Multimedia

6.3 MULTIMEDIA

Information which is stored in different forms could be combined and used in different combinations. Multimedia can be recorded and played, displayed, dynamic, interacted with or accessed by information processing devices, such as computerized and electronic devices Multimedia devices are electronic media devices used to store and experience multimedia content. This process has given rise to the term ‘Multi-media’. This combination of different media for communication has influenced and changed all aspects of our life, including the teacher and the learner. Multimedia has become an inevitable part of any presentation. We have seen that it has found a variety of applications right from entertainment to education. The evolution of internet has also increased the demand for multimedia content. Multimedia is a term used to describe how multiple means of media  like text, audio, graphics, animation, video, and interactivity are used to communicate information . It is also often used to describe any computer media.  This helps us to understand information at a faster rate.

 6.3.1 Meaning of Multimedia

Multimedia is defined in many ways. Most of the definitions agree on the characteristic that multimedia contains texts, graphics, animations, video and sound in an unified way and the content can be structured and presented differently.  Let us explore some of the definitions given below.

“Multimedia is the exciting combination of computer hardware and software that allows you to integrate video, animation, audio, graphics, and text resources to develop effective presentations on an affordable desktop computer” (Fenrich, 1997).

“Multimedia is characterized by the presence of text, pictures, sound, animation and video; some or all of which are organized into some coherent program” (Phillips, 1997).

From these definitions we see that Multimedia is a concept which sees the use of text, graphic art, sound, animation, and video in different combinations.  This integration of Media into one whole and that which gives the user more benefits than any one of the media used individually is Multimedia.

Interactive Multimedia: The Encyclopedia Britannica Online defines "Interactive Multimedia" as, any computer-delivered electronic system that allows the user to control, combine, and manipulate different types of media, such as text, sound, video, computer graphics, and animation. Interactive multimedia integrates computer, memory storage, digital (binary) data, telephone, television, and other information technologies. Their most common applications include training programs, video games, electronic encyclopedias, and travel guides. Interactive multimedia shift the user's role from observer to participant and are considered the next generation of electronic information systems.

6.3.2 Elements of Multimedia

The different building blocks of Multimedia are Text, Images and graphics, Audio, Video, and Animation. Any multimedia application consists any or all of them. Let us learn about each one of them

• Text - ASCII/Unicode, HTML, Postscript, PDF
• Audio – Sound, music, speech, structured audio (e.g. MIDI)
• Still Image - Facsimile, photo, scanned image, photographs, drawings, maps and slides
• Video (Moving Images) – Movie, a sequence of pictures
• Graphics – Computer produced image
• Animation – A sequence of graphics images

1. Text: Text and symbols are very important for communication in any medium. Using text in online training has many advantages: text files are small so they perform well at low bandwidth, the user can search for specific words or phrases, and text can be easily updated. You can create text directly within an authoring application or import it from external text files. Anti-aliasing enables you to create attractive text that blends into the background color without any jagged edges. Authorware, Director, and Flash all support anti-aliased text. Using anti-aliased text helps avoid having to create display text as a graphics file, which would make your overall course size much larger than if you simply entered text directly into the authoring tool.

2. Images and Graphics: Images play a very important role in a multimedia. It is expressed in the form of still picture, painting or a photograph taken through a digital camera. The points at which an image is sampled are known as picture elements, commonly abbreviated as pixels. The pixel values of intensity images are called grayscale levels.  There are different kinds of image formats like the Captured Image Format and the format when images are stored. The captured image Format is known by two main factors that is spatial resolution which is specified as pixels x pixels (eg. 640x480) and color encoding, which is specified by bits per pixel. Both factors depend on hardware and software for input/output of images. The Stored Image Format is when we store an image; we are storing a two-dimensional array of values, in which each value represents the data associated with a pixel in the image. These images can be edited with the help of few of the software like general drawing programs, JASC Paint Shop Pro, Corel Photo Paint, Macromedia Fireworks ,Art Rage: free (NZ) paint program simulating , Corel Draw , and Open Office / Libre Office Draw, GIMP, and Mypaint.

