Executive Summary of Results

Multimedia education systems are rapidly growing in popularity because it enables us to provide a variety of presentation modes in support of students’ learning. In particular, interactive multimedia systems with dynamic visual presentations, such as animation and film, are becoming popular because they offer potential to provide an enriched learning environment by reducing students’ cognitive load to learn the pertinent materials. In this research, we tested the effectiveness of dynamic visuals embedded in a computer-based tutoring system in support of mastery learning of management systems at the MBA level. The findings indicate that dynamic visuals have a significant effect on the perception of students in enabling them to learn the learning materials better.

Need for the Project

Computer-based tutoring (CBT) has been used in diverse learning environments with the objective to enable the learner to self-pace in learning the pertinent learning materials. In such systems, feedback is a critical part of effective learning, and it is expected that active involvement leads to more effective learning than passive involvement. CBT systems are generally based on the stimulus-response-feedback views of learning that are associated with the objectivist model of learning. Thus, CBT can be viewed as enhancing the cognitive information processing of learners by making the learning process more individually tailored. The learner is guided by the CBT system so that he/she reaches the predefined learning materials built into the system. Therefore, CBT systems can be developed for the learning environments with a well-defined structure, pre-defined learning objectives and a possible solution to the learner’s enquiries. Multimedia technology can enrich the learner’s experience by enabling the presentation of the learning materials in different formats. The question raised in this research is whether inclusion of video presentation in a CBT system is useful to the learner.

Use of Technology

The focus of this research was on the effectiveness of dynamic visuals (animation and films) on students’ learning, when used in computer-based tutoring systems. To this end, we embedded eighty (80) video clips in the form of AVI files into learning materials of a computer-based tutoring system (called MIS-Tutor) in support of mastery learning of management information systems at university-level course offerings. Previous tests of MIS-Tutor had proved to be effective in improving students’ learning. This project enabled us to test the effect of added advantage of dynamic visuals on student learning processes.

Instructional Design Plan

Describe how the use of technology used supported your teaching approach:

• What student learning outcomes were expected?

The objective was to assess the effectiveness of dynamic visuals (in the form of videos) in improving students’ mastery learning of subject matter (i.e., management information systems) that was built into the MIS-Tutor.

• How did your teaching plan encourage active learning, provide feedback, address respective learning styles, and build collaboration

The MIS-Tutor is a self-paced computer-based tutoring system, designed to fit the needs of each individual student. It provides immediate feedback to the student about the learning materials that he/she needs to study. MIS-Tutor helps students learn the elementary and fundamental issues, thereby freeing faculty to work with them on the more complex aspects of their course. MIS-Tutor enabled me to use class time to discuss case studies and leading-edge state of information systems.

• What resources were used? (campus technology support services, etc.)

The MIS-Tutor is a self-paced computer-based tutoring system, designed to fit the needs of each individual student. It provides immediate feedback to the student about the learning materials that he/she needs to study. MIS-Tutor helps students learn the elementary and fundamental issues, thereby freeing faculty to work with them on the more complex aspects of their course. MIS-Tutor enabled me to use class time to discuss case studies and leading-edge state of information systems.

• Would your project be easily understood and executed by other faculty?

Yes, the findings from this project can be easily understood and incorporated into other computer-based tutoring systems.

Potential to Impact Student Learning

Clearly define how your project improved student learning - include specific examples of how your project:

• Fostered depth of learning

Application of MIS-Tutor significantly improves students’ mastery learning of the fundamental issues, thereby enabled me to work with them on discovery of the more complex aspects of the course in the form of discussion of case-studies and related journal articles.

• Supported efforts to improve retention

MIS-Tutor has a built in procedure to improve retention of learning materials. This is done by assessing whether it is necessary to test and provide learning materials related to a pre-requisite learning lesson that might have been forgotten by the student. In addition, dynamic visuals embedded in the learning materials are perceived by the students to be useful in learning the subject matter.

• Fostered the learning of large numbers of students

A primary advantage of computer-based instruction is its ability to provide improved mastery learning performance by means of one-on-one tutoring. The results of my formative evaluation of the MIS-Tutor support this notion.

• Has broader applications that will affect learning K-12 or community environments?

