Imagine learning how to create an online course without ever using a computer or seeing real examples or learning how to juggle without touching any real objects.
Real objects are excellent when teaching psychomotor skills and when the skill must be practised and mastered. There is no guarantee that the skill learned on a simulator or other format will be transferred to the work place. So, remember the old saying, “Practice makes perfect”.
For some training needs, such as those taught through simulations, you will also need to provide for real experience. A truism illustrates this: “There is only so much you can learn about skydiving while standing on the ground.” At certain points within or after the online learning activities, simply direct the student to real objects (or models) or exercises.
Note
Consider including real objects as a part of the entire online instructional package.
Selecting Media
The media mix you choose must be able to meet the requirements of the instructional strategy and address all of the instructional events. In particular, the media mix must effectively teach all of the learning outcomes and should allow for practice and feedback. Use the following general guidelines for selecting the appropriate media mix for the learning domains of verbal information, intellectual skills, psychomotor skills, and attitudes. (Learning domains are discussed in more detail in Chapter 10, General Principles of Instructional Design.)
For verbal information such as knowledge and comprehension, you should use text and visuals. Remember to use the computer to provide interaction as that can be difficult or cumbersome to do with paper-based materials.
For intellectual skills such as applying skills to new examples, you can effectively use each medium depending on the skill being taught. Following the instructional design process will help you determine the best media mix.
For psychomotor skills such as those requiring muscular actions, you should use real equipment although, for practical reasons such as cost and safety, you may need to create a simulation that incorporates a variety of media. Video with audio or text support can be superb for teaching psychomotor skills. Similarly, a series of images with text can also be very effective.
Although you can use video and audio to effectively teach attitudes, for example, choosing to say “no” to drugs, your complete instructional strategy should consider other methods such as role-playing.
Remember to consider learner characteristics as discussed in Chapter 10, General Principles of Instructional Design.
Transferring Material to Other Formats
If you simply transfer material from one storage format to another, the second’s advantages may not be exploited and the first’s limitations may be kept. For example, some analog videotapes have been transferred to CD-ROM. If the video clip is specifically designed to be played linearly, it may only be educationally sound to play the video linearly. In this case, the CD-ROM’s advantage of instant access capabilities and interaction are not being utilized. There may only be minimal value in having video contained on a CD-ROM instead of a videotape. In general, if material is designed specifically for one format, be careful about transferring it directly to another format. However, with modifications, transferring material from one format to another can be justified and effective.
Note
There is often a quality loss in the image and sound clarity when transferring materials between formats. Working with original materials can minimize losses.
Accessing Media
You will need to consider whether the students should access the media data (e.g., large video files) from a DVD-ROM, a CD-ROM, an intranet, or the Internet.
