Creating interactive multimedia-based educational courseware: Cognition in learning

Multimedia involves a combination of multiple modes such as text, graphics, audio and video to present information for learners. Multimedia-based learning has increasingly proliferated in educational circles, having been shaped by rapid technological advancements. In designing pedagogically sound multimedia systems a high premium needs to be placed on leveraging a judicious mix of various presentation modes to cater to users' differing learning styles and needs. This will ensure that learning is optimised which is essentially learner-centric in nature in multimedia rich learning environments. Learner-centric in the sense that learners have control over the pace of their own learning and are empowered to take charge of their learning trajectories. In recent times, cognitive psychology has progressed in its empirical research development and many of the major findings in this field have been of use in the instructional design of multimedia educational resources. In this paper, we review some of these key principles and their implications in the development of multimedia contentware that is both aesthetically appealing and pedagogically engaging. © Springer-Verlag London Limited 2005.