What is the promise of multimedia learning?

127 R.E. Mayer Learning and Instruction 13 2003 125–139 Fig. 1. Selected frames from a multimedia explanation of how a pump works. 2. What is the promise of multimedia learning? The promise of multimedia learning is that, by combining pictures with words, we will be able to foster deeper learning in students. First, multimedia instruction messages can be designed in ways that are consistent with how people learn, and thus can serve as aids to human learning Mayer, 1997, 1999a, 1999b, 2001. Second, there is a growing research base showing that students learn more deeply from well- designed multimedia presentations than from traditional verbal-only messages, including improved performance on tests of problem-solving transfer Mandl Levin, 1989; Mayer, 2001; Najjar, 1998; Schnotz Kulhavy, 1994; Sweller, 1999; Van Merrienboer, 1997. In short, the promise of multimedia learning is that teachers can tap the power of visual and verbal forms of expression in the service of promot- ing student understanding. For purposes of our research program we define deep learning or understanding as learning that leads to problem-solving transfer. For example, someone who under- stands how pumps work is able to troubleshoot a malfunctioning pump by generating 128 R.E. Mayer Learning and Instruction 13 2003 125–139 possible reasons for why a pump does not work or is able to tell how to redesign a pump to meet a new purpose such as making it more reliable. In order to fulfill the promise of multimedia learning, we need a research base and theoretical framework that provide answers to basic questions. Do students learn more deeply from multimedia messages than from verbal-only ones? Under what conditions does it help to add pictures to words? How does multimedia learning work? Can students engage in active learning when they learn from media that do not allow for much hands-on activity such as multimedia messages? What is the role of technology in promoting learning? Do methods i.e., design principles for multi- media presentations work the same way across various media e.g., book-based or computer-based environments? These are the kinds of questions that researchers address in the young but growing field of multimedia learning Mandl Levin, 1989; Mayer, 2001; Schnotz Kulhavy, 1994; Sweller, 1999; Van Merrienboer, 1997 and that I explore in this paper. 3. What is a multimedia instructional message?