The multimedia object I choose to improve is a Powerpoint presentation of the Business cycle & a Useful economic index from my economics course. I have analyzed the principle of multimedia learning in this PowerPoint Presentation and made a series of improvements, especially on how to make learners have a better learning experience and efficiency of PowerPoint Presentation learning.

The first change I made was based on the Multimedia principle which is to make each slide of the Powerpoint presentation have a combination of words and pictures. As we learned throughout the course, instead of slides filled out with only words, people actually learn better from words and pictures.

The second change I made was based on the Split-attention principle. As you can see below, based on the learning contents, I added a public chart and a data chart to make sure learners have a full understanding of the business cycle and index of business confidence. As the split-attention principle stated, people will learn better if the learning content is split into words and graphs.

The third change I made was based on the Signalling principle. I added titles of the content on each page; Moreover, I bolded and underlined key terms in order to help learners to grasp the important point of each slide. The signaling principle pointed out that by Guiding learners to pay attention to the relevant elements of the material, learners will study more efficiently.

The fourth change I made was based on the Segmenting principle. I split the presentation into two pieces and let learners have a special section called “Break & Recall”. The break and recall section helps learners pace and recall what they have learned before I go into the next learning content. As the segmenting principle stated, instructors use rhythmic segments better than continuous segments.

The fifth and I made was based on the Personalization principle. I tried to use words with conversational style rather than formal style because I find out that when I was a learner, I will feel closer and learn more comfortably if the words on the presentation are conversational style.

Last, I try to avoid showing myself on the camera when I speak because of the Embodiment principle. The Embodiment principle teaches me that learners don’t necessarily learn better when the speaker’s image is on the screen.

Below are my original Powerpoint presentation and edited Powerpoint presentation with teaching video.

Edited:

Presentation video:

Original: