CHAPTER FOUR

Concepts, Purpose & Characteristics of Instructional Media in Instructional Design

& Technology

Activity
 What are Instructional Media?

 Why We Use Instructional Media?

4.1. Concepts of INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA (IM)

What is Instructional Media (IM)?

All the materials and physical means that an instructor might use to implement instruction and
facilitate students' achievement of instructional objective.IM are resource materials which help to
facilitate teaching and learning. Channels of communication through which information passes
for usage in educational situation in conjunction with the instructor. Anything that carries
information between source and a receiver. It includes traditional & modern materials such as:
Chalkboards, handouts, charts, slides, overheads, real objects, and videotape or film, as well
newer materials and methods such as computers, DVDs, CD-ROMs, the Internet, and interactive
video conferencing are instructional media.

Use of Instructional Media

If it is properly designed, skillfully produced and effectively used have great influence on
teaching & learning:

1. Save time

2. Increase interest

3. Clarify ideas
4.2. Purposes of Instructional Media

The purpose of instructional media is to facilitate interaction between teachers and students so
that learning activities becomes more effective and efficient. More specifically the benefits of
instructional media are:

1. The delivery of learning materials can be standardized

With the help of instructional media, different interpretations among teachers can be
avoided and can reduce the information gap between students wherever located.

2. The Learning Process Becomes More Clear and Interesting

Media can display information through sound, image, movement and color, either
naturally or manipulation, thus helping teachers to create a learning atmosphere becomes
livelier, is not monotonous and tedious/boring.
3. The learning process becomes more interactive with the impending communication
media two-way active, whereas teachers tend to talk to the media without a single
direction.

4. Efficiency in time and labor

By media learning objectives will be easier.
Teachers do not have to explain the teaching material repeatedly, because with a single
grain using the media, students will more easily understand the lesson.
5. Improving the quality of student learning outcomes
Instructional media can help students absorb the material and learn more.
If by listening to verbal information from the teacher only, students do not understand the
lesson, but if enriched with activities to see, touch, feel and experience themselves
through the media, student understanding will be better.
6. Media enables the learning process can be done anywhere and anytime
Instructional media can be stimulated in such a way that students can make learning
activities more freely anywhere and anytime, without depending on a guru.
Study time is very limited in school and in fact the most time is outside the school
environment.
7. Media can foster positive attitudes toward students and learning materials
 The learning process becomes more attractive that encourages students to love science
and love to find your own sources of knowledge.
8. Changing role of teachers towards a more positive and productive
Teachers can share the role with the media so much time have to pay attention to other
educational aspects, such as helping students‘ learning difficulties, the formation of
personality, motivating learning, etc.
4.3. Characteristics of Effective IM
 The media that are available for use in learning can be described in terms of a number of
characteristics.
Among the more important characteristics are:
a. accessibility;
b. costs;
c. teaching functions and
d. Interactivity.
a. Accessibility
 Accessibility to the target group
 Open access to the course
 The place where the learner is expected to learn
 Availability of technology for other purposes
 The more learners, the more cost-effective technologies become.
b. Cost
It is important to distinguish among
 Capital and recurrent or operating expenditure;
 Central (or production) and local (or delivery) capital costs; and
 Fixed costs and variable costs.
c. Teaching Functions/effectiveness
 It is much easier to discriminate between media on the basis of access or cost than it is on
the basis of teaching effectiveness.
 Differences between media have implications for teaching and learning.
Specifically, media differ in the extent to which they can
 represent different kinds of knowledge, for example, concrete or abstract; and
 Help develop different skills, due to the control characteristics of the medium and its
representational features.
Course and instructional designers need to identify clearly:
 The content of a course;
 How best to present knowledge in a particular subject area; and
 What kinds of learning —comprehension, analysis, application, problem - solving —are
required.
d. Interactivity
It is the ability for the learner to respond in some way to the teaching material and Obtain
comment or feedback on the response considerably increases learning effectiveness. There
are two kinds of interactivity: social interactivity and learning material interactivity Social
interactivity: learners’ interaction with teachers and with each other via the medium.

ii. Learning Material Interactivity

 Learners’ interaction with the medium;

