Learning in High-Tech and Multimedia Environments

When do high-tech environments promote learning? The goal of this article is to offer one answer to this question by examining the classic distinction between media and method, in terms of their roles in promoting learning with technology. To this end, I first propose a cognitive theory of learning with media, from which a set of instructional design principles are derived. Then I review research in which the relative learning contributions of method and media are investigated, and I offer final reflections for future research. KEYWORDS—instructional design; cognition; learning All instructional technologies share a common purpose: to improve learning. However, until recently, there has been no theoretical or empirical framework to guide their design. The goal of this article is to provide such a framework by proposing a cognitive theory of learning with media (CTLM) and to review relevant research in support of such a theory. Due to the variety of technologies used in learning, a useful first step in examining their role is to make the classic distinction between media and methods (Clark, 1983). Whereas the former refers to the physical systems or vehicles used to deliver the information—such as face-to-face interaction, textbooks, or desktop computers—the latter refers to techniques that are embedded in different media to promote learning—such as multimedia or discovery methods. Consequently, media and methods can be combined in different ways. For example, some instructional technologies utilize identical methods but are delivered with different media. This is the case when using a multimedia method (i.e., combining words and pictures), which may be delivered in a textbook or a computer program. Similarly, there are technologies that use identical delivery media but vary in the type of instructional methods. For example, desktop instructional games may utilize direct-instruction or discovery methods. What are the roles of media and method in instructional technology? Two conflicting hypotheses have been offered to answer this question (Moreno & Mayer, 2002). According to the media-affects-learning hypothesis, more advanced instructional technologies promote deeper learning, regardless of the instructional method. This hypothesis is consistent with 20thcentury efforts to integrate newer technologies—such as motion picture, radio, television, and computers—into education and is based solely on the assumption that state-of-the-art technologies are more effective learning tools than older technologies are. Conversely, the method-affects-learning hypothesis states that as long as the instructional methods embedded in the media promote appropriate cognitive processing during learning, the type of media delivering the method does not matter. The next section presents a theoretical framework to help understand whether and in what ways methods and media affect learning.