AUC Academic Conference 'From Virtual to Reality' The University of Queensland 1996

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Paper Title:

Using Multimedia to Teach Complex Biochemical Processes

Presenter / Author:

Alan Holzl, University of Queensland

(contact details)

Keywords: Multimedia, Biochemistry

Faculty area: Science

Background

During 1995, the Teaching and Learning Committee of the University of Queensland allocated some of its Quality Funds to the Department of Biochemistry to develop interactive multimedia materials to improve the teaching of "Oxidative Phosphorylation". The department commissioned the Educational Multimedia Services (EMS) of the Teaching and Educational Development Institute (TEDI) to assist with the design and development of the program. An initial needs assessment identified a target audience of around 240 students in second year science, 85 veterinary undergraduates, 100 pharmacy and 38 dentistry students. It was also intended that the materials could be used by students entering the Graduate Medical Course (GMC) who did not have a strong biochemical background.

The primary delivery platform for most students would be either an Apple Power Mac 6100/60, a 6100/66 DOS Compatible or a 7500/100 which were located in the Molecular Biosciences CAL laboratory and the Library Multimedia Services laboratory. All of the computers in both laboratories were linked via a local area Novell Network in addition to an Ethernet link to the wide area University network. To ensure maximum flexibility of delivery, it was intended to package the materials on a CD-ROM which could run off an individual machine or be installed on a file server to be run over a network. A further option was to be added by using an Authoring Language such as Macromedia "Director" or "Authorware Professional" which would allow the materials to be delivered over the World Wide Web using "Shockwave". To cover this wide range of delivery platforms it was decided to limit the graphics to 640x480 and thousands of colours and make minimal use of sound and video. It was anticipated, however, that there would be a need for a number of complex animations.

Aims of the Project

The primary aim of the project, as stated by Dr Paul Reilly in the original application for funding, was to develop "an interactive multimedia based computer assisted program to enable students to understand oxidative phosphorylation". The program was intended to be used in conjunction with lectures so the overall number could be reduced from six to three. As a result of preliminary discussions between the author and Dr Reilly another series of aims began to emerge. These aims reflected a mutual desire to ensure that this project addressed some of the common criticisms which have been levelled at computer assisted learning, and are now directed at educational multimedia.

Criticisms of Educational Multimedia

A major ongoing complaint about computer assisted learning and interactive multimedia is that it is more suited to teaching simple recall of facts (rote or surface learning) than it is for promoting understanding of complex processes (meaningful or deep learning). This shortcoming is linked to the limited range of interactions which are available within the current technology. Other critics have stated that the design of so-called educational multimedia is driven more by the technology than by sound educational principles. This paper will describe how we attempted to address these issues by applying the findings from current research into the use of multimedia in teaching and learning, to the design of this program. Some of the educational principles identified by the research which we attempted to apply to the instructional design included:

Pedagogical Approach

As stated above in the "Aims", these materials are directed at "understanding" which is a higher order thinking skill. In a recently published guide to developing interactive multimedia, Phillips (1996, P.17) states that these skills are best taught from a "constructivist viewpoint" and that "constructivism provides the guiding philosophy behind design of effective educational materials". This view is supported by a report from the University of Queensland, Tertiary Education Institute on "The Effectiveness of Multimedia as an Instructional Tool Within Higher Education (Andrew and Isaacs, 1995). In a section on the "constructivist philosophy", it states that, "multimedia provides an ideal learning environment for this sort of learner activity and it is this view of learning which is the foundation upon which many of the claims for the effectiveness of multimedia are based."

Phillips (1996, p.17) also links the constructivist approach with the use of, "an n-dimensional network of information where the student can navigate almost at will, instead of a quasi-linear flow through the program. This is sometimes called Hypermedia (Cotton, 1993)". He goes on to warn us, however, of the danger of the student becoming "lost in hyperspace" (Smith, 1989). To prevent this, there is a need for navigation aids which allow the student to find there way back to a specific reference point or to jump between sections.

Context of Use

Although the context in which the program would be used was specified in the original application for funding, it was still subject to change if it was not consistent with sound educational practice. It was decided, however, not to change this original decision when research showed that, "studies employing multimedia to supplement instruction produced significantly higher achievement effects than when multimedia replaced traditional forms of instruction." (McNeil and Nelson, 1991).