The methodology used in MIS-Tutor and the findings related to the effectiveness of dynamic visuals on students” learning is general and can be adapted to any text-based mastery-learning environment.

Assessment Plan

Briefly explain the effectiveness of your assessment plan:

• What measure of assessment was used?

1. Students’ learning performance with and without the embedded dynamic visuals was assessed based on their performance in two tests.
2. Student perception regarding the usefulness of embedded dynamic visuals was assessed using structured questionnaires that were administered before and after the use of MIS-Tutor.

• How did your approach obtain measures of performance?

1. Students’ learning performance with and without the embedded dynamic visuals was assessed based on their performance in two tests. Each test consisted of 50 multiple-choice questions.
2. Student perception regarding the usefulness of embedded dynamic visuals was assessed using Likert-type structured questionnaires that were administered before and after use of the MIS-Tutor.

• Did you feel your measurement was accurate and effective?

Yes, assessments used in this research were valid and reliable for assessing the stated hypotheses (i.e., the goals of the project). The tests were randomly selected from materials covered in the assigned textbook. The structured questionnaires were assessed for their reliability and validity.

Plan for Colleague Development

Describe your role and activities as a mentor:

• What mentoring act4 May, 2007/ul>

  Presentation of my findings and demonstration of the MIS-Tutor at IUSB in May, and at IUB in June. In addition, results of this investigation will be submitted for publication in a refereed journal.

  • How did you help to develop colleague's instructional technology skills?

  Colleagues teaching MIS in the School of Business and Economics used MIS-Tutor in support of improving students’ mastery learning. Other universities are now adopting this technology as well.

  • How do you think your contributions to the Knowledge Base will help colleagues planning similar projects?

  Colleagues can use the results of my investigation regarding the effectiveness of dynamic visuals in support of learning process to enhance instructional methodology. In addition, I am prepared to work with colleagues to adapt MIS-Tutor to other learning environment (e.g., health sciences, economics). This research identifies a series of issues in need of further investigation.

  • Is your project approach potentially applicable to other contexts or disciplines?

  Yes, the shell used in MIS-Tutor can support any “text-based mastery learning” environments such as economics, health sciences.

  • What tips would you offer?
  1. Computer-based tutoring systems improve students’ mastery learning. However, development cost should be assessed carefully in advance (the cost of developing a CBT can easily exceed $200,000).
  2. Use of video presentation may not improve students’ mastery learning performance. Thus, based on performance alone, it may not be cost effective to create video presentations that are usually very costly.
  3. Videos are perceived to be useful by the students towards learning the subject matter. Students with higher motivation for learning the subject matter perceived videos to be more useful than other students. Thus, even though videos may not have an immediate effect on students’ learning, it may have long-term positive effect on students’ learning retention of the subject matter. This is based on previous findings in cognition and learning that, students with a motivational orientation involving goals and mastery, learning and challenge, as well as beliefs that the task is interesting and important, will engage in more metacognitive activity, more cognitive strategy use, and more effective effort management. The long-term effect of videos on students’ learning and retention needs to be empirically tested in the future research

  Final Comments on Project Results

  • Do you think you met the goals of your project?

  Yes, I have met the goals of this project to assess the effectiveness of dynamic visuals embedded in computer-based tutoring system in support of students’ mastery learning.

  • What, if anything,would you do differently?

  I believe my research methodology is well grounded. Therefore, I would not do anything differently.

  • Did you have any unexpected outcomes? (positive or negative)

  The findings from this investigation show clearly that students perceive video to be useful in support of their learning processes. However, students’ performance shows that added functionality of video has no effect on their mastery learning of the subject matter. This is a unique finding. In addition, students with higher motivation for learning the subject matter perceived videos to be more useful than other students. Thus, eve though videos may not have an immediate effect on students’ learning, it may have a long-term positive effect on students’ learning retention of the subject matter.

  • Would you recommend this teaching approach to colleagues?

  Yes, I do recommend use of information technology in support of students’ mastery learning. Application of CBT systems, such as MIS-Tutor, in educational institutions can help students learn fundamental issues, thereby freeing faculty to work with them on discovery of the more complex aspects of the course. In addition, development of well-grounded CBT systems forces us to think about innovative means of improving students learning.

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