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Multimedia Elements
Multimedia elements include audio, video, and interactive pieces done
in Flash™, Authorware™, or another type of software. The
CLASS™ project, being research and development project, wanted
to experiment with different types of multimedia to enhance the CLASS™ courses.
It was obvious that some types of subject matter required more multimedia
elements than others. We have previously discussed interactive elements,
so this discussion will focus mainly on audio and video elements.
| Language courses, especially, require the use of audio. Video,
although not required, is highly desirable! Working with NET (Nebraska
Educational Telecommunications) on course production gave CLASS™ access
to excellent resources for audio and video production, although
their production was costly and time consuming. |
ESL 1 Video |
The Spanish 1 and ESL 1 CLASS™courses
made extensive use of both. In the ESL 1 course, videos were created
by the design team and NET.
Spanish 1 video |
The Spanish 1 CLASS™ course used the video
component from the Holt, Rinehart, and Winston textbook. The
video component included shots from several areas of the Spanish-speaking
world.
The Spanish 1 CLASS™ course used the video
component from the Holt, Rinehart, and Winston textbook. The
video component included shots from several areas of the Spanish-speaking
world.
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The Spanish 1 course introductory video includes music accompaniment,
which is very effective. Music that was representative of three areas
of the Spanish-speaking world covered in this course was composed by
a musician hired by and recorded at NET. Although this was a very effective
addition to the course, it was also very expensive.
| The Psychology CLASS™ course also used videos
to introduce the concepts presented from real life situations.
This video introduces a section on self-image and eating disorders.
Our studies show that students prefer videos that show situations
they can relate to. |
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Although videos and other multimedia elements to be extremely beneficial
in many of the courses, they were also expensive to produce. In addition,
the number of audio files and the length of video files were a major
consideration. Course download time must be kept to a minimum for students
with dial-up modems. Studies showed that if the load time was too long,
students got frustrated and/or bored with the process and did not wait
for the elements to load, but bypassed them and moved on. When using
multimedia elements, this download time factor must be weighed against
the benefits provided by the elements. The cost and time commitment
of producing audio and video is also a great consideration.
Copyright 2004 - University of Nebraska Board of Regents - All Rights Reserved
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