Learner Control

There has been extensive research on this aspect of multimedia design. The findings so far show that any benefits are "dependent upon the degree of control and the extent of prior knowledge in the particular subject area." (Andrew and Isaacs, 1995). The most effective forms of control are described as "guided control" or "learner control with advisement" (McNeil and Nelson, 1991; Steinberg, 1989). The studies also show that students who have little prior knowledge about a subject are likely to perform poorly when they are given total control over the program, (Steinberg, 1989). As will be described later in the description of the program, it was decided to allow students to select a "browse mode" or "tutorial mode" in which they would be given a suggested sequence for working through the materials rather than being locked into a set linear path.

Interactivity

The research shows that "the higher the level of interactivity, the more effective the program in terms of learning outcomes (Fletcher, 1990). One form of interactivity is the feedback which a user is given when they answer questions as part of a test or quiz. Studies show that the more elaborate the feedback, the more learning is increased (Hannafin et al., 1986). Laurillard (1993) believes that any action without feedback is completely unproductive for a learner. In order to achieve high levels of interactivity in this program ,it is intended to design a range of activities in which the user clicks and drags boxes to construct diagrams which illustrate chemical processes or to allow the user to add a range of toxins to an animated image of sub-cellular structures to achieve a certain outcome. It is also intended to provide comprehensive feedback to questions which go far beyond the usual "correct" or "incorrect".

Individual Differences

The report by Andrew and Isaacs (1995) describes two "major characteristics which have been studied" as "learning style and information-seeking behaviour". The findings on learning style are inconclusive while those on information-seeking behaviour (Gill and Wright, 1994) identified three distinct groups as described below:

The 'book reader' makes a steady linear progression...making little use of the available resources, but nonetheless gains a reasonably good understanding of the text being studied. The 'studier' also exhibits a fairly linear progression but with a tendency to flick backwards and forwards, referencing earlier texts, and making sensible use of resources... the 'studier' exhibits the best understanding....The third group, the 'resource junkies' often generate the most number of events but do so in a rapid manner... They usually gain little understanding from the material, but usually enjoy the package. (p.143)

The authors concluded that the 'book readers' and the 'resource junkies' need to be presented with interaction cues to provide more guidance as to the optimum course to take through the material. As described earlier under "learner control" it is intended to provide such an "optimum course" within the "tutorial mode". The only problem remains is to find some way to identify the 'book readers' and 'resource junkies' and encourage them to follow this path.

Description of the Program

At the time of writing this paper we have just completed the design "on paper". To provide some indication of how we have applied the research findings described above I have included the following extract from the "Concept Document" which provides guidance to the other team members eg. programmers and authors and graphic artist who will turn the project from an idea into a working prototype. Note that the concept document is developed further into a set of project specifications and storyboards before the actual programming/authoring begins.

Program Function

The program will be structured around five parallel paths which are cross-referenced by hypertext links. The student may choose either a "browse" mode or a "tutorial" mode to work through the material. In "browse" mode they follow any path in any sequence and in "tutorial" mode they follow a recommended path. The tutorial mode is recommended only and they still have the option to vary from this path at any time. Both modes will incorporate progressive tests which can be accessed at appropriate points by a clickable button on the screen. The tests will give immediate, comprehensive, feedback and the results will not be stored.

The five paths follow the metaphor of a stage play with "sets" (where does oxphos take place), the "scenes and acts"( what processes, sub-processes are involved), the "actors"(which chemical compounds are involved and what are their particular characteristics), the "script" (what are the fundamental scientific principles which explain the behaviour of the actors) and the "script writers"(who are the key researchers and scientists who developed the fundamental principles). The "sets" path will start with an image of a cell with "hot spots" which drop down to the next structural level of more images and so on. This path allows the student to descend to the level of the individual complexes which are found in the wall of the mitochondrial inner membrane. Some of these images will be animated (possibly 3D) to show the cyclic nature of oxphos. A possible enhancement could be to compare animations of a normal process with one in which a toxin (cyanide?)is introduced into the system.

The "scenes and acts" path will be mainly text and diagrams to show how the oxidative phosphorylation process can be separated into sub-processes and sub, sub-processes and so on. These processes will be linked with the relevant images in the "sets" path as well as the chemical compounds and the fundamental principles which explain their behaviour in the "actors" and "script" path, Each fundamental principle will be similarly linked to the relevant scientist who developed the original hypothesis. Selected terms will be linked to a glossary which will allow some terms to be pronounced correctly via a voice-over. The images of cellular and sub-cellular structures will be hand drawn or scanned form textbooks. Where suitable photographs exist they will also be linked to actual electron and optical microscopic images of cells, mitochondria, matrix, and inner and outer membranes etc.

