Computers as teachers: learning from animations.

Abstract

The effectiveness of an interactive multimedia computer program, the "Electronic Textbook in Human Physiology," in improving the knowledge of students studying cardiovascular physiology was determined from scores on tests given before and immediately after completion of a two-hour animation program on the Cardiac Cycle and Introduction to Electrocardiography and by comparison of performance on a final examination taken later with their unexposed (control) classmates. Unsigned comments on the use of the program were obtained from all participants and were universally laudatory. A marked and significant improvement in the immediate posttest compared with the pretest scores was found. More importantly, the students who had used the computer program achieved a significantly higher grade in the cardiovascular section of the final exam than their (control) classmates. Several possible explanations of the results are offered; the most likely one is that the use of the computer program facilitated learning. The implications of this, especially for curriculum planning, are discussed.

Are Multimedia Resources Effective in Life Science Education? A Meta-Analysis

“…What was not clearly articulated in the studies was the impact on staff preparation time and student time to complete the resources. The motivation to replace practicals included the ability to offer an alternative to animal experiments (Dewhurst, 1994), to save time during medical studies (Lilienfield, 1994) and to save faculty time and resources . In all these studies, students used the resources in scheduled timetabled sessions, and their impact when used as self-directed study would be an important question to ask.…”

“…Studies evaluated a range of pedagogical approaches. Four studies evaluated whether resources containing multimedia were effective replacements for laboratory physiology and biochemistry practicals (Dewhurst, 1994;Lilienfield, 1994;Kronke, 2010;. In , the authors also evaluated electronic resources in replacement of lecture sessions as did three other studies (Dewhurst, 1998;Bogacki, 2004;Jenkins, 2008).…”

“…As one paper suggested "the preparation of such materials was not a trivial project" (Lilienfield, 1994), and indeed the acknowledgement that the development of such resources takes time and money is a common theme. It therefore is an exciting moment in time with multimedia resources becoming abundant through open education initiatives.…”

The effectiveness of humane teaching methods in veterinary education

“…• one study demonstrating increased satisfaction and examination results for cardiovascular physiology students when computer simulations were used (Lilienfield and Broering, 1994). Another demonstrated cardiovascular physiology knowledge acquisition equivalent to that gained from a textbook, although these medical students rated the computer simulation superior for reinforcement and review (Specht, 1988); and,…”

A comparison of animated versus static images in an instructional multimedia presentation

“…The value of using computer-generated animations for teaching has been appreciated for over 20 years (8). Interestingly, in their 1994 publication, Lilienfield & Broering state that 'reality is the best glue to which information sticks'.…”