Measuring merits of multimedia

DO STUDENTS with access to multimedia computers perform better than those taught by traditional methods? A survey in St Clement's College, an all-boys secondary school in Limerick, is trying to answer the question. A study is being carried out by John Jennings, publisher of 13 books for post-primary level and former director of his own software company.

The Limerick branch of AST Computers the multinational giant, is supporting the research by donating terminals to the school. The survey started four months and will take a year.

"There are misconceptions and misjudgements about multimedia," Jennings claims. He knows of no other survey such as his one which may clear up some of these misconceptions, despite hype about the advantages of multimedia in education.

The study involves two groups of students. One is being taught using normal methods while the second is exposed to a multimedia environment, including Internet access.

"The combination of visual images and sound creates a sort of synergy of learning," says Jennings. "The group who are exposed to multimedia show very high concentration levels. Even just before the Christmas holidays in December, when attention levels normally drop, they showed one hundred per cent interest," he says.

Could this be put down in part to the novelty factor? In response Jennings points out that the computers had been in use for four months so the novelty was long over.

The study includes some boys with learning difficulties and he is particularly keen to see if the computers will help them to overcome these.

Jennings does not see the multimedia revolution as happening either quickly or smoothly. Schools, he feels, are in no rush to change. A few have dabbled with multimedia but there has been an almost total lack of scientific research and tests.

Success in such trials will be essential to convince the Department of Education to provide funding for multimedia computers. He is quick to point to the goodwill both in the Department and throughout individual schools. However, this has not been translated into efficient use of computer resources on the ground.

Most second-level schools have the phenomenon known as `the computer room' which is usually treated by students as either a free class or a chance to play computer games. "They might as well just have the computer shells for all the use they get out of them," Jennin claims.

He wants to put the computers in the classrooms. Teachers should have access to computers as important teaching aides, he says. The increasing level of computer literacy among teachers could be supplemented by a policy of in-house training provided by the Department.

The high price of accessing the Internet paid by schools is another problem which Jennings feels should be addressed immediately. He feels that Telecom Eireann should introduce a special affordable service for schools which now have to pay the same rates as domestic users when on the Internet.

Finally, Jennings does not believe that parents or schools should be in too much of a rush to buy multimedia computers for their children. "Don't spend your money on the wrong computers," he warns.