The Growing Role of On-Line Learning Courses - Essay Example

Online multimedia cannot compete against the traditional Multimedia Systems ID 19714 Order No. 270086 04 February 2009 Table of Contents: Table of Figures Figure No. Figure Description and Word Hyperlink Figure 1 Components of a Multimedia framework (Source: Gibbs, Simon. 1995) Figure 2 On-Line Knowledge Pool creation process (Source: Sullow, Klaus and Gabel-Becker, Ingrid et al. 1993) Figure 3 Screenshots of a Physics Training Module using Virtual Reality (Source: Metaxas, Dimitris. www.csis.hku.hk/pg2000/metaxas1.pdf) Figure 4 A Virtual Tour in a Chemical Plant (Source: Bell, John T. and Fogler, H. Scott, 1997) Figure 5 Empirically supported suggestions for allocating type of media for information type being presented (Source: Najjar, Lawrence. 1996). Introduction: Multimedia is viewed as an effective communication system that employs multiple computer based tools & products to form an integrated system comprising of video, audio, special effects, computer graphics and virtual reality. The multimedia technologies allow excellent visualization of the ideas & innovations of human minds by virtue of wide range of interactive software & hardware platforms which can be used in a number of applications like Applied Physics, Environmental Sciences, Geophysics, Medical Sciences, Forensics, Engineering, Construction industry, Ship Building, Architecture, Fashion, Gaming, Military, Bio-informatics, Logistics, Electronics & Telecommunications, Information Technology, and so on. They have immense potential of serving business & educational purposes whereby the primary use has been witnessed widely in training, education, knowledge management, research, design, conceptualization, and communication. In the modern business and educational world, multimedia is used in two forms - (1) Traditional multimedia systems - systems comprising of all multimedia components assembled together on a single computer deployed as standalone or accessible over high speed LAN systems which can then be presented using direct connectivity to presentation systems like LCD displays, projectors, high resolution monitors, etc.) (2) On-line multimedia systems - systems comprising of all multimedia components assembled together and deployed on multiple computers that are integrated through a presentation system which allows access to the multimedia content through Internet browser interfaces over Internet or Intranet. The traditional multimedia systems use files in their original format whereas the on-line multimedia systems use files in transformed form (includes format change, compression, size reduction, etc.) to make them suitable to be run through web enabled presentation technologies. Both multimedia systems offer interactive experience to users specifically in trainings and education programs with the help of the creativity of teachers presenting & controlling the content. However, on-line multimedia systems have exploded heavily on the Cyberspace thus significantly losing structure, knowledge connections, individualizations, human touch, learning effectiveness, etc. as compared to the traditional multimedia systems. This paper critically examines the weaknesses & limiting factors of on-line multimedia systems in education, training, learning, knowledge transfer, and presentation as compared with traditional multimedia systems. The next section presents literature review on multimedia systems that presents comparison between traditional & on-line multimedia systems, the subsequent section presents critical discussions & the final section presents conclusions on the subject. [Gibbs, Simon. 1995] Literature Review - On-Line Multi-Media Systems compared with Traditional Multi-Media Systems Multimedia comprises of object oriented software development forming a framework comprising of the following components: Media Classes - Audio, Video and other media types Transform Classes - transformation of image, audio and video using complex, time taking methodologies like mixing, filtering, sequencing, etc. Format Classes - creating a framework used for presentation of the media comprising of file formats (Tiff, JPEG, MPEG, AVI, QuickTime, MP3, MP4, WMA, etc.) and streaming formats (16/32 bit PCM Mono/Stereo, CCIR 601 4:2:2, etc.) Component Classes - hardware and software resources deployed to produce and transform multimedia presentations The entire framework is presented in the figure below: Figure 1: Components of a Multimedia framework (Source: Gibbs, Simon. 1995) Multimedia production requires a number of people to be involved in a large coordinated production project. The people include video producers, actors, music composers, script writers, editors, directors, graphics & virtual reality designers, audio & video editors and cinematographers to create a high quality presentation. The output of such a production effort is in the form of some popular formats like Microsoft AVI, QuickTime, MPEG, DAT, Video CD, DVD (VOB), etc. Such an output can be played on standalone computers, networked computers (using tools like Microsoft Media Player or Nero Showtime) and also on CD Players or DVD Players. The trainers can share such files on the network using interactive engines like CBTs, Multimedia database systems, hypermedia systems, video-on demand systems, etc. or else present them through display devices like Projectors or LCD panels in training halls. Such a mode of using multimedia as a training & education tool is referred hereby as traditional multimedia systems. In order to convert these output files to on-line multimedia presentations, a whole range of conversions and packaging tools are used to enable them to be launched