We compared the efficacy of multimedia learning modules with traditional textbooks for the first few topics of a calculus-based introductory electricity and magnetism course. Students were randomly assigned to three groups. One group received the multimedia learning module presentations, and the other two received the presentations via written text. All students were then tested on their learning immediately following the presentations as well as later. The students receiving the multimedia learning modules performed significantly better on both tests than the students experiencing the text-based presentations.
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The students in our study showed a significant preference for our multimedia learning modules over traditional text-based presentations.
Although the same can be done with JiTT, students resent being quizzed on textbook reading prior to each lecture, so we tend to simply give credit for answering the questions. Nothing is to prevent the same thing from happening with multimedia materials, but students’ preference for learning from multimedia compared to textbooks, as demonstrated in our survey question presented in Sec. III, suggests otherwise.
The quantity represents the probability that the 10% difference in exam scores between the two groups happened by random chance, assuming that the two groups are equivalent.
The Fisher exact probability test is an alternative to the chi-squared test, suitable for situations where the basic assumptions of the chi-squared test are violated. In our case, our small sample size renders the use of the chi-squared test invalid.
