MEDT 7468

• What should interactivity look like in a multimedia project?

Interactivity is the action that the student uses to interact with the software.  This can be as simple as clicking in a certain place to turn the page or go to the next screen. A more complex example is the use of cursor changes and pop-up information boxes.
The design of the interaction should be obvious yet simple.  It should be easy for a first time user to navigate.

• What are the characteristics?

Consistency should be the most important characteristic.  The commands and colors should be the same throughout the project.  The actions or animations used should add to the presentation not distract from it.  The commands should be easy to understand.

• What are the challenges or difficulties?

I think that the first challenge would be clearly defining the scope and audience of the project.  These two items should dictate the overall design of the project.  After that, combining the appropriate knowledge content and technical skills required to produce the project.
The biggest difficulty that I see is being able to produce a project that works correctly all the time no matter what delivery platform is used.  Are the data files secure? Will the project function on-line, over the intranet or on CD/DVD?

• What are the best practices?
• Clearly defined audience
• Clearly defined objective
• Consistent interface
• Good design principles as to color, contrast and repetition.

Article 1
Creating interactive multimedia-based educational courseware: cognition in learning
This article describes several different research-validated design principles as they relate to multimedia presentations.  It is not about the actual nuts and bolts of designing multimedia projects.  One point that stands out is that the use of visual animations and audio narrations used together is better than animations and text.  Trying to view both text and animation tends to overload the students.  Another point that I found interesting is that the use of extraneous background material, such as music or extra animation< takes away from the student’s learning of the material presented.
Overall, I would rate this article a 3/5.  The article does contain relevant and interesting information but it is very research oriented.
Muthukumar S. L..  (2005). Creating interactive multimedia-based educational courseware: cognition in learning. Cognition, Technology & Work, 7(1), 46-50.  Retrieved March 29, 2009, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 870988741).

Article 2
Tapping into active learning and multiple intelligences with interactive multimedia.
The author of this article tells about his experiences of using interactive multimedia in the classroom.  An evaluation of most teachers use of multimedia shows that they have just adapted their old material to a new medium.  The instructors still “shovel” material to the students.  By using an interactive medium, the students are engaged in the learning activity.  They have to perform the functions instead of just receiving the information.  This article does not describe “how-to” create a presentation but it does provide some very interesting information on engaging students in the classroom.
I would rate it a 4/5
Schrand, T. (2008, Spring2008). Tapping into Active Learning and Multiple Intelligences with Interactive Multimedia: A Low-Threshold Classroom Approach. College Teaching, 56(2), 78-84. Retrieved March 29, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database.