Achieving enhanced learning, greater re-usability and wider acceptance for multimedia learning environments

Abstract

The addition of multimedia objects such as sound clips, pictures and animations to the traditional text-based learning environments (LE) can provide an enhanced learning experience due to the possibility of employing multiple representations for the content and providing rich background information. Researchers frequently come across teachers who distrust a learning environment as embodying the beliefs of the designers and not their own pedagogy. Following the lead provided by user modeling work carried out in the field of human-computer interaction, there has been much research on student modeling and adaptivity to individual learners; however, the role of the teacher as the manager of the learning process and hence a much more significant user of a learning environment has been ignored. This paper discusses the need for a human teacher model in any computer-based learning environment and recommends configurable, incremental and re-structurable contributive learning environments (CIRCLE) architecture to ensure wider acceptance and greater reuse of the phenomenal creative effort that goes into designing a good learning environment.