INSTRUCTIONAL CONDITIONS FOR USING DYNAMIC VISUAL-DISPLAYS - A REVIEW

A review of research related to the learning effect of dynamic versus static visual displays in media-based instruction is presented. The an alysis reveals that the dynamic visual display (DVD) is generally more effective than the static visual display (SVD). However, the research findings do not consistently support the superior effect of DVDs. The se conflicting findings seem to be related to the different theoretica l rationales and methodological approaches used in various studies and suggest that the use of DVDs should be determined selectively. From t he literature review and theoretical discussions about instructional f unctions of DVDs, we propose six instructional conditions under which DVDs can be effectively used. The conditions are for: (a) demonstratin g sequential actions in a procedural task; (b) simulating causal model s of complex system behaviors; (c) explicitly representing invisible s ystem functions and behaviors; (d) illustrating a task which is diffic ult to describe verbally; (e) providing a visual analogy for an abstra ct and symbolic concept, and (f) obtaining attention focused on specif ic tasks or presentation displays. Finally, several important consider ations for the design and presentation of DVDs are discussed.