Learning from animation enabled by collaboration

Abstract

Animated graphics are extensively used in multimedia instructions explaining how natural or artificial dynamic systems work. As animation directly depicts spatial changes over time, it is legitimate to believe that animated graphics will improve comprehension over static graphics. However, the research failed to find clear evidence in favour of animation. Animation may also be used to promote interactions in computersupported collaborative learning. In this setting as well, the empirical studies have not confirmed the benefits that one could intuitively expect from the use of animation. One explanation is that multimedia, including animated graphics, challenges human processing capacities, and in particular imposes a substantial working memory load. We designed an experimental study involving three between-subjects factors: the type of multimedia instruction (with static or animated graphics), the presence of snapshots of critical steps of the system (with or without snapshots) and the learning setting (individual or collaborative). The findings indicate that animation was overall beneficial to retention, while for transfer, only learners studying collaboratively benefited from animated over static graphics. Contrary to our expectations, the snapshots were marginally beneficial to learners studying individually and significantly detrimental to learners studying in dyads. The results are discussed within the multimedia comprehension framework in order to propose the conditions under which animation can benefit to learning.

Students’ Perception on Blending Instructional 3D Animation in Engineering Courses

“…Three-dimensional animation enhanced students' understanding as three-dimensional animation usage gave clear visual demonstration of how a machine works [11]. Additionally, three-dimensional animation in engineering learning had the capability and flexibility of showing parts of machines that consisted of numerous sizes [12]. Participants of the study agreed that the three-dimensional animation help them to distinguish parts of a machine clearly.…”

Investigating gender and spatial measurements in instructional animation research

“…Researchers believe that animations have a greater flexibility in depicting physical and temporal changes than static pictures (Bétrancourt & Tversky, 2000;Castro-Alonso, Ayres, & Paas, 2014a, p. 552;Lowe, 2003), and are often assumed to be superior to static pictures (Chandler, 2009). There is supporting evidence showing that animations are more effective than static pictures when teaching statistics (e.g., Wender & Muehlboeck, 2003), physics (e.g., Rebetez, Bétrancourt, Sangin, & Dillenbourg, 2010;Rieber, 1990Rieber, , 1991b, geometry (e.g., Thompson & Riding, 1990), zoology (e.g., Pfeiffer, Scheiter, Kühl, & Gemballa, 2011), computer algorithm (e.g., Byrne, Catrambone, & Stasko, 1999), and motor-related tasks (e.g., Akinlofa, Holt, & Elyan, 2013;Ayres, Marcus, Chan, & Qian, 2009; Castro-Alonso, Ayres, & Paas, 2015a;Garland & Sánchez, 2013;Michas & Berry, 2000;A. Wong et al, 2009).…”

How to make a good animation: A grounded cognition model of how visual representation design affects the construction of abstract physics knowledge

“…First of all, the term "mental simulation" is often used to refer to the process of consciously imagining concrete objects and processes, such as the function of mechanical devices like ratchets, sinks, or pumps [30] or processes such as the motion of stellar systems [31]. Simulations in PSS, on the other hand, could function unconsciously, probably being unconscious more often than conscious [27].…”