Summary Reflection

What a semester! I learned so much about the history of multi-media and its various theoretical frameworks. One particular article that stood out was “A history of instructional media, instructional design, and theories,” as I researched articles for our historical multi-media period. Our own Yunjo An, the current department chair at the University of North Texas, wrote the article. The article thoroughly accounts for history from its earliest phases until the 21st century. Over 90% of higher education teachers used social media in their classes, which was a startling finding. However, they could only use internet videos (Moran et al. 2011). Another critical factor in education, it is essential to have a foundational review of existing theories that serve as a roadmap for developing the arguments you will use in your research study. Richard Mayer created the multi-media learning theory (MMLT) in 1997, part of the significant cognitivism theory. The cognitive-affective model of immersive learning (CAMIL) is another theoretical framework (Makransky & Petersen, 2021).

The advantages of multi-media have grown over time as technology has improved, and the COVID-19 epidemic has forced instructors to learn how to present content online and interactively. Some of the advantages of using multi-media in education are as follows:

• When compared to traditional lecture-based learning methodologies, multi- media is more straightforward and engaging.

• The usage of multi-media supports a variety of learning styles.

• Multi-media successfully delivers information and employs a variety of media components to maintain a single concept.

• Multi-media improves user satisfaction and retention.

• Users can personalize their experiences with multi-media, which brings dry text

to life.

• Multi-media creates rich experiences that engage all senses.

Some critical challenges with multi-media are that instructors often do not have enough time, lack confidence in knowing the technology, lack the technical support to troubleshoot computer problems, and lack time within the school day to collaborate with other teachers.

I also discovered that computers are the most flexible or adaptive in providing media selections and have various software programs and auxiliary equipment supporting different media kinds (Clark & Mayer, 2016, p. 14). It allows people to participate in simulations while engaging in IoT, 3D gaming, and immersive virtual or augmented reality (Clark & Mayer, 2016, p. 14). When designing, you must thoroughly frame the problem and remediate it with technology solutions that will help improve the curriculum, effective learning, and student outcomes. We must understand which multi-media interventions will enhance or augment the instructional content to achieve the learning objectives. The other point of contention is appropriately integrating technology into the teaching materials. Lastly, be true to your enthusiasm for education, keep a growth mindset, and create research that will advance the discipline through evidence-based research.

References:

An, Y. (2020). A history of instructional media, instructional design, and theories. International Journal of Technology in Education, 4(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijte.35

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2016). E-Learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

Moran, M., Seaman, J., &, Tinti-Kane, H. (2011). Teaching, learning, and sharing: How today’s higher education faculty use. Social media. Pearson Learning Solutions and Babson Survey Research Group.