Computerised Multimedia Learning

Nowadays it is common knowledge that we undergo a lifelong learning – and perhaps teaching – process and that we live in a new age, which is dominated by information technology. This gives rise to the conclusion that computer-based information technology will play an important or even essential role in this learning and teaching arc, from the dawn until the dusk of human life. Looking back at the field of computerbased and especially internet-based learning and information settings and research, one cannot deny that computer technology and computerbased learning scenarios have gained and still are gaining increasing importance. Although there is a long history of multimedia learning and learning with computers, knowledge about how to design instructional presentations is still deficient. This book concerns the media-specific usage of texts and pictures in computerised instructions. Medial design features and their interactions with learner features were analysed. The first section of the book is about how medial presentations can be described and how media technology determines presentations. Relevant features of computer-based presentations are introduced. Verbal and pictorial presentation modes are discussed in terms of the aspects of code, modality and dynamics, and types of texts and pictures are introduced. Last, the case for a combined presentation of texts and pictures in instructions is described. The second part presents a prominent theory in the field of multimedia