Suddenly Online: The Use of Multimedia in Distance Learning Classrooms

Distance learning is becoming increasingly common in college education, as nearly every higher education institution had to pivot to this instruction style in the midst of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. In order for distance learning to provide the same quality of instruction as in-person learning, educators will need to utilize modalities best suited for online teaching environments. This pilot study seeks to understand both the information recall and learning perception experienced by college students in three different, digital, learning materials. Drawing upon Richard Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning and personalization principle, three conditions were created for participants to learn about skin cancer in young adults. During the pilot, 25 college-aged students received one of the three conditions and immediately answered a set of comprehension questions. Then the participants received the other two conditions and answered a set of qualitative questions asking them to compare and contrast their experience with all three modalities. The animation yielded the highest information recall levels as well as highest favorability among students. Using descriptive statistics, the data from the pilot led to three main recommendations for educators to consider. First, instructional materials should include visual representations concurrent to an explanatory narration. Additionally, micro visual aids such as color should be included whenever text is present to reiterate the information. Lastly, conversational language and relatable examples should be used whenever possible.Bachelor of Art