Multimedia Instruction Methods

The availability of new classroom technologies has presented an array of choices to instructors. However, approaches to implementing these methods have been piecemeal and hampered by both the difficulty of learning and integrating these options and the lack of support materials. One reason for this is the time and effort required to learn the technologies; a second is the lack of a vision for how these approaches can be integrated with more traditional methods. Becker (1997, 1354) found that, in general, instructional methods in economics tend to be "consistent with a passive learning environment that does not engage students." As I demonstrate in this article, a system of computer-based lecture (CBL) design offers a method for greater student involvement with the lecture, even given the constraints of large classes. My system includes computer graphics, assisted notetaking, video, sound, and the World Wide Web (WWW). This approach offers a method of integrating the computer and its many applications. I discuss a number of the issues involved in implementing such technologies.