e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning

Features

• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 496 pages
• Published by: Pfeiffer
• Edition: 2nd Edition September 28, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0787986836
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0787986834
• Book Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.1 x 1.3 inches
• Weighs: 2.2 pounds

Product Review
"This book clearly points the way to improving learning environments and ensuring that e-learning is accessible, relevant, and effective." -- Technical Communication, August 2003

"is a useful resource for all those who are involved in designing and developing e-learning experiences." -- IACET Review, 4/1/2004

“…is a useful resource for all those who are involved in designing and developing e-learning experiences. (IACET Review, 4/1/2004)

"This book clearly points the way to improving learning environments and ensuring that e-learning is accessible, relevant, and effective." (Technical Communication, August 2003) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Review
“Their first edition was a landmark work. This new edition is even better. Too many guidelines for instructional design are based on opinion or an attempt to be consistent with some philosophical position. It is most refreshing when one of the world's most respected learning researchers teams with the premier translator of scientific findings to produce a set of e-learning guidelines based on empirical research findings. Both novice and experienced instructional designers will observe more effective and efficient learning from their instructional products if they implement the guidelines in this book.”--M. David Merrill, visiting professor, Florida State University

 

“As a scholar-practitioner, e-Learning and the Science of Instruction has been an invaluable resource. Clark and Mayer have a knack for placing theory into applicable and practical examples of instructionally sound e-learning. In the last 4 years, I have used this book as a reference for several e-learning courses and as a manager of several instructional designers. Quite frankly, our field requirements more evidenced-based examples of instructionally sound e-learning and less of the ‘wow’ factor!”--Gina Ann Richter, president, GO-Learning Inc.

 

“This book is required reading in my graduate-level Instructional Media Design course. As an instructor, I appreciate the sound empirical basis for the book’s e-learning guidelines. The students, on the other hand, are grateful for the clear, concise language used to describe the guidelines, which makes their application straightforward.”--Robert K. Atkinson, psychology in education, Arizona State University

 

Reader Reviews
This review is from: e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning (Hardcover) Over several million years, humans have learned from other humans, by speech, action and observation. It can be strongly argued that this is hard-wired into our genes, as the survival advantages of communication and learning from each other are obvious. In the last few decades, a new and fundamentally different form of learning has emerged. This form of learning requires only one human, the learner. Instruction is carried out via a computer, which has the advantage that it never grows frustrated or impatient with the student and will repeat the lesson an indefinite number of times. However, the first attempts to replace the human instructor were not successful. Early programs that were little more than drill and practice were dull and students lost interest very quickly. The repetitive nature and lack of originality proved to be a near-fatal weakness. The first online courses were little more than correspondence courses, where the correspondence was electronic rather than via letters. As was the case with correspondence courses, a small percentage of the students did well, but most found them inadequate. It turns out that the successful electronic delivery of learning material is very hard, much harder than the traditional method. It requires new forms of thought and a great deal of attention to detail such as colors and sounds. Electronic delivery also requires a level of sensory stimulation, such as a combination of visual and audio, which is consistent with traditional modes of learning. Therefore, until computers reached the point where the instruction could be multimedia and user-driven, e-learning could never really be a viable alternative. Now, that has changed and this book contains a large amount of collected wisdom about how to construct and evaluate quality lessons. The authors summarize an enormous amount of research in the field, presenting it in an easy to understand manner. I created online courses for a college and instructional material for my corporate training classes before I read the book and I found their pointers to be right on the mark. They described many of the problems I encountered and their proposed solutions were generally similar to those I found through trial and error. If you are considering either the development of online courses or are evaluating some for purchase, then you should read this book. The current power of computers can easily convince you that electronic education is much easier than it actually is, and this book will help you avoid making errors.