A Comparison of Multimedia and Traditional Paper Assignments in an Introductory Psychology Course. (April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Riordan, Monica A.; Abo-Zebiba, Zamen; Marsh, Joseph
• Is Part Of: Teaching of psychology. Volume 49:Number 2(2022)
• Page Start: 130
• Page End: 135
• Publication Date: 2022-04
• Subjects: technology -- student engagement -- multimedia; Psychology -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Periodicals; 150.711
• DOI: 10.1177/0098628320954192
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0098-6283

Abstract

Background: Multimedia creation and curation for assignments have the potential to engage students in deeper learning. Objective: This study explored whether the same homework assignments delivered in paper versus multimedia format resulted in different student experiences. Method: Introductory psychology students submitted either traditional papers or multimedia projects to address the same assignment prompt, a process that was repeated seven times throughout four courses and was either instructor-determined or student-selected. Students were surveyed about the assignment formats, and assignment grades were analyzed. Results: Overall, students found the multimedia assignments more engaging, more enjoyable, more interesting, and more difficult than paper assignments. When assignments were instructor-determined, students reported higher perceived learning for the multimedia assignments. Assignment grades were not significantly different between assignment formats. Conclusion and teaching implications: These results suggest that moving traditional paper assignments into a multimedia format is a no-cost way to improve the student experience.