Computer-based instruction on multimedia networking fundamentals: Equational versus graphical representation

Multimedia networking has been emerging in recent years as a strong driving force behind the expansion of the Internet. However, this topic is not commonly covered in the already content-intensive introductory networking courses. To facilitate student self-study of this novel topic the authors have developed a computer-based instructional module on the fundamentals of multimedia networking. In this paper, they describe the design and development of the module, which is aligned with Gagne's theory of instruction. They have developed two versions of the module - one with equation-based representation of the learning content and one with graph-based representation of the learning content. They have evaluated the two versions of the module with a total of 75 undergraduate, senior-level electrical engineering students, of which half were randomly assigned to the equational representation, and the other half to the graphical representation. They found that the graphical representation results in statistically significantly higher student performance on practice and post-test problems, shorter learning time, and more positive attitudes toward the computer-based instructional module.