Theories of learning and multimedia applications: an overview

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Abstract
The article presents a synthesis of research findings and theoretical perspectives in the field of learning with interactive courseware delivered on advanced technology platforms. Two dominant theoretical positions are examined: the behaviourist and the cognitive. The main features of each as they relate to instructional design are identified. The question of their effectiveness is then addressed through a review of the relevant empirical findings drawn from studies of interactive applications in the USA and UK. The behaviourist position is linked to an objectivist view of knowledge. Characteristic design features of this orientation include serial structuring of material, program control, and regular review and testing against prespecified criteria. The author relates these features to the way in which interactive applications are programmed and shows that there is considerable convergence. The empirical evidence suggests that learning can be efficiently accomplished with courseware designed from this perspective, although there may be a trade off between efficiency and effectiveness. The paucity of data on ‘higher order’ learning from multimedia applications is noted. The cognitive orientation is shown to embrace both information processing and social constructivist positions. Once again the key instructional design features are related to the underlying capabilities of advanced technology platforms and the way multimedia applications can be programmed. For example, through use of algorithms, object‐oriented programming and hypertext databases it is possible to produce microworlds, simulations and ‘real’ environments for the user to explore on screen. The empirical record supports the inductive approach of constructivist design but suggests that provision of suitable metacognitive frameworks is problematic. The issue of user versus program control also remains unresolved. Four major issues are identified from the review and analysis. The first is the question of the suitability of multimedia applications for some types of training particularly in professional ‐‐ client contexts. The second concerns the type of tutoring support to be provided to the learner and the role of the traditional teacher in relation to it. The third is epistemological. Can computer‐based courseware, however advanced, serve equally well the very different structures of knowledge domains in the sciences and arts? Closely allied to this question is the fourth issue: the nature of the partnership between user and application in a learning task.