In order for the Bachelor of Multimedia Systems to be relevant to the Multimedia industry, for which it is preparing students, it needs to offer students the opportunity to study specializations in the major areas of employment in the industry. The production of multimedia resources and applications for education and training is a major area of activity in the 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. This unit supports other units within the Applications major of the degree and increases the range of vocational opportunities available to graduates of the degree.

Not applicable as this is a new unit.

Situated in Semester 1 of Year 2 of the course this unit contributes to the Applications major of the Bachelor of Multimedia Systems degree. It 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 analyze 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 will also be discussed.

While there are no units within the Faculty that cover similar content areas, it is anticipated that the introduction of this unit will enable synergies to develop with other units in the Bachelor of Multimedia Systems degree, particularly with units in the Applications major. For example MMS2403 Human Computer Interaction, which occurs in Semester 2 of year 2 of the course, will be able to build on the students understanding of human cognitive factors and the characteristics of target groups. Students completing MMS2401 Studio 2, MMS3407 Studio Project 3A and MMS3408 Studio Project 3B will now have increased options to undertake projects involving instructional or educational multimedia applications and to compare their efforts to current practice in the industry.

The unit MMS2701 Principles of Educational has been designed to support the Faculty of Information Technology's strategic directions in the areas of 'innovation in research and teaching', and 'engagement with the wider community'. 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. The 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. In addition the unit has been design to support the School of Multimedia Systems goal to assist students to develop 'creative, innovative and imaginative multimedia solutions' by allowing students to experience practical multimedia development projects targeted at specific audiences.

This unit provides students with the opportunity to develop a knowledge and understanding of the diversity of theoretical and conceptual frameworks, which contribute to the current research and application of educational multimedia. Topics will include: theories underpinning educational practice and reforms, current debates surrounding e-Learning, the differentiation between the child and adult learner, creating immersive learning environments, enabling equitable access to learning technologies, catering to differences in the capacity to learn, for example, gifted and disabled learners. Concepts such as training, education and learning will be explored and students will create learning environments for business, social and educational settings. Students will be given an overview of issues and techniques for applying information technology to support instruction in educational and training contexts. Students will gain practical experiences in managing a design process involving competing aspects of learning theories, content characteristics, audience needs and software development practices.

Students will attend 2 hours of lectures and one 2-hour tutorial session per week.

A combination of activities including a written assessment task, the presentation of a detailed concept to be developed into a multimedia learning environment appropriate for child learners outlined via design documentation, including objective summary, storyboards and flowcharts and the production of a multimedia learning environment will be used to assess the student's understanding of theoretical and conceptual frameworks as well as their ability to develop relevant multimedia products.

Assessment 1. A written assessment task consisting of three parts with each part commenced in tutorials conducted in weeks, 3,4 and 5.

Part 1 Written Task. Discuss the implications of the following topics on the design of multimedia learning environments: i) Differing conceptions of knowledge as objective and intrinsic to the individual to be uncovered; or an objective external reality that can be transmitted to the individual; or as a subjective experience that is constructed by the individual with reference to past experience ii) The information processing model of human cognition. 1000 words, commenced week 3 in tutorials.

Part 2 Written Task. In relation to the unique design opportunities provided by the medium of information technologies discuss the impact of the following theories of learning and instructional design on the development of multimedia learning environments: i) Behaviourist, ii) Instructivist, iii) Constructivist. Use examples multimedia learning environments to justify your conclusions. 1000 words, commenced week 4 in tutorials.

Part 3 Written Task. Discuss the impact of information technology and multimedia learning environments in two of the following areas i) games for learning ii) equity and access for disabled, remote or disadvantaged learners, iii) collaborative learning, iv) adult learners, v) life-long learning, vi) online learning environments and assessment, vii) learning styles, viii) metacognition. 1000 words, commenced week 5 in tutorials.

Final submission to be compiled into an essay totalling 3000 words (30%) Due week 6.

Assessment 2. Presentation of a detailed concept to be developed into a multimedia learning environment appropriate for child learners and to be targeted at a given learning style and instructional methodology outlined via design documentation, including objective summary, storyboards and flowcharts, (30%) Due week 8.

Assessment 3. Production of a multimedia learning environment, based on the documentation submitted for assessment task 2, for a specific user demographic that demonstrates clear instructional objects, an effective instructional strategy, an appropriate assessment strategy, and the appropriate formatting and use of media for the presentation of content. (40%) Due week 12.

The assignment tasks are designed to extend and enhance the development of the unit objectives as follows:

The written assessment task relates to objectives C1 and 2; A1 and 2; S1,3 and 4.

The development of a detailed concept to be developed into a multimedia learning environment appropriate for child learners satisfies objectives C1, 2 and 3; A1and 2; P1 and 2 and S1, 2 and 4.

The production of a multimedia learning environment covers objectives C2-3; A2; P2 and 3 and S2, 3 and 4.

• Software Title:
• Vendor:
• Version:
• OS: MS Windows XP ( ) and/or LINUX ( )
• License Details: (A valid software license certificate/s or Vendor permission must be available upon request if the software is to be installed for teaching)
• Are we currently licensed: Yes ( ) or No ( ) (If unsure, please check with your local IT support )
• If (Yes), who is the contact person for this software?:
• If (No), will the software license be arranged by: Staff member requesting the software ( ) or Technical Services* ( ) ? *If the latter is selected, please discuss your requirement/s with myself ASAP, prior to finalising your request, as there could be financial or resourcing implications.
• Is the software to be installed and accessed from a: Client/Workstation ( ), or Server ( ) ?
• Type of license: Site License ( ), Freeware ( ), FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) ( ), Shareware ( ), Lab based ( ) # of Licenses needed ____
• In what week will you commence using the software in class? Semester 1 (Week ___ ) and/or Semester 2 (Week ___ ):
• Nominated Staff For Acceptance Testing Software: (Name) (Phone) (Email)
• Additional Information: Special Requirements, Software Configuration/Installation Requirements, etc:

Macromedia Director, Flash and Dreamweaver Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator Microsoft Project and Visio