Graphics Formats: Most Web browsers can display GIF and JPEG graphics files. Web browsers that are version 4.0 or later can use the JPEG format for continuous-tone images, such as photographs and images that use color gradients. The PNG format was developed as a patent-free replacement for the GIF format. PNGs can use an alpha channel to define transparency in a graphic. Import PNG files into any of the Macromedia tools as an alternative to GIF files, especially if you need 24-bit graphics or graphics with transparency. Use this format in Web-native content only when delivering to newer browsers; some older browsers do not support the PNG format also display PNG graphics files. The two most popular graphic formats for online training and Web pages in general are GIFs and JPEGs. Both are bitmap files that are relatively small in size. The two formats compress images differently, each excelling at compressing different types of graphics. Using software such as Macromedia Fireworks, you can compare the file size of your graphics with various optimization settings to help you pick the best file format. Use the GIF format for line art and graphics that have large areas of a single color. Graphics saved in the GIF format can have one transparent color where JPEG graphics cannot. There are applications like format factory which helps us in converting graphics from one format to other.

3. Audio: Audio can enhance learning concepts and reinforce ideas presented as text or graphics on the screen. Using audio may be essential to the teaching of topics such as a foreign language or music appreciation. There are three types of audio assets that are commonly used in e-learning:

• Music
• Narration (voice-overs)
• Sound effects

Music demands a higher-quality and a wider sound-frequency range than narration and therefore produces larger files. Narrations generally have a smaller sound frequency range so it can be compressed more than music and still retain good sound quality. Sound effects are generally short so they don’t have a large impact on the overall file size of an online course.

Audio Formats: The WAV and AIFF audio formats, popular on Microsoft Windows and Macintosh systems respectively, usually create files that are too large to use in an online course. Use one of the compressed formats with the goal of balancing small file size with acceptable quality audio. You have different options depending upon which authoring software you use. Both Shockwave Audio (SWA) used by Authorware and Director, and MP3, which is used by Flash are popular compressed formats useful for all three types of audio used in e-learning. The open source audio editing software like audacity is very popular tool for audio editing.

4. Video: Although video requires lots of bandwidth to download, it is very useful for conveying certain information. Using video in e-learning helps realistically demonstrate equipment and processes among other things. For instance, an e-learning course in botany might show a video of a sprouting seed. A course about the features of an airplane might show a video of a crewmember properly closing and securing a door for takeoff. The intricate level of detail visible in video is also ideal for illustrating subtle, nonverbal information. For example, to teach sales skills you could use a video to demonstrate an interaction between a salesperson and a customer, then have the learners analyze the body language of the people involved in the transaction.

Video Formats: There are three standard digital video formats: Quick Time, Video for Windows, and MPEG. Video files tend to be large so they really aren’t appropriate for delivery on modem connections. You may choose to include video in your e-learning course if you are delivering it over an intranet or to users with relatively high bandwidth connections. There are many open source video editing tool and open shot is one such popular tool.

5. Animation: Animation illustrates concepts with movement, shows processes, or draws attention to a region or elements of a screen. Since animations usually involve graphics, they are highly dependent upon the size and file type of the graphics that are being animated.

Animation Formats: There are many ways you can create animations. Authorware, Dreamweaver, Director and Flash can all create animations. An animation created within an authoring program is usually smaller and more efficient than an animation created in another tool and then imported in your authoring program. This is particularly true when an animation is based on shapes created with the software’s drawing tools rather than with imported bitmaps. For example, Flash excels at creating vector graphics and animations. Although Flash can animate bitmap graphics, animations made predominately with vector graphics in Flash are considerably smaller than animations created with bitmap graphics. Simple 2D animations can be created using open source tools like pencil or tupi and more advance tools like blender.

6.3.3 Types of Multimedia

 Multimedia may be broadly divided into Linear and Non-linear Multimedia.

In Linear Multimedia the active content progresses without any navigational control for the viewer. The viewer interacts with the multimedia application in which the content is sequentially arranged. The viewer does not control the progress of the content. In other words, the viewer is a passive receiver of the multimedia content most of the time. For example a movie uses a combination of audio, graphics and animations, but the viewer has no control over the sequence of events.
Non-linear Multimedia uses interactivity to control progress as with a video game or self-paced computer based training. It allows one to use the content according to ones wants. It is a two way communication. This communication can be controlled by using buttons, links and hypertext. Hypermedia is an example of non-linear content. It connects to different media elements such as audio and video. Multimedia presentations which are live or recorded are also Non-linear. A recorded presentation may allow interactivity via a navigation system. A live multimedia presentation may allow interactivity via an interaction with the presenter or performer.

