Enhancing the Effectiveness of Educational Hypermedia

Abstract

With advancement in technology, hypermedia learning environments are becoming more common in education. Such environments present the multiple representations of information in a non-linear and non-sequential format, allowing the learners to enhance their retention and transfer of knowledge by selecting and sequencing their learning paths. Research into expert-novice differences has suggested that learner prior knowledge has major implications for learning. This chapter considers the role of learner prior knowledge in enhancing the effectiveness of hypermedia learning from a cognitive load perspective. Cognitive load theory is an instructional theory that investigates instructional means of managing limitations of human cognitive system, primarily processing limitations of working memory. The chapter reviews recent studies of cognitive load theory-generated techniques for learners with different levels of prior knowledge and relevant research in hypermedia learning. The chapter concludes with evidence-based recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of educational hypermedia.