over Internet/Intranet through Web Servers (like Apache, Microsoft IIS, etc.). The recipient of the presentations can view them through supported browsers like Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape Navigator etc. or through handheld devices like PDAs. A high level process of launching on-line multimedia content is presented in the figure below (Figure 2): Figure 2: On-Line Knowledge Pool creation process (Source: Sullow, Klaus and Gabel-Becker, Ingrid et al. 1993) Technologically, on-line multi-media is much more technically involved compared to traditional multimedia systems given that traditional multimedia presentations are executed on high capacity resources like Gigabit Ethernet/ATM LAN environments (having few Gigabits per second or Hundreds of Megabits per second of bandwidth) with high power servers. Hence, they are normally presented in their full capacity without compromising on quality. However, on-line multimedia systems are executed over the Internet, Intranet or WAP based networks and hence the presentation is required to be optimized for low capacity resources like ADSL Internet connections, GPRS or 3G networks where the bandwidth is limited to few hundred kilobits per second or few megabits per second. Overall, the on-line multimedia presentations are required to be executed on links that are extremely slow compared to the traditional multimedia systems. Hence, the quality of presentation of on-line multimedia presentation is compromised drastically as compared to traditional multimedia presentation by applying compression, format conversion (example, QuickTime, JPEG, AVI to Flash) and reducing size of displays. The presentation thus achieved causes enormous reduction in performance specifically the Virtual Reality presentation. One can easily work out the difference by imagining quality of a Virtual Reality intensive movie like "Lord of the Rings - Return of the King" viewed in a home theatre versus viewed on-line over Internet using Video On Demand. Typical applications of Traditional Multi-media presentation systems are: (a) Class room presentations using specially designed lectures using multimedia (b) Business Seminars & Lectures (c) Computer based interactive training in LAN environment - specifically prevalent in Medical Sciences, Engineering, Architecture, Geophysics, Modern Physics, Chemistry, Military, etc. (d) Science Exhibitions & Galleries (e) Improving Aesthetics inside a building by deploying virtual reality effects (f) Research and Development (g) Design, Development and Innovation. (h) Knowledge Management and Archiving (i) Corporate Communications (j) Live Musical Shows Typical applications of on-line multimedia presentation systems: (a) On-line web based training (b) Distance Learning (like on-line management & engineering courses) (c) Live Web Casts - News, Cricket, Soccer, Olympics, Live shows, etc. (d) Video Resumes (e) Long distance Lectures & Webinars (a recent term coined to web based seminars) (f) On-line Music & Video on demand - Streaming Audio & Video (g) Web based knowledge databases, web journals, on-line interactive books, etc. (h) Long Distance Corporate Communications, Content Transfer, etc. The most popular application of on-line multimedia presentation is distance education & learning. The most popular methodologies of on-line training are: (a) Stored Streaming Video of teacher's presentation and slide shows presented through course websites offered by Universities offering distance education. (b) Live Streaming video presented through live communications server - possesses text based discussions and slide shows (c) Groupware synchronous/asynchronous forum systems with e-mail, chat, lecture documents, slides, videos, video chats, audio chats, etc. (d) One to one Audio & Video conferencing sessions between teachers and students. [Kamran, Shoaib 2005; Sullow, Klaus and Gabel-Becker, Ingrid et al. 1993; Gibbs, Simon. 1995; Wiley, David A. and Edwards, Erin K. 2001] Critical Discussions Traditional Multimedia presentation in Classroom/Seminars/Training hall/etc. is carried out using overhead projectors by running the files on a native computer connected to the data source through high speed links. Moreover, such presentations are run by a human presenter who interrupts the presentation at some checkpoints to elaborate the concepts. This results in some of the fundamental advantages for the knowledge recipients: (a) Instructional Method mixed with Video content - The recipients get the advantage of a human specialist adding value to the running video content at the checkpoints. Hence, apart from the fixed, linear content being delivered through the Video the advantage of the knowledge of the Human presenters is also available thus allowing to clear doubts in interactions. (b) Quality of presentation - The quality of video and audio is phenomenal because they are presented through high capacity devices, computers, large screen displays and networking. Special effects delivered through 3D graphics, Virtual Reality, Surround Sound, etc. perform at their best thus allowing the recipients to focus on finer details of the video content. Example screenshots of Virtual Reality based video training is presented in the figure below (Figure 3). Some presentations can enable virtual tour within a large virtual infrastructure (like a chemical plant) as shown in Figure 4. Figure 3: Screenshots of a Physics Training Module using Virtual Reality (Source: Metaxas, Dimitris. www.cis.upenn.edu/dnm) Figure 4: A Virtual Tour in a Chemical Plant (Source: Bell, John T. and Fogler, H. Scott, 1997) (c) Organization of the Presentation - As per the adult education theory presented by Sabatini (2001), the organization of the presentation should be very carefully planned keeping in mind the effective outcome of video, text, charts, graphs, spreadsheets, etc. The sequencing of knowledge delivery is the key to effectiveness of the presentation which is very carefully designed in traditional multimedia presentations. Example, some content presented in wrong order may send wrong messages or make the consolidation of concepts by the recipient really difficult. Figure 5: Empirically supported suggestions for allocating type of media for information type being presented (Source: Najjar, Lawrence. 1996). (d) Formal environment - Such presentations are normally carried out in formal environments and hence the chances of distraction are minimal. (e) Control of Learning Pace - The traditional multimedia presentations are run in controlled pace thus ensuring effective knowledge delivery to the recipients. (f) Novelty - Information presented via traditional multimedia systems is novel and stimulating especially in complex subjects like Medical Sciences, Engineering, Architecture, etc. All these advantages may not be prevalent in computer based training using traditional multimedia but the advantage of high quality presentation including effectiveness of Virtual Reality is definitely prevalent in such trainings. [Metaxas, Dimitris at www.cis.upenn.edu/dnm; Bell, John T. and Fogler, H. Scott, 1997; Najjar, Lawrence. 1996; Sabatini, 2001] On-line multimedia presentation is gaining popularity very rapidly due to certain factors which is fuelling its expansion. Firstly, the power of Internet allows access to millions of users and the indexing of content is as rapid as it getting cached in Google or Yahoo search engines. A large amount of content is quickly accessible on mere mouse clicks among which substantial content is free of cost. Hence, access to very large amount of information is the given advantage of on-line multimedia presentations through Internet. Some recipients even believe that "Everything" is available through Internet - Knowledge, Films, Music, Speeches, games, etc. However, while these advantages appear to demonstrate the width of knowledge presentable through on-line multimedia systems, what is seriously lacking is depth of knowledge and user friendliness. It is an education system which is not "controlled" and hence there is always high risk of reaching sites with wrong, non-copyrighted, poorly presented, unauthentic, unreferenced, and poor quality content. First of all, the quality of video & audio presented on on-line multimedia web portals is extremely poor as compared with their original traditional multimedia recording. This is one of the major problems of on-line multimedia presentations because this problem kills the fundamental purpose of multimedia based presentation - "effective visualization of knowledge". Moreover, the user friendliness of on-line presentation is not as good as traditional multimedia presentations because the on-line presentations are run over thin bandwidth network connections and hence web based optimizations like buffering, reduced window size, reduced sound volume, etc. are deployed which seriously reduced the quality of presentation. Normal videos may appear OK but Virtual Reality presentations and Virtual Tours face serious problems given that the minute parts of the presentation is not clear which affects the knowledge transfer process negatively specifically in engineering, medical, and architectural applications. In fact it is better to download the file and run locally on the computer rather than viewing it on-line over the Internet which makes use of traditional multimedia even in the online environment. Kamran, Shoaib (2005) presented the problems of On-Line distance learning programmes pertaining to effectiveness of on-line collaborative learning environments. Kamran argues that in distance learning programmes, the learning experience & outcomes of the distant learners are not impressive resulting in high dropout rates. Normally, distance learning is preferred as the last option if due to unavoidable reasons campus learning with advantages of face to face interactions is not available. Kamran argues that distant learning creates not only a geographical distance but also psychological distance. Most learners feel that distant learning is a complex process whereby students & teachers are required to switch between different multimedia based applications to collaborate, communicate, share and access resources. The organization of multimedia presentations is asynchronous in nature whereby interactions with teacher is much lesser as compared to campus learning where traditional multimedia presentations are used. Moreover, team discussions and activities cannot be done effectively in on-line learning mechanisms specifically in scenarios when the students are required to generate presentations as a part of their term paper exercises. Such presentations are more effective when prepared & shared through traditional multimedia methods. In fact it is a major overhead for students to convert such presentations to web enabled format to share with the remote teacher. This also causes serious compatibility issues with individual leaning styles. [Kamran, Shoaib, 2005] Smart and Cappel (2006) argue that effective learning happens only when the learner is satisfied with knowledge delivery. They emphasized on the fundamental learning theory arguing that learning is effective when: (a) Students are actively involved in the learning process designed by the instructor (b) The assignments designed by the teachers reflect the real life contexts and experiences (c) Deep Learning and Critical Thinking is promoted through innovative