Module+4-Melissa

Module 4


 * Examine the course you selected for Module 1. How did this course use multimedia to implement their instructional strategies?**

Multimedia is used throughout the course, mainly in video and audio format.


 * Did this course avoid irrelevant multimedia? Did this course use multimedia to effectively implement instructional events?**

Yes, I think the multimedia presented was needed for this course. The videos shown provided elaborate audio information about the topic of that section and relevant videos or graphics to associate with the audio. When designing the course, additional multimedia was to be incorporated, but the author had problems with the technology and could not include it in the final version. The author originally wanted to include pop-up feedback when the viewers answered the embedded question. The pop up would provide instant feedback on whether the question was correctly answered. If the answer was incorrectly answered, an explanation as to why it was incorrect.


 * Did this course use multimedia to indicate the format of the materials; to provide efficient navigation; and to provide for learner interaction with the content and instructional events?**

Unfortunately, multimedia was not used to indicate the format of the materials. Perhaps if this course was to expand to include reefs around the world, the tab format illustrated in the reading would be appropriate. The location of the reef (such as Hawaii, Australia, West Coast and the Caribbeans) would be individual tabs across the screen, and the tabs going vertical would be the ecology of the reef, importance and decline of coral reefs and what we can do.

I felt the navigation was efficient. Navigational buttons lead the viewer through the module in a linear path. Should the viewer want to review a previous section, they would merely need to click on that section on the navigational bar on the left. To continue to the next section of the course, viewers were required to complete the embedded questions. But should the viewers not want to complete the embedded questions, they could utilize the links on the navigational bar to access any section of the course.

Learner interaction is present in this course in the form of the embedded questions. Viewers are asked questions regarding the topics read in the section and feedback is provided. What should be added is more questions for each topic allowing viewers to have an adequate opportunity to gauge whether or not they understand the topic. Should this opportunity be available, this portion of the course should also allow viewers who feel that they have adequately understood the topic be allowed to advance to the next section without having to answer all of the questions. The author originally wanted to include other interactive learning activities throughout the course, but again, technology did not allow for this. What the author wanted to include was an interactive activity allowing viewers to correctly identify the native fish species in Hawaii. A pop up would appear if the answer was correctly or incorrectly answered. Simulations was also considered. One example was of what coral reefs would look like if each person going to the beach dropped one piece of rubbish. Another simulation that was considered was what would happen if non-native species were to invade a coral reef, and a time lapse would show the change in the species seen on the coral reef.


 * It is unlikely that the course you selected used a structural framework but if it did was it used effectively? If it did not can you suggest a structural framework that could be added to this course to enhance learning?**

Structural framework was not included in this course. The author never really thought about including this because it was assumed that viewers would have prior experience with going to the beach. But it was never realized that the viewer could be from a land-locked region of the world, where lakes and oceans are non existent. For the ecology portion, analogies for any of the concepts described here be related to any land ecosystem, since native versus non-native species as well as food chains are seen in all ecosystems. For the importance and decline portion, analogies of the importance and decline of forests could be used.