PROCEDURE

All three experiments are conducted in one session lasting approximately 90 minutes. Particpants are organized in groups of high school students (sixth former). Students are tested for spatial abilities by a paper-pencil test. Which is followed by the computer-based session starting with the test for prior knowledge and followed by the computer-based learning program on ATP-Synthase. The session ends with the cognitive load ratings and the post-test for learning outcomes. The steps of procedure are summarized in Table 12 and then described at length.

Table 12. Procedure of All Experiments

Procedure Duration

1. Introductory instruction 5 minutes including personal questionnaire and coding generation

2. Preliminary diagnostic of prerequesites 10 minutes spatial ability pretests (paper pencil)

3. Instruction to the computer-based learning phase 2-10 minutes

(see Appendix A-C) (dependent of variation) 4. Computer-based learning phase no time restriction

starting with computer-based prior knowledge pretest (empirical range: 4.87-43.30 min.; including process and final diagnostics of mental effort M = 13.62, SD = 5.93)

5. Final diagnostic (computer-based posttest) no time restriction 6. Receipt of 10 Euro after performance check 2 minutes

Introductory instruction. The experimenters introduce themselves and thank the participants for their participation. They explain the goal of the multimedia learning study, which is to identify how learning programs should be designed to allow optimal learning. Then, the prepared sheet of coding generation was introduced and filled out. In this context, they were told that their data will be treated as strictly confidential and that coding allows the researcher to link the collected data to each other. After this, participants asked to fill out a personal questionnaire starting with the just generated personal code and were instructed to shut down

their cellulars. The procedure of the session is then described by announcing the two short spatial ability tests and the computer-based learning program, which introduces all the steps by itself starting with a prior knowledge test, followed by the learning phase and ending with questions about the learning content. Paticipants are then informed that the whole procedure will take approximately 75 minutes and are requested to work as hard as possible in order to understand the given learning material. In addition, they are told they will recieve 8-10 Euro depending on their performance.

Preliminary diagnostic of prerequisites. The first introduced prerequisite spatial ability is tested by two standardized subtests of the manual for kit of factor-referenced cognitive tests (Ekstrom et al., 1976), the paper-folding and the card rotation test (see Appendix D). Time restriction for each of these paper-pencil tests is 3 minutes, which is controlled by the experimenter. For a more detailed description of both subtests see Section 4.7.1. The second prerequisite prior knowledge is tested later (see computer-based learning phase).

Instruction to the computer-based learning phase. Participants were instructed to first generate their code again in the learning program. They were told that they will learn something about biology and but first they will be asked some questions about the biological issue in order to check what they already know. The experimenter instructs them not to worry about these questions and that it is not problematic if one does not remember anything of this issue. They are prompted not just to make a guess on these questions because the goal of this part is to be able to differentiate afterwards between what they already knew and what they really learned by the program. Participants are then informed that there is no time restriction and that the learning program will instruct them now step by step. The instruction ends by telling them that if any problems arise the experimenter will be in the room and that when they have finished, they should remain quiet in order to give the other learners a chance to finish. At this point of instruction the necessary instruction for some variations of the learning program is given. This is the case for the introduction of the above described support for coherence formation tasks and the mental animation tasks. Participants are instructed that they learn a new strategy, which is confirmed to be very helpful during learning and are prompted to use these tools. These specific instructions are written down for each variation (see Appendix A-C) and guarantee a standardized verbal instruction.

Computer-based learning phase. The computer-based learning phase starts with the pretest of prior knowledge, which is described in more detail in Section 4.7.1. After that a learning

instruction is given and the 11 learning screens follow, as already described above in Chapter 4.3 (for an overview on all 11 screens, see Appendix E). Between screen 4 and 5 a process diagnostic of mental effort is introduced, asking for the participant’s mental effort by working on the learning material and prompting to evaluate how easy or difficult it was to understand the learning material. This diagnostic is repeated at the end of the learning phase, after screen 11 and followed immediately by the posttest.

Final diagnostic. The computer-based posttest includes 23 items for all variations and is extended with a manipulation ckeck of 10 items in Experiment 1, 11 items in Experiment 2 and 2 items in Experiment 3. Two more questions about mental effort and task difficulty are introduced after the posttest referring to the posttest situation. After that participants have to evaluate intrinsic, extraneous and germane load during learning by means of seven questions (see Section 4.7.2).

Receipt of 10 Euro after performance check. Participants receive 10 Euro after the verification that most of the open response formatted learning questions were answered. If this is not the case, the experimenter hands the participant 10 Euro by saying that they were close enough.

Experimenter. All three experiments were conducted by the author and two university students of the educational and the psychological program of the Saarland University. Preliminary to the experiments, students were accurately briefed on how to conduct the experiments and during the investigation supervised by the author. Moreover, a written instruction allowed all experimenters to conduct the experiment as standardized as possible.