Lesson 7 - Choosing Media

14.4. Analysing the Interactive Qualities of Different Media

In Figure 34, I have analyzed the interactive qualities of different educational media along with two different dimensions: different types of student interaction; and characteristics of the medium, in terms of whether the interaction is built into the medium, or needs to be added through deliberate design, or whether it is left to the learner to decide how to interact.

I have allocated a number of different media here according to the type of learner activity they help generate. The actual location though of some of these media will be dependent on design decisions made by the instructor. For instance, a podcast could be accompanied by an activity (designed), or just be a straight broadcast, with the student left to interpret its meaning and purpose in the course (learner-generated).  In some cases, an activity may be triggered by one medium (such as a podcast) but the actual activity and the feedback may take place in another medium (such as through an online assessment).