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Online learning: audio or text?

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Abstract

Implementing online technologies alone cannot ensure learning. A verified approach is needed to optimize the pedagogical effect of online learning. Previous studies have suggested that the application of the modality principle in multimedia design improves the efficiency of learning by reducing cognitive load. Nevertheless, this design approach has not generated sufficient empirical support in environments where learner-control is essential. Furthermore, there is lacking empirical effort to situate the effect of modality principle on adult learners in online education in Brazil, which sustains a literature gap in understanding multimedia learning in various international contexts. Therefore, this experiment investigated the influence of the modality principle on test performance and perceived cognitive load among students enrolled in a Brazilian technical education course on database management. Responses were obtained from 91 participants [18–51 years old; 46 in the audio group (AG) and 45 in the text group (TG)]. After receiving a short, self-paced multimedia lesson in a computer lab, it was found that participants in the AG, regardless of self-paced learning, responded more efficiently to the transfer test than those in the TG; and participants in the TG perceived a higher cognitive load than those in the AG. The study concluded that learner control and modality effects can coexist in multimedia learning and the modality principle might benefit online learning design in Brazilian technical education.

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Acknowledgments

The primary investigator was supported by a grant from Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo—FAPESP (Project No. 06207-0) throughout the course of this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Accounting, School of Business, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, Monte Alegre, Ribeirão Prêto, SP, CEP 14040-905, Brazil

    Jose Dutra de Oliveira Neto

  2. Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership, College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Room 351, 1310 S. 6th Street, Champaign, IL, USA

    Wenhao David Huang

  3. Department of Production Engineering, Av. Trabalhador são-carlense, 400, São Carlos, SP, CEP 13566-590, Brazil

    Nádia Cristina de Azevedo Melli

Authors
  1. Jose Dutra de Oliveira Neto
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  2. Wenhao David Huang
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  3. Nádia Cristina de Azevedo Melli
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jose Dutra de Oliveira Neto.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Pre-test and RT; both tests have the same items but appear in a different order

  1. A)

    Regarding the “Database system,” concept, we can say that (Choose all that apply)

  1. 1.

    Only IT professionals address situations where a database is required.

  2. 2.

    The primary goal of a database system is to record, retrieve and update information.

  3. 3.

    Purchasing a plane ticket at a ticket counter requires a database system.

  4. 4.

    “Information” means anything needed to support any individual or organization in performing his or her tasks.

  5. B)

    Regarding the database concept (Choose all that apply)

  6. 1.

    Data are facts that have a meaning but might not always be recorded.

  7. 2.

    A telephone directory might not be considered a database because it is not computerized.

  8. 3.

    To be considered a database, a high volume of data must be available to be recorded.

  9. 4.

    A database has a group of users and some specific applications to attend to the needs of this group.

  10. C)

    Regarding the management database system DBMS (Choose all that apply)

  11. 1.

    To create a database, one must define the type of the data to be used.

  12. 2.

    “Data manipulation” means searches, data updates, and report generation.

  13. 3.

    The design of the database includes the process of recording the data using an appropriate medium controlled by the DBMS.

  14. 4.

    The primary goal of the DBMS is to organize the database in a table format.

  15. D)

    With regard to the concept of database catalog, we can say that (Choose all that apply)

  16. 1.

    The DBMS records information such as the structure of each file.

  17. 2.

    The information recorded in the database catalog is metadata.

  18. 3.

    It is not a function of the database catalog to record constraints about the data.

  19. 4.

    The database catalog is not part of the database system.

Appendix 2: TT

In your own words, please explain your understanding of the following terms: data, database, database management system, and metadata.

Explain what you understand about these concepts, and use examples from real life to support your responses.

Appendix 3: MER

Please indicate how difficult this lesson was for you by checking the appropriate answer below.

  1. 1.

    Very easy

  2. 2.

    Easy

  3. 3.

    Neither easy nor difficult

  4. 4.

    Difficult

  5. 5.

    Very difficult

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de Oliveira Neto, J.D., Huang, W.D. & Azevedo Melli, N.C.d. Online learning: audio or text?. Education Tech Research Dev 63, 555–573 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-015-9392-7

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