A Rationale for Multi-modality in Multimedia Instructional Design

This paper describes a multi-modal approach to multimedia instructional design in a virtual learning environment. The research was conducted within an online course offering multimedia and multi-modal lessons, each of which was comprised of three different types of resources, specifically designed for the acquisition of computer literacy skills. The resources vary from textual resources, pictorial resources accompanied by text and video resources. All the resources are designed by the course lecturers, i.e. the authors of this paper. The purpose of the research was to investigate user perceptual modalities in terms of their preference towards educational multimedia for the acquisition of computer literacy. The methodology of this research is based on data mining techniques through log data which represents user navigation and behavior within the learning management system. The approach fosters self-regulated technology enhanced learning where the end user has control over the choice of learning resources according to personal preferences. The results of cluster analysis show that there are consistent user preferences in selecting a particular type of resources representing particular modality. The results provide a rationale for a multi-modal approach in designing a learning system based on multimedia instructional design and developed specifically for the acquisition of computer literacy, as a requirement for information literacy of the 21st century.