The Benefits of Multimedia Education

The field of education is changing rapidly. The old days of schools with isolated AV departments and outdated TVs are long gone -- the use of modern multimedia within the education sector has accelerated in recent years and is set for continued expansion in the future.

In general, multimedia is the combination of visual and audio representations. These representations could include elements of text, graphic arts, sound, animation, and video. However, multimedia is restricted in systems where information is digitized and processed by a computer. Interactive multimedia and hypermedia consist of multimedia applications in which the user has a more active role.

Teachers primarily require access to learning resources, which support concept development to meet the individual learning needs of their students. By using multimedia technology, educators can offer new methods of learning that can take place in schools or at home. Granting teachers access to multimedia learning resources, which support constructive concept development, allows them to focus on facilitating learning while working with individual students. And extending the use of multimedia learning resources to the home represents an opportunity to improve distance learning.

There is no doubt that the interest in technology education is rising, and has progressed fast in the past few years. Let’s explore some benefits of multimedia learning in the modern classroom.

1. Extensive understanding

According to Richard Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, information received via auditory and visual channels is processed in different parts of the brain. When students are able to learn through both of these channels simultaneously, they absorb more sensory information and are able to commit more of the lesson to memory.

2. Increased problem solving

Because a large percentage of our brain is reserved for processing visual information, we are highly stimulated when absorbing images, video, and animations alongside text. This leads to an increase in student attentiveness and information retention. In a study titled “Problem-solving in a Multimedia Learning Environment,” researchers found that students exhibited high motivation, teamwork, and enhanced understanding of the project, and encouraged the use of technology-backed classrooms.

3. Surge in positive emotions

Multimedia learning tends to be much more fun for learners than gathering information through wordy textbooks, and this can actually increase their knowledge and passion for the subject being taught. An NYU study found that ‘positive emotions should be considered as important factors in instructional design”, and that “positive emotions can be generated by the instructional design that may be able to affect learners’ experience and performance”.

4. Greater access to diverse knowledge

With increased internet connection in the classroom, students and teachers are able to gather information from a diverse range of sources, and illustrate points in exciting, immersive ways. According to nonprofit organization [the Internet Society](https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/doc/2017/internet-access-and-education/), educators can obtain a wealth of information and perspectives to pass along to their students by incorporating online multimedia resources into their lessons, and innovative ways to convey their lessons.

5. Immersion and exploration

Imagine the ability to take your students to the top of Mount Everest, the NASA Space Station, or a refugee camp in Jordan. Immersive multimedia resources make this a reality, allowing educators to teach by experience without ever leaving the classroom. With a headset and a smartphone, students have all that they need to explore without limits, utilizing 360° media to interact with their environment.

Though teachers around the country are using multimedia technology in different ways, the approach is most successful when it helps students reach existing curriculum goals. As educators create effective uses for multimedia technology, imagination will be their only limit. Parents, educators, administrators, and school board members need to become familiar with multimedia, so they can begin to take advantage of its endless possibilities.