Multiple perspectives on multimedia in the large lecture

Students, graduate instructors, and a professor responded in journals, on o bjective tests, in focus groups, and on survey questionnaires to the effect s of computer multimedia in four large lecture classes. Graduate instructor s and students responded in focus groups to multimedia technologies with co nsistent themes, including enhancement of cognitive strategies (note taking and organization of ideas) and motivation. However, students also expresse d distancing from the instructor. Surveys of the same student groups and a journal kept by the course professor reflected similar themes. Student achi evement outcomes (pre- and posttest scores) showed no differences across tw o classroom applications of multimedia presentations: static and dynamic. S ociology instructors should consider adopting more complex computer multime dia in light of balancing interests: (1) resource scarcity in education and (2) few direct demonstrable effects of media on objective measures of stud ent test outcomes in this and other research. However, our participants con sistently cite considerable enhancement of students' cognitive skills and m otivations (especially note taking and student interest levels), and our in structors endorse the positive effects of multimedia development on the pro cess of reworking and rethinking their course curricula and materials.