Online multimedia learning with mobile devices and desktop computers: An experimental test of Clark's methods-not-media hypothesis

摘要

Students received an online multimedia lesson on how a solar cell works that consisted of 11 narrated slides with a script of 800 words. Concerning instructional media, students received the lesson on a desktop computer (i.e., iMac) in a lab or on a mobile device (i.e., iPad) in a courtyard. Concerning instructional method, students received a continuous lesson with no headings (standard method) or a segmented lesson in which the learner clicked on a button to go onto the next slide with each slide having a heading corresponding to the key idea in the script for the slide (enhanced method). Across both media, the enhanced group outperformed the standard group on a transfer test (d = .67), yielding a method effect on learning outcomes for both desktop and mobile media. Across both methods, the mobile group produced stronger ratings than the desktop group on self-reported willingness to continue learning (d = .60), yielding a media effect on motivational ratings for both standard and enhanced methods. Effective instructional methods can improve learning outcomes across different media, whereas using handheld instructional media may increase students' willingness to continue to engage in learning.