Media Selection by Learning Outcome

Instructional Handouts

Designing Visual Illustrations

Slides vs. Overhead Transparencies

Factors in Media Selection

Taken from Gagné, R. M., Briggs, L. J., & Wager, W. W. (1992). Principles of Instructional Design (4th ed.). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers.

Some of the practical factors to be considered in media selection are:

• What size of group must be accommodated in one room on a single occasion?
• What is the range of viewing and hearing distance for the use of the media?
• How easily can the media be "interrupted" for pupil responding or other activity and for providing feedback to the learners?
• Is the presentation "adaptive" to the learners' responses?
• Does the desired instructional stimulus require motion, color, still pictures, spoken words, or written words?
• Is sequence fixed or flexible in the medium? Is the instruction repeatable in every detail?
• Which media provide best for incorporating most of the conditions of learning appropriate for the objective/
• Which media provide more of the desired instructional events?
• Do the media under consideration vary in probable "affective impact: for the learners?
• Are the necessary hardware and software items obtainable, accessible, and storable?
• How much disruption is caused by using the media?
• Is a backup easily available in case of equipment failure, power failure, film breakage, and so on?
• Will instructors need additional training?
• Is a budget provided for spare parts, repairs, and replacement of items that become damaged?
• How do cost compare with probable effectiveness?

Media Selection by Learning Outcome

Taken from Gagné, R. M., Briggs, L. J., & Wager, W. W. (1992). Principles of Instructional Design (4th ed.). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers.

Instructional Handouts

Handouts can be a very useful instructional tool, but, like all instructional tools, they can only aid, not replace, a good lecture. Neither will handouts alone convert a poor lecture into a good one. For some students, handouts seem to improve learning, while for others they may merely make learning more efficient.

• Provide an outline of the lecture and demonstrate that the lecturer has given careful thought to the lecture and to the instructional needs of that particular level of students.

• Emphasize what should be learned.

• Serve as an advanced organizer, putting the lecture into a meaningful whole.

• Provide "skeleton" notes, freeing students from the mechanics of note taking and allowing them to devote more attention to the lecture and the visuals being displayed by the lecturer.

• Illustrate lecture content, assuring that the illustration displayed on the slide is accurately conveyed to the students.

• Provide thought-provoking questions.

• Cite students to additional literature on the subject.

• Identify the course, lecture topic, date of lecture, and name of lecturer.

• Be sure that the handout is consistent with the lecture and visual illustrations in sequence, terminology, and points of emphasis.

• Begin with an advanced organizer that outlines what is to be covered in the handout itself.

• Demonstrate the relationship of components by written explanation and/or visual organization (indentation, listing, etc.).

• Place a reasonable limit on the number of main points to be covered in the lecture and the handout.

• Emphasize only those points worthy of emphasis. Effective use of headings, underlining, indentation, etc., is very important. Excessive use of these destroys the emphasis itself. Use a consistent means of providing emphasis (type size, all caps, bold, underline, Italics, etc.) so that the student is oriented immediately to how to recognize what you are emphasizing as most important.

• Define all terms with which students are likely to be unfamiliar, and identify terms that are being used interchangeably.

• Include an example (clinical example, etc.) that illustrates each major topic area.

• Guide students to carefully selected references. This is not a place to list a comprehensive bibliography on each subject. If the course textbook is appropriate, identify the pages where the topic is discussed.

• Use succinct phrasing that leaves space for the students to add points that help them to understand and remember.

• Include appropriate graphs, line drawings, and tables used in the lecture.

• Summarize the key points at the end of the handout with declarative statements or questions that the student should be able to answer.

• How it is to be used?

To duplicate all or part of the lecture
To illustrate part or all of the lecture
To explain a portion that is particularly difficult to quickly grasp
To resolve a controversy of perspectives---to explain your interpretation
To reinforce topic importance and what particular parts of the topic are most important
To provide important information not covered in other sources
To provide questions the lecture content answers
To provide a structure for note taking

• How detailed should it be?
  This depends on how it is to be used. Very detailed for some uses, and only sketchy for others.

• When to distribute it?

  Before the lecture.......Note: a detailed handout given to students immediately before the lecture may cause them to read it instead of listening intently to the lecture or to decide not to attend the lecture at all. A detailed handout given to the students well before the day of the lecture allows the lecturer to expect the students to have familiarized themselves with the handout contents before the lecture. A sketchy outline may be the most effective tool for maximizing the impact of the lecture.

  After the lecture.......this approach prevents students from having divided attention during the lecture, but, not knowing the contents of the handout to be received later, it will not prevent them from copious note taking during the lecture.

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Tips on Designing Visual Illustrations

Adapted from a workshop by C. Micheal Brooks, EdD, and James L. McKittrick, EdD., and from Using visuals in presentations, by Media Services, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

• Be sure they are legible. If images are not legible, they usually do more harm than good. Most projection set-ups, including those in the Volker Hall lecture halls, are designed so that the farthest viewer is no more than six image widths from the screen. You can simulate this condition by holding a horizontal slide or overhead transparency six image widths (9 inches for a slide; 54 inches for an overhead transparency) from your eyes. If you can read the information when doing this test, then the farthest viewer in the presentation room should be able to, also.

• Check original artwork. If the artwork is 1 foot wide, stand back 6 feet to view it.

• Use simple type style, avoid using all capital letters, and confine written material to a length and width that will enable adequate enlargement for projection. There is no way that a full page of typing will be legible on either a slide or an overhead transparency. Furthermore, lettering used in books and other printed materials designed for normal reading distance are seldom large enough for projection. Use the 6 image widths test and have them redone in larger type, if necessary.

• Use the horizontal format......so the image can be projected larger and placed higher on the screen for easier viewing; changing between verticals and horizontals is distracting.

• Make them as uncomplicated as possible. Subdivide complex information to make two or more simple visuals.

More Tips . . .

Condense information into key words. Use your narration to expand on the concepts.

Use "progressive disclosure" to present complex information and prevent confusion. For example, present the first part of a graph, discuss it, show a second visual which adds to the next part of the graph, discuss it, and so on.

Disclose lists or organizational points progressively to keep the audience from reading ahead or becoming confused.

Show only RELEVANT information via graphics and photographs. Use an overview shot and then close-ups if necessary. Show only trends, directions, etc. if numbers are not necessary.

Include arrows, circles, labels, or other highlights to draw attention to important areas. Use of hand-held pointers is often awkward and distracting.

Use color appropriately to highlight or aid in discrimination. Too many colors in a visual can be distracting.

Establish contrast between an image and the background. In situations where there may be stray light on the projection screen, yellow or white letters on a dark background are usually more effective than dark letters on a light background. Avoid red and green because of people's red/green colorblindness.

Slides vs. Overhead Transparencies

Adapted from a workshop by C. Micheal Brooks, EdD, and James L. McKittrick, EdD., and from Using visuals in presentations, by Media Services, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

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