Program Features

Because the program will allow random browsing it needs to have a navigation aid which is accessible from any page and shows the student exactly where they are on a tree-like diagram and also allows them to jump to any other part of the program using the aid. The hot-spots should change the shape of the cursor when it passes over them and provide a text display which describes where the hot spot is linked to. If it contains multiple links then a drop-down menu provides the different options which can be selected by clicking on the preferred option. Another alternative would be to have a permanent button bar which provides links to the other paths and only becomes "active" when a relevant link exists. eg. each screen has three other buttons for the other three paths, They are not visible unless a relevant link to the current screen exists. When they are visible they can be clicked to go to the relevant point in the other path.

Tests which are relevant to a specific topic can be accessed only when the test button appears on screen. The tests would be multiple choice with links in the feedback to the related material it is testing. Because of the complexity of the material the stem and distracters may need to be quite long.(paragraph) and make extensive use of images and diagrams. There will need to be a "help" button which explains how to use the program and is visible at all times. Other features would be an introductory "overview of the process which is accessed before any of the paths can be selected. The overview includes learning objectives, a reason for learning and a broad general description of the oxphos process. It would also explain to the user how to use "browse" and/or "tutorial" mode.

The title screen will contain buttons to show the credits screen, the help screen and the overview.

Scope

The program is intended to supplement lectures and will not contribute to summative assessment. It offers a choice to the user between a browse or tutorial mode. Even within the tutorial mode the user is "advised" rather than forced to follow a certain route. Some of the tests will be at entry level and will provide feedback which will refer the user to material outside the program which should be revised before returning to the materials. The materials will be packaged on CD and will require an installation program to be installed onto a network or an individual PC. The materials should also be capable of running direct off the CD . Future developments will include the facility to run the program over the World Wide Web (WWW). At this stage it is not intended to market the program outside the University as copyrignt clearances only cover educational use

Screens Required

Title screen with links to a Credits screen, Help screen and the Introduction/Overview screen. Paul Reilly has obtained permission to use a specific image of a cell which he would like to include in the title screen. This image includes a number of colours which could be used throughout the program. The overview screen would contain links to each of the four paths. A navigation screen which is accessible from anywhere and has a tree structure with a highlighted box showing the users current location is required. The help screen includes an explanation of the interface, including all the buttons such as the navigation screen, the links to the other paths, etc.

Conclusion

As can be seen in the previous extracts from the "Concept Document", we have attempted to incorporate a number of features which address many of the research findings on the design of "good" educational multimedia. It must be stressed that his paper describes the intention while the program to be demonstrated at the AUC conference will show the actual results, It will be interesting to see how many of our "good intentions" survive the realities of technological limitations, lack of time and budgetary constraints.

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References

Andrew, D. & Isaacs, G. (1995). The Effectiveness of Multimedia as an Instructional Tool Within Higher Education. Brisbane, QLD: Tertiary Education Institute, University of Queensland.

Cotton, R. (1993). Understanding Hypermedia. London: Phaidon Press.

Fletcher, D.(1990). Effectiveness and cost of interactive videodisc instruction in defense training and education. Alexandria, VA: Institute for Defence Analysis.

Gill, S. & Wright, D. (1994). A hypercard-based environment for the constructivist teaching of newtonion physics. British journal of Educational Technology, 25(2): 135-146.

Hannafin, M., Phillips, T. & Tripp, S. (1986). The effects of orienting, processing and practicing activities on learning from interactive video. Journal of Computer-Based Instruction. 13(4): 134-139.

Laurillard, D.(1993). Rethinking University Teaching; A Framework for the Effective Use of Educational Technology. London: Routledge.

McNeil, B & Nelson, K.(1991). Meta-analysis of interactive video instruction: A 10 year review of achievement effects. Journal of Computer-Based Instruction 18(1): 1-6.

Phillips, R. (1996). Developers Guide to Interactive Multimedia: A Methodology for Educational Applications. Perth, WA: Curtain University of Technology.

Smith, W. & Hahn, J. (1989). Hypermedia or Hyperchaos: Using Hypercard to Teach Medical Decision Making. Thirteenth Annual Symposium on Computer Applications in Medical Care, Washington DC.

Steinberg, E. (1989). Cognition and learner control: A literature review, 1977-1988. Journal of Computer-Based Instruction 16(4): 117-121.

Contact Details

Mr Alan Holzl,
Instructional Courseware Designer,
Educational Multimedia Services,
Teaching and Educational Development Institute,
University of Queensland, QLD 4072

Phone: 07 33652540
Fax: 07 33651799

email: a.holzl@mailbox.uq.oz.au

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