Abstract:

This paper reports the observations made when two different groups of students enrolled on an online undergraduate programme at the University of Mauritius were each presented with a different multimedia learning environment for the same topic. The split-attention effect as reported by Mayer (2005) was the central element guiding the design of each environment. The estimated lesson time was about one hour and the difficulty level of the learning task can be considered to be medium. The students who participated in the experiment have prior experience of online learning and the use of interactive learning materials as they were in the second year of study.

The number of students who participated in the pilot study was 32 with a 50% male and female distribution. It was also ensured that the participants selected were homogenous in terms of academic ability and achievement. One group of students (n1=14) were exposed to the learning environment that presented information in a way that it divided attention of the participants (split-attention environment) while the other group (n2=14) were exposed to an improved version of the learning environment.

The participants were observed and relevant data was collected during their interaction with the learning environment. A focus group discussion was later organized to collect feedback about their perceptions and experiences.

Participants who were exposed with the split-attention environment revealed that they had difficulties to focus their attention on the multiple sources of simultaneously presented information. As a result they had to go back and forth a number of times on the same screen to grasp the main concepts. In that respect, they felt that they should have been given more flexibility in controlling the pace and the sequence of presentation. They felt that as a consequence, the load that they had to put in from a cognitive perspective was more than usual. Participants in the improved environment reported that in general they found the navigation easy and the degree of learner control and flexibility given to them suited their overall learning preferences.

Keywords:

Multimedia Learning, split-attention effect, pedagogical design, interaction design.