A comparison of a multimedia Wiki‐based class text and a traditional textbook

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to provide an improved understanding of how a wiki text compares to the use of a traditional text, and to provide an improved understanding of how integrating audio and video into a learner-created wiki class text impacts learning. Design/methodology/approach -For this case study, a causal comparative research design was used to compare students' learning between the two groups. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze the quantitative data. Cognitive learning, affective learning, psychomotor learning, and course points were used as dependent variables. Findings -Findings of the present study provided evidence that there was a significant difference in the learning, affective learning and psychomotor learning between the two groups; students who used the learner-created multimedia wiki text reported higher levels of learning than the learners who used the traditional text book. No significant difference existed between groups in terms of course points.Research limitations/implications -The ability to generalize these findings beyond the present study are limited, since the study examined one course at one university taught by the same instructor. Since the sample was predominately Caucasian females, the result may not generalize to males and other ethnicities. The sample size was small. No experimental control was exercised in this study; therefore, a cause and effect relationship could not be confirmed. Only a possible cause and effect could be determined. Although the participants in each section were similar in demographics, academic achievement, and reason for taking the course, the selection threat due to non equivalent groups is a concern. Although, by using a web-based survey, participants may have been more honest and felt safer to disclose attitudes and feelings, the self-report instruments is a limitation. Finally, although migrated by the significant results and moderately large effect sizes, the assumption of the homogeneity of variance-covariance was not tenable; thus, increasing the possibility of a Type I error. Practical implications -This study provided evidence for the adoption of learner-created, multimedia wiki texts as a replacement or supplement to traditional textbooks in higher education. The results demonstrated that learner-created, multimedia wiki texts are able to support academic achievement as well as traditional textbooks and that students perceive them as superior for cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning. Originality/value -While a number of practitioners have described instructional uses for online technologies and many researchers have evaluated learners and faculty satisfaction and perceptions of them, fewer studies have focused upon the impact of web-supported learning activities on academic success and learning outcomes and even fewer have focused on multimedia web-supported learning activities. Higher education learning tasks, both traditional and web-based, have been dominated by "rudimentary, te...

Learning from Paper, Learning from Screens

“…Given the increased use of e-books both in and out of the classroom (Blume, 2013;Hu, 2011;Rockinson-Szapkiw, 2011), it is important to examine whether paper and screens as a reading medium are equivalent with regard to efficiency and effectiveness when reading and studying. Although preliminary, our studies' findings indicate that the medium might not matter when students are engaged in simple, familiar, or low-stakes tasks involving reading, processing, and synthesizing information, especially under no time pressure.…”

“…Among youth, a 2012 survey of U.S. 12-to 17-yearolds reported that 93% have home computer access, 37% own a smartphone, and 23% have a tablet computer; one in four reported that they are "cell-mostly" Internet users, who use their phone to go online most of the time (Madden & Lenhart, 2013). Moreover, tablets and electronic books are being adopted by students of all ages for access to textbooks and other instructional materials (Hu, 2011;Rockinson-Szapkiw, 2011) and recently, the Los Angeles Unified District approved iPads for every child in the district's schools (Blume, 2013).…”