Different Types of Multimedia Interactivity
According to Reimann as stated in Andresen (2013), interactivity contains a broad range of possibilities for influencing the process of learning and the content of studies:
• Manipulating objects on the screen by mouse activities;
• Linear navigating: moving forward/backward on the screen;
• Hierarchic navigating: the possibility of selecting sites/content by using special menus;
• Interactive help functionality. This kind of help, which can be available through special menu buttons, is most effective when adapted to the topical presentation of information;
• Feedback: The program answers by giving an assessment on the quality of user activities. These answers are visible on the screen. The further course program may be dependent on this assessment, i.e. adaptability is established;
• Communicative interaction: The possibility of interaction with other persons, i.e. other users or 'friends' in social networks. Since, 'social networks consist of people who are connected by a shared object' (Zengestrom, 2005), networks can foster learning about these objects.
• Constructive interaction: The program provides an opportunity for constructing or configuring objects on the screen. For example, users have a possibility to actively create their own nodes and link models, i.e. they can add new nodes and new links between already existing nodes and in this way develop their own hypertext structure;
• Reflective interactions: The program stores the learner's individual activities for further analysis (e.g. a navigation path within a hypermedia lesson). Furthermore, the program can provide the learner with an 'expert path' or a 'guided tour';
• Simulative interactivity: Objects on the screen are linked together and exchange information in such a way that a particular configuration of objects produces 'behavior' of these objects (simulations of machines, simulations of social interactions, etc.);
• Non-immersed contextual interactivity: The learner is involved in an activity that implies a pedagogical purpose. Many edutainment applications (software which combines education and entertainment) and adventure games use this kind of interactivity (Scenario 3);
• Immersed contextual interactivity: This is virtual reality. Within virtual reality the user dives into a simulated three-dimensional world.

6.3.4 A brief History of Multimedia

Li and Drew (2004) in their book on fundamentals of multimedia have traced the history of multimedia as follows:

Year	Major Events
17th Century	Newspapers, which were perhaps the first mass communication medium, using text, graphics, and images.
1830	Motion pictures were originally conceived of in the 1830s to observe motion too rapid for perception by the human eye
1887	Thomas Alva Edison 'commissioned the invention of a motion picture camera in 1887.
1895	In 1895, Guglielmo Marconi sent his first wireless radio transmission at Italy. A few years later (1901), he detected radio waves beamed across the Atlantic. Initially invented for telegraph, radio is now a major medium for audio broadcasting. In 1909, Marconi shared the Nobel Prize for physics.
1910	Silent feature films appeared from 1910 to 1927; the silent era effectively ended with the release of The Jazz Singer in 1927.
1926	Television was the new medium for the twentieth century. It established video as a commonly available medium and has since changed the world of mass communication.
1945	Vannevar Bush (1890-1974) wrote a landmark article describing what amounts to a hypermedia system, called "Memex." Memex was meant to be a universally useful and personalized memory device that even included in the concept of associative links - it really is the forerunner of the World Wide Web.
1960	Ted Nelson started the Xanadu project and coined the term "hypertext." Xanaduwas the first attempt at a hypertext system - Nelson called it a "magic place of literary memory."
1967	Nicholas Negroponte formed the Architecture Machine Group at MIT
1968	Douglas Engelbart, greatly influenced by Vannevar Bush's "As We May Think,"demonstrated the "On-Line System" (NLS), another early hypertext program.
1969	1969 Nelson and van Dam at Brown University created an early hypertext editor called FRESS- [4]. The present-day Inter media project by the Institute for Research in Information and Scholarship (IRIS) at Brown is the descendant of that early system.
1976	The MIT Architecture Machine Group proposed a project entitled "Multiple Media." This resulted in the Aspen Movie Map, the first hypermedia videodisc, in 1978.
1985	Negroponte and Wiesner cofounded the MIT Media Lab, a leading research institution investigating digital video and multimedia.
1989	Tim Berners-Lee proposed the World Wide Web to the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN).
1990	Kristina Hooper Woolsey headed the Apple Multimedia Lab, with a staff of 100. Education was a chief goal.
1991	MPEG-1 was approved as an international standard for digital video. Its further development led to newer standards, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, and further MPEGs, in the 1990s.
1991	The introduction of PDAs in 1991 began a new period in the use of computers in general and multimedia in particular. This development continued in 1996 with the marketing of the first PDA with no keyboard.
1992	JPEG was accepted as the international standard for digital image compression. Its further development has now led to the new JPEG2000 standard.
1992	1992 The first M Bone audio multicast on the Net was made.
1993	The University of Illinois National Center for Supercomputing Applications produced NCSA Mosaic, the first full-fledged browser, launching a new era in Internet information access.
1994	Jim Clark and Marc Andreessen created the Netscape program.
1995	The JAVA language was created for platform-independent application development.
1996	DVD video was introduced; high-quality, full-length movies were distributed on asingle disk. The DVD format promised to transform the music, gaming and computer industries.
1998	1998 XML 1.0 was announced as a W3C Recommendation.
1998	Handheld MP3 devices first made inroads into consumer tastes in the fall, with the introduction of devices holding 32 MB of flash memory.
2000	World Wide Web (WWW) size was estimated at over 1 billion pages

