Review by: Hartmann, Werner (2004-07-04)

Although multimedia is widely hailed as a strong improvement in education, there is still no clear evidence whether multimedia really enhances teaching and learning. A large number of studies have substantiated the supportive function of static illustrations. Today’s computer based learning environments increasingly use dynamic visuals. Animations and static pictures impose different cognitive demands on the learner, and there is evidence that creating a mental representation of the dynamically illustrated learning content can represent a cognitive overload for the learners.

The article investigates the effect of static and dynamic visuals on learning outcome using an expository text on astrophysics. An experimental study was conducted with two experimental groups (one with learning material consisting of static pictures, one with dynamic visuals) and one control group (non-illustrated materials). All three groups dealt with the same astrophysical topic presented in the same manner.

The result of the study found significant differences regarding factual knowledge for both experimental groups when compared to the text-only group. No significant differences were found between the materials using static pictures and dynamic illustrations, neither in factual knowledge nor in comprehension tasks and problem solving. The use of static visuals might therefore be sufficient for some learning materials. Additional research is needed to replicate these findings. Perhaps the most interesting research question will be which topics profit most from dynamic visuals and how students can be supported to use animated visuals more effectively.