mechanisms especially presented through audio-visual mechanisms The on-line learning mechanisms are not effective in ensuring these learning fundamentals given that involvement of students, lack of learning environment, poor quality presentation of the multimedia systems, learner frustration, anxiety, confusion, lack of disciplined environment, lack of self-motivation, lack of time commitment to learning, ineffectiveness of chat & discussion boards, poor combination of pre-learning preparations & post-learning exercises, etc. are some of the major issues in on-line multimedia presentation as pointed out by Smart and Cappel (1996). They carried out a research on senior students in United States taking on-line audio-visual learning courses. They discovered mixed responses leading to the following disadvantages of on-line multimedia based courses as perceived by the students: (a) Online simulations: students disliked doing them as they took too long and were ambiguous at times (b) Online Simulation units were not sufficiently interesting (c) Online unit information not sufficiently "new" - old content being presented repeatedly (probably due to the cost and pain of developing newer versions requiring enormous web development efforts) (d) Some students experienced problems with losing completed (saved) work (e) Some students experienced problems in navigating at the learning website (f) Loading of screen loads were too slow - a problem already articulated in this paper earlier (g) Some students felt that on-line training modules were too long that required too much time to complete (h) Some students felt that they were not given sufficient time to complete online units (i) Some students questioned time planning of delivery of the modules - this is probably because of the unpredictable nature of performance of on-line multimedia over Internet. (j) Some students felt that the directions for online unit usage were not sufficient; probably due to asynchronous nature of presentation they were missing on content during the course. A closer look reveals that a lot of these things happen due to lack of individual interaction and technical limitations of on-line multimedia. [Smart and Cappel. 1996; Taynton, Yvonne, 2001] Conclusions The most popular & feasible application of Multimedia is knowledge delivery whether it is carried out through training programmes, classroom sessions, seminars, distance learning, webinars, etc. The biggest advantage that multimedia systems offer is effective visualization of knowledge through audio-visual presentations employing special effects & virtual reality. These presentations require enormous efforts in production specifically to achieve the desired quality when run on traditional multimedia display systems like LCD panels and Projectors. However, for on-line applications, the quality achieved through such a complex procedure is required to be deteriorated through another complex procedure (web multimedia development) such that they can optimally work on thin bandwidth network connections or shared web & streaming servers. The cost of on-line multimedia thus is enormously high compared to traditional multimedia presentation. As a result, the recipients of on-line multimedia presentation are expected to adjust to the reduced performance which leads to ineffectiveness of knowledge delivery when compared to traditional multimedia presentations. Students are frustrated and de-motivated due to lack of feeling the presence and group work. Researches indicate student frustration and even student attrition in on-line learning courses. Hence, the author hereby concludes that on-line multimedia presentation cannot compete with traditional multimedia presentation. Reference List: Bell, John T. and Fogler, H. Scott. The Application of Virtual Reality to Chemical Engineering Education. Simulation Series. Vol. 29. Iss.2, Society for Computer Simulation, San Diego. 1997. pp1-6. Gibbs, Simon. "Multimedia Component Frameworks," Object-Oriented Software Composition, O. Nierstrasz and D. Tsichritzis (Eds.), Prentice Hall, 1995. pp. 305-319. Kamran, Shoaib. Evaluating the Possibilities and Problems of Distributed Multimedia Technologies in the Development of Online Collaborative Learning Environments. Department of Numerical Analysis and Computer Science. Royal Institute of Technology. Stockholm. Sweden. 2005. pp13-26. Metaxas, Dimitris. Physics-based Modeling for Animation and Medical Applications. Department of Computer and Information Science. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved on 03 February 2009. Available at www.cis.upenn.edu/dnm. Najjar, Lawrence J. Does Multimedia information help people learn. Journal. of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia. Vol. 5. No.2, 1996. pp 129-150. Sabatini, John P. Designing Multimedia Learning Systems for Adult Learners. National Center on Adult Literacy. University of Pennsylvania. 2001. pp1-19. Smart, Karl L. and Cappel, James J. Students' Perceptions of Online Learning: A Comparative Study. Journal of Information Technology Education Volume 5, 2006. pp2-16. Sullow, Klaus and Gabel-Becker, Ingrid et al. Multimedia Forum - An Interactive On-Line Journal. Electronic Publishing, Vol.6. Iss. 4. 1993. pp413-422 Taynton, Yvonne. Online Learning: A Student Perspective. School of Multimedia and Information Technology. Southern Cross University, Australia. 2001. pp1-12 Tupenaite L. Use of free online multimedia in distance learning process. Vilniaus Gediminas Technical University, Vilnius, Lithuania. 2007. pp1-3. Wiley, David A. and Edwards, Erin K. Online Self Organizing Social Systems - The decentralized future of on-line learning. Utah State University. 2001. pp2-18 Read More