Collaborative Research: Multimedia learning principles for design-it-yourself online instruction of GIS concepts

该项目将有助于开发和创造参与式学习环境，学生将利用地理信息系统（GIS）解决地理问题，地理信息系统是一种用于捕获、存储、处理和分析基于位置的信息的计算机软件系统。该项目还将为教师提供“自己设计”指导，帮助他们开发在线教学材料，让学生在进入课堂之前就开始学习。该项目将测试多媒体学习理论的循证原则，并将通过测试这些原则在一门旨在提高“空间思维”技能的课程中的应用来扩展这一理论，即在三维空间中可视化物体的能力，以及在有限的信息下对这些物体得出结论的能力。通过关注在学生与地理信息系统互动之前可以实施的教学方法，该项目将有助于地理教育中参与式学习环境的发展和创造。在使用GIS解决问题的课程中使用基于证据的设计原则可以帮助早期学生留在STEM入门课程中。由此产生的大学STEM课程教学设计的改进将对那些在入门课程中需要帮助发展空间思维技能的学生产生特别积极的影响。将采用一系列随机对照实验来检查课程呈现方式中的特定教学特征如何影响学习结果，例如，学习者是阅读还是听口头解释，演示是连续的还是自定节奏的，单词和图片是手工绘制还是计算机绘制，以及图片是在口头解释之前出现还是与口头解释同时出现。该项目还将测试空间能力，并研究学习者空间能力的个体差异如何影响这些教学特征的影响。一系列实验将检验多媒体学习理论的假设，并通过迁移和保留测试来衡量学习成果。还将进行一项初步干预研究，以调查在地理信息系统入门课程中纳入精心设计的在线课程是否能提高学生的参与度和学习成果。最终产品将是(i)一套关于如何设计在线GIS课程的循证原则，以及（ii）混合学习课堂中的模型应用。本研究也将提供经验证据，评估多媒体学习理论在电脑软体系统空间思维的大学教育领域的普遍性。该项目将系统地研究以证据为基础的呈现文字和图片的方法如何与空间能力相互作用，从而影响学习成果。

This project will contribute to the development and creation of engaged learning environments in which students will solve geography problems by using a geographic information system (GIS), a computer software system used to capture, store, manipulate and analyze location-based information. The project will also provide instructors with 'design-it-yourself' guidance for developing online instructional materials that engage students in learning before they enter the classroom. The project will test evidence-based principles of multimedia learning theory and will extend this theory by testing the applications of these principles to a lesson that aims to improve 'spatial thinking' skills, the ability to visualize objects in three dimensions and to draw conclusions about those objects with limited information. By focusing on instructional methods that can be implemented prior to student interaction with a GIS, this project will contribute to the development and creation of engaged learning environments in geography education. Using evidence-based design principles for lessons on solving problems with a GIS can help retain early-stage students in introductory STEM courses. The resulting improvements in instructional design of college STEM courses will have a particularly positive impact on students who need support in developing spatial thinking skills in introductory courses. A series of randomized controlled experiments will be employed to examine how specific instructional features in the way the lessons are presented affect learning outcomes, such as, whether the learner reads or listens to verbal explanations, whether the presentation is continuous or self-paced, whether words and pictures appear drawn by hand or by computer, and whether pictures appear before or coincide with a verbal explanation. The project will also test for spatial ability and examine how individual differences in a learner's spatial abilities affect the impact of these instructional features. A series of experiments will test hypotheses from multimedia learning theory and measure learning outcomes through transfer and retention tests. A preliminary intervention study to investigate whether incorporating well-designed online lessons in an introductory GIS class improves student engagement and learning outcomes will also be conducted. The final products will be (i) a set of evidence-based principles regarding how to design online GIS lessons, and (ii) a model application in a blended learning classroom. This project will also provide empirical evidence evaluating the generalizability of multimedia learning theory to the understudied domain of college education in spatial thinking with computer software systems. The project will systematically investigate how evidence-based methods of presenting words and pictures interact with spatial abilities to affect learning outcomes.