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Getting carried away

With the abilities we have in technology it seems to be easy to get carried away. What is the best way to avoid overplay with our graphics?

Debra:
One of the standing rules I recommend for the use of any media component; be it a simple line graphic, or a flash animation sequence; is for the media to support the content it is referencing. Be judicious; apply only that which is necessary to support the topic under discussion.
Satrohan

I agree to apply only that which is necessary to support the topic under discussion.

With our program, we have instructors that use most if not all of the platform's capabilities or resorces, and then we have instructors that use the very minimum. I question the need for an elaborate presentation of content. Our students seem to adapt to each teacher's presentation. I'm hoping the end results are the same, ie, learning the content being delivered.

Christine:
This is th best approach. It reduces the production costs. Moreover, students can easily sight when we use too many "bells and whistles" towards no valid learning ends.
Satrohan

Larry:
While students may adapt to each Instructor's presentation style, I believe there is adequate evidence to support that instructional, media, interactive, and presentation strategies all add to the ease with which the learning outcomes are achieved and the degree to which the learning is retained. E-learning thrives when it is multisensory.
Satrohan

I think it's especially important to not get carried away with one type of media because we have to remember that every student learns differently. And if we load our courses with tons of visuals, or audio clips, or whatever, without the appropriate blend, we will run into trouble because we won't be considering individual differences enough.

Corinne:
Striving for balance in th use of multimedia is important; however, a more important consideration is that the media supports the content to which it is referenced.
Satohan

I have seen this in the classroom. Everytime I get too excited about a fantastic powerpoint presentation, they go to sleep. But, showing them actual video of Terri Schiavo and using that as a precursor for classroom discussion, pure gold! I think the answer will come from trial and error. Seeing what works and then moving forward appropriately.

Only providing graphics that strengthen and reinforce the topic under discussion is a key method of ensuring that the graphics applied are needed and not just fillers.

We can make our graphics as simple and concise as possible. It should also include all the information we want our students to know.

Shon:
Agreed. Since students can quickly spot fillers, and educators will consider fillers as poor presentation strategies, judicious use of graphics, as well as any other form of media is highly recommended.
Satrohan

Fatmata:
Agreed. Graphical illustrations must not be "busy". They must contain only the necessary elements to support the topic they support.
Satrohan

I agree with keeping the graphics format simple and concise to the course format. Students just learning how to use their computer and online courses should not feel overwhelmed with understanding complicated design.

The facilitator should keep in mind that that are students with different levels participating in the course.

Lynnette

Lynnette:
Students with low levels of computer literacy may not encounter difficulties with graphic components of a course as they would with complex interactive exercises. Graphics are static; interactive exercises, while they contain graphics may involve a series of inputs from students. providing instructions on how to complete the interactive exercises will be of benefit to students with low computer literacy levels.
Satrohan

Being that I have a background in graphic design, I like graphics but keep the media sequence modest and easy to load for students. When using animation, I find that keeping the loading sequence under 1MB will allow even slow or antiquated computers able to load images.

Annejeaqnette:
You have touched on a very important end-user variable-----downloading time. I want to encourage you to as you keep that variable in mind, you avoid it being the primary deciding factor. All media must support the themes to which they refer. Overly simplistic media and animation sequences to accommodate low data transmission rates my not necesarily be of any added value to the content.
Satrohan

I agree, but it should be simple enough that should fosters intellectual discussions.

All of the comments confirm that most of us feel the "amount" is subjective depending on the course. What I hear Satrohan saying is that if we keep multimedia balanced and relative to the content, the amount is irrelevant.

Denise:
Your interpretation of my position on the Subject is correct. I would like to temper my position with real constraints that can be imposed on a course development project. Time as well as budgetary constraints can impose challenges on th equantity of media we can include in a course; especially budgetary constraints. These are real ife situations I have faced with many of my clients. Under these circumstances, we strive for mutual consent to employ adequate media strategies to support the course content in a somewhat balanced manner. The goal here is not to make the online course an electronic page-turner. Once the course generates some revenue, we move forward to add other media stratgies. On the other hand, if time was the constraint, we do the media enhancements before the course is offered a second time.

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