How To Evaluate Multimedia Simulations: Learning from the Past.

Although multimedia technologies offer a great potential, educators and decision makers need to see evidence regarding the instructional effectiveness of multimedia in order to integrate it into the educational processes. The main purposes of this paper are: (1) to identify and discuss the main criticisms of media research, including the research format, characteristics, results, and recommendations made between the 1950s and early 1970s and between the mid-1970s and the present, including the aptitude-treatment interaction approach; (2) to discuss the state of current interactive video simulation research in the light of criticisms being made; and (3) to identify the most important points that need to be considered by media researchers in order to avoid making similar mistakes in the future, particularly in the areas of cognitive and attitudinal effectiveness and the theoretical basis of the design of interactive video simulations. It is suggested that educators should abandon the task of trying to prove the effectiveness of multimedia simulations in comparison to other technologies and concentrate on exploring their potential in relation to learning tasks and learners' characteristics. (Contains 10