1. What Is Multimedia? CECS 5110

2. What Is Multimedia? • Multimedia is a computer-based interactive communications process that incorporates text, graphics, sound, animation, and video • Interactive • Key feature of multimedia • User determines what content is delivered, when it is delivered and how • Non-linear

3. Computer-based Multimedia • 2 or more media • Computer multimedia • Multi-sensory experience – real world • Multi-sensory memory imprints • Different learning styles benefit • Hypertext - links • Hypermedia - hypermedia ware

4. Hypermedia • Based on cognitive theories of how people structure knowledge and how they learn • Links to navigate • Non-sequential navigation

5. Hypermedia Applications • Instructional courseware • Appropriately introduced • Follow-up activities • Teacher and students’ own creations

6. Multimedia Advantages • Engrossing – deep involvement • Multi-sensory • Creates knowledge connections • Individualized • Teacher and student creation

7. Multimedia Disadvantages • “Lost in cyberspace” • Lack of structure • Non-interactive – if one-way, no feedback • Text intensive content • Complex to create • Time consuming • Cognitive overload • Linear content

8. Multimedia Growth • Marketing Standpoint • User Standpoint

9. Multimedia GrowthMarketing Standpoint • Computer price • 1992 – 1 mil - $2,500 or $1,000 upgrade • 1996 – 24 mil - $1,500 or $300 upgrade • Multimedia titles • 1992 – 5,000 - $100 • 1996 – 15,000 - $30 • Hype- “killer applications” • Value added – enhances computer use

10. Multimedia GrowthUser Standpoint • User control • No longer only lectures and/or printed materials • Any sequence of the material, any time, anywhere, any modality • Individualization • Address different learning styles and needs • User decides how material is presented: visual, audio, textual • Adjusting level of difficulty

11. Multimedia GrowthUser Standpoint (cont.) • Action Active processes: simulations, acting out a play, testing knowledge and feedback • Examples 500 Nations, Grandma and Me , Magic School Bus

12. Major Categories of Multimedia Titles • Entertainment • Education • Corporate communications • Reference

13. Major Categories of Multimedia Titles • Entertainment • Games: action and graphics • Action + storytelling • Physical coordination + mental outwitting • Education • Accommodates different learning styles: association vs. experimentation; auditory vs. visual • Provides feedback, levels of difficulty, evaluates skills, nonlinear presentations

14. Major Categories of Multimedia Titles • Corporate communications (marketing and training) • Attract attention to a message • Product catalogs, published magazines, touch-screen kiosks, online shopping, … • Stockholder's meeting, sales rep pitch, conference speaker, employee orientation and training, …

15. Major Categories of Multimedia Titles • Reference CD: encyclopedias, census data, directories, dictionaries

16. Delivering Multimedia • Compact disc Inexpensive, easy mass produce and distribute • Kiosk • Computer system to access info, perform transactions or play games • Convenience, reduces personnel costs, but expensive maintenance • Online Web pages, product advertisement, demos, …

17. The End University of North Texas Dr. Vicky Cereijo