Educational Design: Learners Attitudes Towards Blended Learning with Online Multimedia Instruction

Editors of online information including pictorial displays require competencies of visual communication and utilization of articulate images. Learning courses that give theoretical background and practical guidance for pictorial usage are important. The traditional teaching approach with classroom delivery as the only method to teaching and learning has shortcomings of flexibility, individual learning preferences, and problem based learning (PBL) activities compared to online environments. In this study blended learning was examined as a new approach. Blended learning is here characterized by the face-to-face advantaged of traditional classroom instructions and the time efficiency and location convenience of an online environment. The present paper evaluates and reflects on the experiences of nine worked-based Norwegian editors participating in a non-formal photo journalism course lasting six weeks. The focus is on the blended learning format and usability factors of including instructional multimedia learning tutorials. The online learning material was delivered via a learning management system (LMS). The course comprised six face-to-face in-class sessions with subsequent online learning activities including mandatory assignments. Participants were interviewed at the end of the course to identify their attitudes towards the blended learning format and usability factors of utilizing multimedia instructions to compliment classroom instructions. The findings indicate that participants responded favourably to the format with emphasis on improved flexibility and enhanced repetition possibility . Regarding the multimedia instructions ease of navigation , c oherence between verbal and pictorial information, and social presence were identified as beneficial usability factors. Finally information clearness and minimalistic graphical displays were identified as key matters for multimedia instructions with high quality of teaching.

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