6.4 DEVELOPING MULTIMEDIA

There has been a drastic change in the way teaching has progressed. We now have teaching with the help of Multimedia, a teaching machine and virtual classrooms. These changes are here to stay because of the availability of different types of Instructional media. The outlook of education has changed and the role of the teacher and the school has been redefined. Teachers are now facilitators using ICT based courseware. When we speak about Multimedia development, it includes the planned and organized use of all available materials which include all the elements of Multimedia viz Text, Audio, Image and Graphics, Video, Animations and all electronic and other media to achieve the goal of education in a most effective manner .Thus the development of Multimedia first focuses on the learners and what is required for them and of them. It involves planning instructional objectives, instructional content, instructional method, instructional media, how to deliver the content, and evaluation. There are many instructional design models for developing multimedia and what follows is the discussion of the one of the important design model ADDIE.

6.4.1 ADDIE Model of Multimedia Development: The instructional development model ADDIE is also appropriate for planning and developing multimedia resources.

 

                                                                               

6.4.2 Interface Design Guidelines for Multimedia: While designing the interface for multimedia content there are many design guidelines to be kept in mind. These guidelines and its explanations are provided in the following table.

Interface design guidelines	Explanations of Guidelines
Promote the use of graphics	User interfaces should include not only words, but a combination of words and graphics. In an eLearning course, graphics are not supposed to constitute simply decorative illustrations, but explanative illustrations
Maintain the contiguity of related items	In each screen of the course there should be an explicit connection among related information. The contiguity guideline is applied in the following ways Text should be near the relative graphic, by placing graphics in a decreased size precisely next to the text, placing each piece of text exactly next to the piece of graphic it explains or using pop-up text boxes. Results and feedback should be in the same screen with the question. Hyperlinks information should not cover the information of the initial screen, but lead to a separate window.
Promote the use of audio in graphics description	In cases where it is feasible, each time words and graphics are to be presented simultaneously, the instructional designer should use only oral narration and not words printed on the screen
Provide appropriate navigation support	Information, actions and possible choices should always be visible and easily accessible to the user. Navigation through the course can be supported with one or more of the following choices Course map, which presents the hierarchy of the course content. Paths that show exactly where the learner is at the moment. Previous, next and exit elements and indications of where the learner is at the moment. Pop-up text boxes that provide additional information. Guided tour, which demonstrates certain basic steps to navigate through the course. Visibility and ease of exit along with an explicit warning message Descriptive names of links, which function as an indication about the content to which they lead.
Attain eLearning content coherence	Coherence means uniformity in information presentation as well as in the possible actions of the learner during the entire course. In an eLearning course, coherence is enhanced when the instructor follows the following guidelines: Coherence in links design, so that it immediately indicates that it leads to another point of the course.  This design should be the same during the entire course. Coherence in screen structure, so that navigation support elements are always in the same place Coherence in screen design, which means that the use of the various aesthetic choices should remain the same Coherence in terminology use, which means that terms used should always have the same meaning as far as the result of their use is concerned
Support interactivity	The text of each page should be relatively short and, if the instructor wants to provide more information, it is preferable to give it through links. This means that information is not presented in a linear way, but the learner can control information attainment, processing and presentation through links that contain the relative information. Interactivity can be applied in a course through: Links into the main content that leads to further information. Links that lead to the next page, along with short text on each screen.
Organize links to create a useful course menu	A menu is a set of options, displayed on the screen, where the selection and execution of one or more of the options result in a change in the state of the interface. Some guidelines for the effective use of a course menu are: Menu classification and levels. The elements that constitute the menu usually derive from the course structure and the course navigation elements. The selection of the course elements that constitute the menu and their classification depend on criteria of sound sequence, functional criteria, or even criteria of frequency of use. Elements that are common in many parts of the course are placed in a superior level menu. Menu position. Menu should be visible and accessible from any point of the screen and it should be placed in a way that it does not cover another part of the menu or an important part of the screen when it opens. Minimising user steps. While navigating through the menu or the links, learners should be able to have access to the desirable page after 2-3 steps at most.
Promote the use of common language	The learning environment should contain words and phrases that the learner can immediately comprehend. The terminology used, the language and the visual representations should be compatible with the learner context. The dialogue and the presented information should not contain software terms.
Provide help	Help gives the learner the distinct steps to follow every time a problem arises. So, it should be available anywhere in the eLearning course. Learners should be able to consult help with easy, simple and standard steps. The return to the usual environment should be easy and obvious.
Provide appropriate screen design	Screen design refers to the development of attractive and effective screens. Below, there are presented some guidelines that the instructor should follow in order to create useful and effective screens, along with the ways they can be applied (aesthetics): The most significant information immediately distinguished. This can be applied by using frames or white space, by selecting the appropriate colours and by using bullet points, numbering and font style. Hierarchy. The selection of the appropriate colours, white space, different bullet points, different fonts and sizes play an important role in the codification of different groups of data and help in the application of hierarchy. Perception of the environment (Gestalt). Font type and size constitute the main elements for the application of the gestalt guideline.

