Following the 2004 Review of the Faculty of Information Technology this unit forms part of the Multimedia major established within the Bachelor of Information Technology and Systems degree.

This unit has been updated as part of a 2009 review and comparison of data with current Handbook, Syllabus + and Callista data.

30/11/2017 - Unit disestablished at FEC 5/17 Item 7.3.

This unit builds on skills gained in FIT1012, FIT2012, FIT2015, FIT2016, and FIT2026 in an educational or instructional multimedia project.

The production of multimedia resources and applications for education and training is a major area of activity in the multimedia industry. Education, through private providers, business training and the university sector has become a major export earner for the Australian economy and is increasingly reliant on online and multimedia instructional materials. The use of information technology in education and training has been one of the foundations of Australian society's transition to an information economy and has also been a key component in improving equity of access to educational services. This unit explores areas of cutting edge research in the use of information technology for education and training and the delivery of the unit will reflect recent developments in this area.

Principles of Educational Multimedia focuses on the application of multimedia technologies to education and training contexts giving students access to vocational opportunities in the field of the design and production of instructional multimedia resources and applications for the education sector. Students will develop an understanding of a range of theories of learning, common instructional design processes and techniques as applied to multimedia learning environments, and analyse a range of instructional and education software in order to determine current best practice in the field. Students will also gain an understanding of the developmental and psychological factors that affect communication with, and the learning of, various target groups. Current issues in instructional technology, such as the characteristics, challenges and opportunities of online learning technologies and games for learning will also be discussed.

At the completion of this unit students will have

A theoretical and conceptual understanding of:

• the diversity of theoretical and conceptual frameworks which contribute to the current research and application of educational multimedia;
• the uniquely immersive, engaging and interactive nature of educational multimedia learning environments; and
• the correlation of the individual needs of a learner with an appropriate digital environment for the delivery of educational material and learning experiences.

Developed attitudes that enable them to:

• be acquainted with and value the diversity of learning styles and requirements within the community; and
• appreciate the need for an adaptive approach in the modification of technology to the requirements of both the learner and the educational content.

Developed the skills to:

• design and produce documents relating to the conceptual development of educational learning environments;
• develop applications of learning environments for specific learning needs; and
• utilise appropriate techniques and be able to select tools to meet the requirements of specific learning environments.

Demonstrated the teamwork skills necessary to:

• recognise the potential of multimedia in enabling educational access and equity;
• further develop communication and group work skills;
• understand the importance of the functional and structural role of multimedia in contemporary educational practice; and
• recognise the significance and ubiquity of educational products in the multimedia industry and the need for quality assurance in production processes.

029999

This unit examines the diversity of theoretical and conceptual frameworks which influence current research and production of educational multimedia applications. Topics will include: educational theory and practice, cognition and cognitive development, the differentiation between child and adult learners, catering to differences in the capacity to learn, for example, gifted and disabled learners, creating immersive and interactive learning environments, current debates surrounding e-Learning, and enabling equitable access to learning technologies. Students will be given an overview of issues and techniques for applying information technology to support instruction in educational and training contexts and gain practical experiences in managing a design process involving competing aspects of learning theories, content characteristics, audience needs and software development practices.

On-campus

Examination (2 hours): 25%; In-semester assessment: 75%

2 hrs lectures/wk, 2 hrs laboratories/wk

FIT

FIT2012 and FIT2016