Title: Improvement of redundancy principle for multimedia technical foreign-language learning

Authors: Jin-Hua She, Hui Wang, Lifang Chen, Sumei Chen

Addresses: School of Computer Science, Tokyo University of Technology, Tokyo, 192-0982, Japan. ' School of Computer Science, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China. ' School of Computer Science, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214122, China. ' School of Media Science, Tokyo University of Technology, Tokyo, 192-0982, Japan

Abstract: This paper focuses on how to apply the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) to the design of an online course in technical Chinese to achieve the highest learning efficiency. Fourteen topics were chosen for the course. In this study, an attempt was made to increase learning efficiency by improving the redundancy principle of the CTML. Two of the 14 topics with which engineers would probably be familiar and two with which they would probably be unfamiliar were selected and three versions of a lesson for each were constructed. The test results show that the redundancy principle needs to be modified for language teaching because the combination of animation, narration and the on-screen display of vocabulary items produces the best results. This new finding will be used to improve the material for the other course topics.

Keywords: online courses; technical Chinese; cognitive theory; multimedia learning; CTML; graphical representation; redundancy principle; technical languages; foreign languages; language learning; e-learning; electronic learning; online learning; learning efficiency.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCAT.2009.024078

International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology, 2009 Vol.34 No.4, pp.264 - 269

Published online: 25 Mar 2009 *

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