6.5 TOOLS FOR CREATING AND USING MULTIMEDIA                        

We know that one learns best by doing.  When we are absorbed in constructing knowledge from a combination of different tools like the Digital Camera, Camcorder, Scanner ,Interactive white board or the Multimedia Projector we  more likely to gain a clearer understanding of concepts and how these different tools are used to integrate  various  learning materials sequentially or non-sequentially. Let us learn about how these tools can be used in preparing Multimedia Learning Material. Please visit the links given with each tool to learn more

Name of the Tool	Description
6.5.1 Digital Camera	A Digital Camera is an electronic device that converts images and videos digitally and stores them for later reproduction. Most cameras that are used today are digital and are incorporated into many devices like mobile phones, tablets, laptops, vehicles and many other. Unlike film cameras, digital cameras can display images on a screen immediately after being recorded, and store and delete images from memory.  The stored images can be uploaded to a computer immediately for printing or also stored in an external disc. Many digital cameras can also record moving videos with sound. Some digital cameras can crop and edit pictures. You can learn more about it by visiting the link below.
6.5.2 Camcorder	A camcorder or a video camera recorder is a transportable electronic recording device which is used in recording live-motion video and audio for later playback.  Earlier the Camcorder used to be bulky and heavy using magnetic tape for the recording but now the digital video camcorders are smaller and lighter and have better picture quality and longer battery life. The important aspect of the recorded digital video is that it can be stored and transferred to a computer where you can edit with ease which allows you to change the order of shots and undo edits. This means that you can easily modify, draft and re-draft the recorded films and use it creatively to prepare Multimedia Learning Material.
6.5.3 Scanner	A scanner is an input device that converts an image such as a photograph, textual document into an electronic digital form by a process called scanning.  Most of the Scanners are flatbed and have a cover that can be lifted so that magazine, photographs and bulky books can be scanned. They work in combination of computer software programs which help in the creation of an electronic version of the scanned document, allows you to view it and edit it on a computer. Thus you can use and publish the stored image as it is or by modifying it.
6.5.4.Interactive white Board	An interactive whiteboard (IWB) is a large interactive display that connects to a computer. A projector projects the computer's desktop onto the board's surface where users control the computer using a pen, finger, stylus, or other device. The board is typically mounted to a wall or floor stand. They are used in a variety of settings, including classrooms at all levels of education, in corporate board rooms and work groups, in training rooms for professional sports coaching, in broadcasting studios, and others. Examples of the characteristics accessible when using an interactive whiteboard: • Add comments • Highlight text • Add notes and drawings and then save them to be printed out and shared, or added to a virtual learning environment. • Show pictures and educational videos . Parts can be labeled or highlighted. • Show the content  on a website
6.5.5.Multimedia Projector	A Multimedia Projector or LCD Projector is a type of video projector for displaying video, images or computer data on a screen or any other flat surface. It is a modern equivalent of the slide projector or overhead projector. The presentation of visual media through projection is an effective way to entertain, educate, and communicate with people on a large scale.  The use of Multimedia Projector can give the essence of the presentation in bullet points, It can bring the audio and visual inputs to the classroom, It can be projected on the screen allowing everyone to watch the presentation, It can be made interesting by using movies and such clippings and inputs planned elsewhere in the world can be brought into our own classrooms.

