Implementing multimedia resources in online learning and its effect on student understanding

In this study, the impact of employing multimedia resources in the teaching of a common first year engineering course, Engineering Materials, was investigated. The aim was to determine if there was an improvement in students’ reported understanding and evidence of student’s engagement as a result of using the resources. The multimedia resources were developed using animation software, supplemented by video recordings and inked annotations of each lecture. An online survey was conducted over three semesters utilizing an inbuilt facility in the online learning environment. The initial results showed that implementing the multimedia resources significantly improved the student engagement, quality of teaching and students’ understanding of complex topics. About 73 per cent of the students preferred teaching methods using multimedia resources and inking. This preference was very pronounced in the off campus student cohort