Product Description

In this thoroughly revised edition of the bestselling e-Learning and the Science of Instruction authors Ruth Colvin Clark and Richard E. Mayer— internationally-recognized experts in the field of e-learning—offer essential information and guidelines for selecting, designing, and developing asynchronous and synchronous e-learning courses that build knowledge and skills for workers learning in corporate, government, and academic settings. In addition to updating research in all chapters, two new chapters and a CD with multimedia examples are included.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23908 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 496 pages

Review
"This book clearly points the way to improving learning environments and ensuring that e-learning is accessible, relevant, and effective." -- Technical Communication, August 2003

"is a useful resource for all those who are involved in designing and developing e-learning experiences." -- IACET Review, 4/1/2004

“…is a useful resource for all those who are involved in designing and developing e-learning experiences. (IACET Review, 4/1/2004)

"This book clearly points the way to improving learning environments and ensuring that e-learning is accessible, relevant, and effective." (Technical Communication, August 2003)

Review
“Their first edition was a landmark work. This new edition is even better. Too many guidelines for instructional design are based on opinion or an attempt to be consistent with some philosophical position. It is most refreshing when one of the world's most respected learning researchers teams with the premier translator of scientific findings to produce a set of e-learning guidelines based on empirical research findings. Both novice and experienced instructional designers will observe more effective and efficient learning from their instructional products if they implement the guidelines in this book.”--M. David Merrill, visiting professor, Florida State University

“As a scholar-practitioner, e-Learning and the Science of Instruction has been an invaluable resource. Clark and Mayer have a knack for placing theory into applicable and practical examples of instructionally sound e-learning. In the last 4 years, I have used this book as a reference for several e-learning courses and as a manager of several instructional designers. Quite frankly, our field needs more evidenced-based examples of instructionally sound e-learning and less of the ‘wow’ factor!”--Gina Ann Richter, president, GO-Learning Inc.

“This book is required reading in my graduate-level Instructional Media Design course. As an instructor, I appreciate the sound empirical basis for the book’s e-learning guidelines. The students, on the other hand, are grateful for the clear, concise language used to describe the guidelines, which makes their application straightforward.”--Robert K. Atkinson, psychology in education, Arizona State University

From the Inside Flap

In this thoroughly revised edition of the bestselling e-Learning and the Science of Instruction authors Ruth Colvin Clark and Richard E. Mayer—internationally-recognized experts in the field of e-learning, offer essential information and guidelines for selecting, designing, and developing asynchronous and synchronous e-learning courses that build knowledge and skills for learners in corporate, government, and academic settings. In addition to updating research in all chapters, two new chapters and a CD with multimedia examples are included.

Based on scientific theory of how people learn and the results from over twenty-five years of research on multimedia learning, this new edition includes guidelines on a range of e-learning issues including the best use of text, visuals, and audio; the optimal amount and type of practice interactions; the best use of communication tools such as chat and discussion boards for collaborative learning; lesson design techniques to build problem-solving skills; what we have learned about the use of games and simulations; and how to best use virtual coaches to improve learning.

This new edition is a comprehensive resource that contains vital information for anyone serious about getting multimedia learning right. It provides design principles to increase learning while debunking many popular theories about good design and includes:

• The most current research information available

• New examples of working multimedia that illustrate the book's research guidelines

• Updated examples of multimedia screen captures

• Application of guidelines for synchronous e-learning

• New guidelines on segmenting and sequencing topics to manage complex content

• A new chapter on games and simulations

Each chapter includes examples drawn from Internet and from CD-ROM courseware and checklists of what to look for in e-learning courses you are reviewing or designing.

Written for e-learning consumers and designers, both novice and seasoned alike, this essential resource shows how to apply a range of research-based multimedia learning principles to the selection and design of effective e-learning courseware.

Customer Reviews

Most useful book on this subject
As someone who has been designing multimedia elearning programs since '95, I found this book simply the most useful book on this subject for anyone serious about getting multimedia learning right.

The book is full of references to well designed studies published in refereed jounals where the principles discussed were meticulously examined by learning researchers.

This is refreshing in a field where most books are anecdotes written by programmers (ala Michael Allen) or website designers. This book actually gives you design principles to follow to increase student learning while debunking many (too)popular theories about good design (such as the usefulness of extra tidbits of information, how to mix pictures and text, when to use audio in an animation, whether a self-playing presentation is better than one where the user clicks through, etc, whether all learners learn best from non-linear presentation, etc.).

I'd highly recomend this book to anyone serious about getting educational multimedia design and elearning right.

One of the very best
I have been developing and teaching online courses for several years and have an extensive library that I have collected over that time. I have found this book to be one of the four or five I return to on a regular basis.

As a person who serves as a reviewer for other faculty work, I lament that this book is not required reading. In addition to discussing how to correctly use technology it also spends significant time looking at how students learn and how we, as faculty, should adress students in an online environment.

excellent content, okay readability
Although I agree with the reader from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada that the book reads like a university textbook, I have found it very useful for designing and justifying my designs of online instruction. When someone wants you to change your design, you can respond by saying, "According to Clark and Mayer, people who learn from integrated text and graphics performed 68% better." Stats like that help to justify budgets!