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6.6 USE OF MULTIMEDIA IN EDUCATION

Multimedia is used in many applications today. It has become integrated in all aspects of one’s life. It improves the way people relate with electronic information. Today it has been widely used in the education sector. Teachers use multimedia in different ways for different levels of students. The different ways one can use it are for individualized instruction, collaborative learning, computerized assessments and Multimedia presentations. Technologies allow us to overcome limitations of time, distance, and physical capability, but they only empower us when they can be gracefully used by large, productive segments of our society. For example we see that open and distance learning is one area where many are taking advantage of the content and the courses that are delivered to the students. Some of the new concepts that are used by educationists are podcasting, webinars,, learning management systems and many more.

There are studies showing that learners who learn using Multimedia material have more retention of the concepts taught versus traditional modes of instruction and the student involvement was higher. It has also shown that learner’s comprehension also increased with the concepts being taught with Multimedia material. The using and designing of Multimedia material by the learners also develop many skills, Connell, and Carver, Lehrer Ericksen (1992) list some of the major thinking skills that learners learn and use as multimedia designers.

• Project Management Skills
• Research Skills
• Organization and Representation Skills
• Presentation Skills
• Reflection Skills

Project Management Skills

• Planning a timeline for the finishing of the project.
• Assigning resources and time to different parts of the project.
• Assigning roles to team members.

Research Skills

• Defining the nature of the problem and how research should be organized.
• Asking questions about structure, models, cases, values, and roles.
• Searching for material using text, electronic and pictorial information bases.
• Analyzing and interpreting all the information collected to identify and interpret patterns.

Organization and Representation Skills

• Deciding how to section and classify information to make it understandable.
• Deciding how information will be denoted (text, pictures, movies, audio, etc.).
• Determining how the information will be systematized (hierarchy, sequence) and how it will be linked.

Presentation Skills

• Mapping the design onto the presentation and implementing the ideas in multimedia.
• Attracting and maintaining the interests of the intended audiences.

Reflection Skills

• Evaluating the program and the process used to create it.
• Revising the design of the program using feedback

6.7 ADVANTAGES OF MULTIMEDIA

Multimedia activities encourage students to work in groups, express their knowledge in multiple ways, solve problems, revise their own work, and construct knowledge. The advantages of integrating multimedia in the classroom are many. Through participation in multimedia activities, students can learn:

• Real-world skills related to technology
• The value of teamwork
• Effective collaboration techniques
• The impact and importance of different media
• The challenges of communicating to different audiences
• How to present information in compelling ways
• Tailor information to the needs of the individual
• Techniques for synthesizing and analyzing complex content
• The importance of research, planning, and organization skills
• The significance of presentation and speaking skills
• How to accept and provide constructive feedback
• How to express their ideas creatively

Multimedia also helps in increasing learning effectiveness and is more attractive over traditional, lecture-based learning methods. It also offers system portability and frees the teacher from routine tasks.

6.8 EVALUATION OF MULTIMEDIA RESOURCES

Evaluation of Multimedia Resources: Currently there are many multimedia resource available both online and offline by way of CD/DVD format. Selecting the right multimedia resources is very important for teacher, students, and parents. In order to make a sensible decision of choosing the best available resource one must use certain criteria for evaluating the multimedia resources. A short version of evaluation framework
Georgiadou, E ,Economides,A.A., Michailidou,A.(2001) presented a framework for evaluating educational multimedia and the shorter version of the same is given below:

Some of the major aspects for evaluating multimedia resources are content characteristics (accuracy, educational value, authority, currency and uniqueness), Instructional characteristics (purpose, objectives, presentation of content, level of difficulty, the text, graphics, video, colour, sound, user participation/interactivity, assessment), Technical characteristics (technical needs to use, design and navigation, user support materials, ease of operation).
Detailed criteria for evaluating educational software/ multimedia based on the rubric by Kristine Miller and Jacqueline Bach (2001) is given below:

