Exploring Interface Options in Multimedia Educational Environments

Multimedia technology allows information to be organized and represented in a wide variety of ways. For a computer-based educational environment to be effective, the subject matter must be presented in a clear and comprehensible format. Many multimedia applications organize information based on its physical format, i.e., sound clips, still images, text, and so on. However it is also possible to organize information based on the learner’s plan to use information. Such “cognitive media types”, media organized around cognition rather than physical format, include definitions, examples, worked problems, and problem sets [Recker, Ram, Shikano, Li & Stasko 1995]. AlgoNet was an educational multimedia environment designed to test the effectiveness of these cognitive media types. Subjects using AlgoNet’s cognitive media organization fared significantly better in a post-test than those using a traditional physical media organization [Recker et al. 1995]. While AlgoNet did show that cognitive media types helped students learn, how to best interface cognitive media types into a learning environment remained an open question. AlgoNet2 was created in order to explore some of the possible interface options for supporting cognitive multimedia. AlgoNet2 includes exactly the same domain information as AlgoNet, but with several new enhancements that allow users to navigate more easily and keep better track of their progress through the system. In order to test AlgoNet2 in a real-life situation, we deployed the system in an introductory undergraduate computer science class at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The results of our study provide insights into the factors important in the design of a computer-based educational environment.