Monitor on Psychology - January 2012 - (Page 62)

“It was pretty universal that the faculty who were doing an excellent job in terms of student retention rates and higher grade point averages were at least presenting themselves as being accessible to students for questions, problems and other issues,” says Clark, professor of educational psychology and technology and the director of the Center for Cognitive Technology at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education. Clark says some of the best ways to do this are by answering emails promptly and even providing a personal cell phone number for students to use in the event of an emergency. • Use videos and images judiciously. It’s easier than ever to incorporate illustrations, photos, animations and videos into your lectures, but don’t go overboard, says University of California, Santa Barbara, psychology professor Richard Mayer, PhD, who examines how multimedia can enhance learning. Among his 12 instructional principles is the finding that people learn better when multimedia are used only to underscore the main point of a lecture. “People can only pay attention to a few things at any one time,” says Mayer, whose research is summarized in the book “Multimedia Learning: Second Edition” (Cambridge University Press, 2009). When instructors do use video or animation to explain a concept — say, a video showing how a neuron fires — Mayer found that they should break the animation into four separate, shorter videos, and require students to click an icon to proceed to the next video. “By doing that, people can digest one bite of information at a time,” he says. Mayer has also found that students learn better from graphics with audio explanations rather than graphics with printed text since students can easily be overloaded with visual information, he says. • Find your voice. Whenever possible, Mayer also recommends that instructors narrate their lectures to coincide with online presentations. When text is printed on the screen, he says, students must split their attention between the graphic and the text. “You can effectively increase the amount of information people can process by offloading some of the material from the visual channel and putting it in the verbal channel,” Mayer says. Just make sure the narration is done in a conversational style — through the use of first and second person — rather than a more formal one, he adds. “It seems kind of bizarre, but it’s based on the idea that people will accept the computer as a social being if it acts in a more social way toward you,” he says. • Use what’s already available. Online instructors don’t have to start from scratch when designing high-quality educational experiences, Means says. “There are a great number of open-source resources out there that can be assembled in combinations that fit particular courses and philosophies of instruction,” she says. Crafton Hills College psychology professor T.L. Brink, PhD, agrees, adding that PowerPoint presentations, videos and illustrations abound online through websites such as YouTube and organizations such as the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching. “The materials are by and large out there,” Brink says. “It’s just a matter of finding them and figuring out how to use them creatively.” n Amy Novotney is a writer in Chicago. total and online enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions — fall 2002 through fall 2009 20 Online enrollment as a percent of total enrollment 19 In millions 18 17 16 Fall 2002 Fall 2003 Fall 2004 Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 From the report, “Online Education in the United States,” 2010. Data collected through a College Board survey of more than 2,500 U.S. colleges and universities. 62 M o n i t o r o n p s y c h o l o g y • J a n u a ry 2 0 1 2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - January 2012

Monitor on Psychology - January 2012
Letters
President’s Column
Contents
Contents
From the CEO
Apa’s Statement on the Dsm-5 Development Process
Girl Scouts Badge Promotes Positive Psychology
Early Investments Pay Off for Poor Children, Study Finds
Apa Meets With Chinese Psychological Society to Further Interaction and Exchange
Unique Opportunity for Psychologists to Travel to Cuba
In Brief
Government Relations Update
On Your Behalf
Psychology’s Growing Library of Podcasts
Standing Up for Psychology
Judicial Notebook
Random Sample
Time Capsule
Questionnaire
Science Watch
Beyond Psychotherapy
Perspective on Practice
Yes, Recovery Is Possible
Inequity to Equity
Making E-Learning Work
New Standards for High School Psychology
A Trailblazer Moves On
Psychologist Profile
Plan Now for Psychology’s Regional Meetings
New Journal Editors
Apa News
Division Spotlight
American Psychological Foundation
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - January 2012