedures. Experiment 2 had two primary research questions. The first was whether gestures facilitate learning a procedural-motor task through embodied learning. The second was whether direct touch input using resulted in higher learning outcomes than indirect mouse input. To examine the research questions, three different variations of the rifle disassembly simulation were used. One was identical to that of Experiment 1. Another incorporated gestures to initiate the animation whereby participants traced a gesture arrow representing the motion of the component to learn the procedures. The third condition utilized the same interface as the initial rifle disassembly simulation but included "dummy" gesture arrows that displayed only visual information but did not respond to gesture. This condition was included to see the effects (if any) of the gesture arrows in isolation of the gesture component. Furthermore, direct touch input was compared to indirect mouse input. Once again, spatial ability also was considered. Results from Experiment 2 were inconclusive as no significant effects were found. This may have been due to a ceiling effect of performance. However, spatial ability was a significant predictor of performance across all conditions. Overall, the results of the two experiments support the use of multimedia on a tablet to train a procedural-motor task. In line with vision of ALM 2015, the research support incorporating tablets into U.S. Army training curriculum.

The full text will be available at the end of the embargo: 15th Dec 2026

Submitted by Priscilla Araujo (priscilla@ibict.br) on 2017-06-20T18:23:12Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertacao-KarlaCorvino-2017.pdf: 2233201 bytes, checksum: 3361f03e8e81044bf0068b50c3e6c6ca (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-20T18:23:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertacao-KarlaCorvino-2017.pdf: 2233201 bytes, checksum: 3361f03e8e81044bf0068b50c3e6c6ca (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-06 / A tecnologia permite elaborar conteúdos instrucionais em diferentes suportes e formatos com o uso de áudios, textos, vídeos e animações, os quais influenciam distintamente na maneira como o ser humano interage com a informação e aprende. A compreensão dessas influências é importante para adaptar a tecnologia multimídia para melhorar a aprendizagem humana. A Teoria Cognitiva de Aprendizagem Multimídia de Richard Mayer apresenta princípios básicos para a elaboração de material instrucional multimídia visando a facilitar a aprendizagem, com base em como as pessoas aprendem. Estudos empíricos nas áreas de psicologia, educação, tecnologia e outras, têm buscado validar os princípios da teoria e testar suas implicações no processo de aprendizagem. O objetivo desta pesquisa é identificar critérios informacionais, com base na análise sistemática de estudos empíricos sobre a consistência dos princípios preconizados pela Teoria Cognitiva de Aprendizagem Multimídia, que possam ser utilizados na elaboração e na adaptação de material instrucional multimídia na web, de modo a maximizar a aprendizagem e a transferência cognitiva de conhecimento técnico especializado. A partir desses achados, material instrucional multimídia do programa Dia de Campo na TV é analisado e adaptações são sugeridas, para facilitar o processo de transferência de tecnologia e de conhecimento por meio da web. Por fim, uma lista de recomendações para subsidiar a criação de novos conteúdos instrucionais é oferecida, a fim de ampliar a efetividade do uso de recursos multimídia na promoção da aprendizagem e na difusão coletiva de conhecimento especializado. / Technology allows the development of instructional content in different supports and formats, including audio, text, video and animations, which affect the ways humans interact with information and learn. It is important to understand these influences in order to adapt multimedia technology to enhance human learning. Richard Mayer's Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) presents principles to which multimedia instructional material should conform to facilitate learning, built upon an understanding of how people learn. Empirical studies in the areas of psychology, education, technology and others have sought to validate these principles and test their implications in the learning process. The aim of this research is to identify informational criteria, based upon a systematic review of the literature about the consistency of principles advocated by CTML, to be used in the creation and adaptation of multimedia instructional material on the Internet, in order to maximize learning experience and specialized knowledge cognitive transfer. From these findings, the multimedia instructional material of Field Day on TV program is analyzed and adaptations are suggested to improve the knowledge and technology transfer process throgh the web. Finally, a list of recommendations to support the creation of new instructional contents is organized to increase the effectiveness of the use of multimedia resources to enhance learning experience and specialized knowledge diffusion.

This study aimed to understand the relationship between mobile device screen display size (laptops and smartphones) and text segmentation (continuous text, medium text segments, and small text segments) on learning outcomes, cognitive load, and user perception. This quantitative study occurred during the spring semester of 2015. Seven hundred and seventy-one chemistry students from a higher education university completed one of nine treatments in this 3x3 research design. Data collection took place over four class periods. The study revealed that learning outcomes were not affected by the mobile screen display size or orientation, nor was working memory. However, user perception was affected by the screen display size of the device, and results indicated that participants in the sample felt laptop screens were more acceptable for accessing the digital chemistry text than smartphone screens by a small margin. The study also found that neither learning outcomes, nor working memory was affected by the text segmentation viewed. Though user perception was generally not affected by text segmentation, the study found that for perceived ease of use, participants felt medium text segments were easier to learn from than either continuous or small test segments by a small margin. No interaction affects were found between mobile devices and text segmentation. These findings challenge the findings of some earlier studies that laptops may be better for learning than smartphones because of screen size, landscape orientation is better for learning than portrait orientation in small screen mobile devices, and meaningful text segments may be better for learning than non-meaningful, non-segmented, or overly segmented text. The results of this study suggest that customizing the design to the smartphone screen (as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach) improves learning from smartphones, making them equal to learning from laptops in terms of learning outcomes and cognitive load, and in some cases, user perspective. / text

Multimedia is a form of communication and sharing knowledge using synergic effect of parallel connected communication channels. Its main use is in producing communications products and services and in design of user interfaces. Main objective of this dissertation is to develop and create a model of multimedia communication for better understanding of the meaning and the purpose of using multimedia forms in communication process. The model will describe a system of elements and parameters of multimedia communication within the internal and external context. Another objective of this dissertation is to develop multimedia communication methodology that will be used for the design, development and evaluations of concepts of multimedia communication. The methodology will be created by applying the model of multimedia communication into the procedure structure. In theoretical way this dissertation is based on analysis of different definitions and approaches to the multimedia communications topic. This is followed by an analysis of communication theories, concepts of media, multimedia, delivery channels, and communication functions. The theoretical part is followed by the outcomes of the research in practice of four different fields of multimedia use. The knowledge gained is analyzed in the following parts in purpose of creating the model of multimedia communication and the methodology which is derived from the model. The methodology is further validated through case studies and the recommendations for further development are formulated. The model and the methodology of multimedia communication created in this dissertation present complex view on multimedia communication topic that is considered as a useful tool for meeting a specific communication purpose. Dissertation provides mechanics for use and study of multimedia communication and also defines the opportunities for further development of the methodology.

El propósito de esta investigación es estudiar las estrategias multimediales en seis diferentes vídeos educativos de YouTube que se dirigen a aprendices de español como lengua extranjera. Con este fin, la investigación se basa en la teoría cognitiva del aprendizaje multimedial (TCAM) y diez principios postulados por Mayer (2008) que sirven para mejorar el diseño de mensajes instruccionales multimediales como vídeos educativos. A partir de las preguntas de investigación el propósito es averiguar si los vídeos estudiados siguen los principios en concordancia con la TCAM y si se utilizan diferentes estrategias para cumplir con cada principio. La metodología es cualitativa y consiste en un análisis interpretativo de los vídeos y situaciones concretas de los mismos. Las observaciones muestran que los vídeos no siguen todos los principios y por lo demás se constata que ninguno de los vídeos cumple con los principios de redundancia y modalidad puesto que todos contienen texto añadido. Asimismo, se observa que es posible llevar a la práctica varias estrategias para implementar cada principio. En cuanto a estudios futuros se sugiere que se realizan investigaciones sobre cómo aquellas estrategias afectan a los aprendices en un contexto formal, es decir, en el aula. / The purpose of this essay is to study the multimedia strategies in six different educational videos on YouTube that are made for learners of Spanish as a foreign language. To this end, the study focuses on the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) and ten principles postulated by Mayer (2008) that serve to improve the design of multimedia instructional messages, for example in educational videos. Based on the research questions, the purpose is to find out if the videos follow the principles in accordance with the CTML and if different strategies can be used to comply with each principle. The methodology is qualitative and consists of interpretative analysis of the videos and specific situations. The observations show that the videos do not follow all the principles and that none of the videos comply with the principles of redundancy and modality, since they all contain added text. Likewise, the study verifies that it is possible to put into practice several strategies to implement each principle. Regarding future studies, it is suggested that research on how those strategies affect learners in a formal context, that is, in the classroom, are carried out.