The Guided Discovery Principle in Multimedia Learning

From Eduwiki

Written by Ton de Jong of the University of Twente, this chapter presents an overview of Discovery Learning in the context of multimedia. "Discovery Learning" is a process whereby the student learns through problem-solving with or without guidance. Guidance can come from cues within a technology or from an instructor. Specifically, this chapter deals with the research on the effectiveness of discovery learning with and without guidance. Ultimately de Jong concludes that the research indicates students need guidance in the learning process.

The implications of the Guided Discovery Principle for education technology are interesting. In designing simulations and game environments, for example, it is important that the student have a variety of choices to make along the road to discovering and learning information, but that enough boundaries be created that the learner not venture far from the intended objectives for learning. de Jong carefully observes that research shows students frequently come to inaccurate conclusions when the multimedia environments allow them to take a problem and go in directions that don't necessarily solve the problem but are interesting to the student. In order to achieve desired learning goals, teachers employing multimedia discovery learning strategies for student learning must carefully design pathways to learning goals that allow students to come to knowledge on their own and apply it to solve complex problems. Simply creating open-ended rich multimedia games or simulations is not enough.