Software Evaluation Checklist Based on Rubric Developed by Kristin Miller and Jacqueline Bach, SAS in School ® Interns, Summer 2001
Criteria	Exemplary Characteristics	Rating
Instructional Content	Information is accurate, complete, and current Facts come from reliable sources which are clearly identified Content and context are consistent with the theme • All information relates to the stated purpose and learning goals Content moves learners beyond the basics and encourages higher levels of thinking; students are engaged in applying what they learn
Curriculum Connections	National and state standards are accessible within the product and may be easily linked to lessons Lists all prerequisite skills Uses all real world examples to make the instruction relevant for the learner Complies with all subject based guidelines
Graphics/Multimedia	Graphics are well designed and rendered to enhance learning Background and text are pleasing, compatible and easy to read Graphics are consistent, appropriate and designed to optimize learning Colors are used in an effective way Animation always complements learning Multimedia appears to be directly related to stated purpose and learning goals
Lay-out	Layout is clear and intuitive; learners can always find what they need It is easy to navigate through the information to find necessary features Layout is logical Layout is consistent on all pages
Technical Aspects	All links work properly Pages work in most common browsers: Netscape and Internet Explorer All multimedia resources work at all times Users are able to access web site or install software with ease Clear and complete directions are available for access or installation
Adaptability/Accessibility	Hyperlinks have ALT tags for rollover to assist sight-impaired learners Paragraphs and sections have clear and accurate informative headings Clear and clean fonts are used consistently • Content is culturally diverse Product accommodates unique learning styles and various ability levels
Engagement/Interactivity	Always requires learners to become actively engaged in order to learn Text and documents always employ multimedia enhancements to make learning interactive Provides appropriate feedback throughout the instruction Keenly motivates the learner to continue learning and master concepts
Teacher & Learner Support Materials	Program offers help at any stage Provides various ways to reach technical support Program provides students with additional resources such as web sites, bibliographies, etc. which are suitable to lesson Teachers and students can easily track a student's progress through feedback or other documentation
Assessment	Assessment methods are challenging, appropriate, and suited to learning goals Teachers can easily assess students' progress by evaluating the outcomes provided within the product
Age/Grade Appropriateness	Reading level is appropriate for target audience Product is suitable for the age and grade level Directions are clear and complete enough for students to perform required tasks
Flexibility	Learners can save at regular intervals and re-enter the instruction at any point All aspects of the software can be easily integrated into classroom activities The program features activities for use in whole class instruction, individual, or group learning experiences
Comments	Overall Rating

6.9 LET US SUM UP

 Meaning of Multimedia…..“Multimedia is the exciting combination of computer hardware and software that allows you to integrate video, animation, audio, graphics, and text resources to develop effective presentations on an affordable desktop computer” (Fenrich, 1997).

• Elements of Multimedia- The different building blocks of Multimedia are Text, Images and Graphics, Audio, Video, and Animation. Any multimedia application consists any or all of them.
• Types of Multimedia -  Multimedia may be broadly divided into linear and non-linear categories Linear and Non-linear Multimedia
• Developing Multimedia- This includes four areas. They are Planning and Costing ,Designing and Producing, Testing and Delivering
• Tools for Creating and Using Multimedia- Different tools can be used in preparing Multimedia Learning Material. They are  Digital Camera, Camcorder, Scanner, Interactive White Board and  Multimedia Projector
• Use of Multimedia in Education-Multimedia is used in many applications today. It has become integrated in all aspects of one’s life. It improves the way people relate with electronic information. The use and development of Multimedia material helps to develop the following skills-Project Management Skills, Research Skills, Organization and Representation Skills, Presentation Skills, Reflection Skills
• Advantages of Multimedia-Multimedia activities encourage students to work in groups, express their knowledge in multiple ways, solve problems, revise their own work, and construct knowledge. Multimedia also helps in increasing learning effectiveness and is more attractive over traditional, lecture-based learning methods. It also offers system portability and frees the teacher from routine tasks.
• Evaluation of Multimedia Resources-Evaluation provides evidence to help improve our programs and activities. Information on whether goals are being met and on how different aspects are working is essential to a continuous improvement process. Evaluation also frequently provides new insights or new information that was not anticipated. It helps in improving the Multimedia product and measures its effectiveness. The evaluation of the Multimedia material benefits the learners and helps to guarantee that they receive the highest quality Multimedia material.

6.10 UNIT END EXERCISES

1. Define Multimedia
2. Explain the elements of Multimedia
3. Develop Criteria and evaluate Multimedia resources
4. Discuss the principles of E-Learning and the Science of Instruction given by Clark and Mayer.