 The level and the immediacy of feedback the medium itself provides;
 The extent to which the medium will accommodate the learners’ own input and
direction.
 Media such as print and broadcasting that provide one way interaction, need to be
supplemented by media that provide with two way interaction with tutors, that is, social
interactivity.
 One-way interaction media need to be supplemented by two- way interaction (social
interactivity) via the following media:
 Telephone;
 Correspondence;
 Computer communication; or
 Face - to- face tutorials.
 An important feature of two way interaction is the extent to which it is under the learner’s
control,
 Allowing learners to interact easily with tutors and other learners.
4.4. Principles in the use of instructional media
 Media should be selected on the basis of student need.
 We must consider the total learning situation.
 Should follow learning objectives.
  Must be appropriate for the teaching format.
 Should be consistent with the students' capabilities and learning styles.
4.5. Problems in the use of instructional media
 Teacher’s beliefs about teaching and learning.
 Lack of training in the use of technology
 The unreliability of the technology
 Lack of time
 Teachers turnover
 Teacher’s attrition and etc.
4.6. Classification & Types of Instructional Media
Different authors classify IM using different bases.
Some of the classifications are presented as follows.
Criteria for Classification
1. Dale’s Cone of Experience
 Edgar Dale theorized that learners retain more information by what they “do” as
opposed to what is “heard,” “read” or “observed”.
 Today, “learning by doing” has become known as “experiential learning” or “action
learning”.
How Can Instructors Use the Cone of Experience?
According to Dale’s Cone of Experience
 The least effective method at the top, involves learning from information presented
through verbal symbols, i.e., listening to spoken words (Passive Learning).
 The most effective methods at the bottom, involves direct, purposeful learning
experiences, such as hands-on or field experience,
 Direct learning experience represents reality or the closest things to real, everyday life
(Active Learning).
2. Vikoo (2003) Classifying instructional media based on convenience
I. Durable and Non-Durable Media
 Durable materials are those that last for very long time. They are hardware and high
technology materials
Example: Computer, Projectors, Television, Radio, Camera etc.
  Non-Durable media- have short life span or those that cannot be stored for a very long
time.
Example: pictorial and graphic representations such as posters, maps, charts etc.
II. Print and Non-Print Media:
 Print media include books, newspapers, journals etc.
 Non-print media are maps, charts, postal, graphs etc.
III. Projected and Non-Projected Media:
 The projected materials require other equipment’s especially projectors to function. In
most Instances, they require electricity.
 The non-projected media are those that do not require any other equipment to function.
Materials like poster, flash cards, charts, pictures etc fall under this category
3. Helen Koppan’s Classification
4. According to her, there are three ways of classification of instructional materials:
1.Visual materials -materials that appeal the sense of seeing such as actual objects, models,
charts, black board, diagrams, globe, map, etc.
2. Aural (audio) materials - refers to materials involving the sense of hearing like tape-
recorded, radio, drum, etc
3. Audio-visual materials -refers to materials involving the sense of seeing and hearing such
as projected film, slide projector, video-tapes, videocassette, TV, etc.
I. Visual Instructional Materials
Visual Instructional Materials can be classified in to:
1. Non-projected visuals
1.1.1 Non-projected display still /not moving /materials
1.1.2 Non-projected pictorial materials
2. Projected visuals
1. Non-projected display still materials /not moving/
a) Chalk Board
 It is one of the important visual instructional materials
 The most popular color of black color.
 Always available
 Easily made
 Versatile (used for multiple purposes, for teachers with every subject).

Is it suitable use? Why?

 B. Adhesive Board
a. Bulletin Board
 Is a surface of variable size and shape made of materials that hold pins, and other sharp
fasteners without damage to the board.
 Brief news, announcement of urgent interest are posted for public notice are attached on
it.
b. Clothe/Shash/ boards
 Constructed of clothes stretched over study backing materials such as play wood, heave
card board.
c. Magnetic boards: serve much the same purpose as clothes boards. Visuals are backed
with magnets and then placed on the metal surface of the board.
Non-projected pictorial materials
There are various pictorial visual Instructional Materials such as:

 Charts
 Graphs
 Posters
General Characteristics of Non-projected pictorial Materials

 Found in enormous variety e.g. Chart with different kinds

 They fit to different subjects
 No special machinery or equipment required for their display, no need of electric power
 Mostly they are universal means of communication.
Charts
Types of Charts -of two types:
1) Representative Charts- resemble the things they represented.
Eg. Diagram of cat to designate the actual cat.
2) Non-representational charts-do not resemble what they are representing.
Example they can be box, lines words.
Classification of charts
Chart has three types:
 Flow charts: to show a process of organization in production.
 Tree Charts: to show checking classification in nature. Main ideas are at the top.
 Root Charts: The same to tree charts, but the main idea is at the bottom in difference of
tree charts.
Tree Charts/Root Charts/
Kinds of Graphs
Line graph- using continues line to display information.
ii . Bar graph shows always vertical but also possible to use in horizontally
iii. Pie graph -usually taking the shape of a circle
-the most accurately read.
iv. Pictorial graph -representative figures (symbol).

Line graph
Pie Graph
 10% 9%

23% 59%

Bar Graph

5
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5 Series 1
2 Series 2
Series 3
1.5
1
0.5
0
Category Category Category Category
1 2 3 4
Secondary school teachers’ utilization of Formative Assessment

Grand Mean 3.095

Group assignment 4.19
Individual assignments 2.735
In-class activities and exercises 2.65
Authentic assessments 2.72
Presentations 2.91
Team Projects 2.84
Individual Projects 2.24
Quizzes 3.7
Tests 3.905
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

Posters
 Projected visuals

The over head projector:

 Media formats in which text and still images are enlarged and displayed on an
illuminated screen.
E.g. Overhead projector, the slide projector, film strip projector usually the use of film is
slowly diminishing in educational settings.
filmstrip : a series of tran
sparencies in a strip for projection
 LCD Projectors
LCD’s used with a computer project an image on to screen or blank wall and provides
more instructional flexibility in the type of content that can be used in class room.

Gagne’s Criteria for the Selection of Appropriate Media

 Utilization of Media
In order to utilize the media:
 Always preview the materials before using them and also use the media tools in advance
to be sure it works.
 Don't assume that technology will always work, be ready with alternative plans.
 Prepare the learners: Give the students an overview, explain how they can use it and how
they will be evaluated during the course.

Ethical Issues in IM
1. Copyright
 to lower the cost of designing, developing, and delivering learning content, some
organizations re-use and reorganize learning content that is already available.
 professional technologists are susceptible to such ethical breaches as taking others’ credit
consciously or inadequately and even becoming involved in intellectual property crime
(Mabry & O’Driscoll, 2003).
2. Confidentiality
 Confidentiality is about keeping once private information.
 Confidential 1) intended to be kept secret. 2) Entrusted with private information
3. Diversity and inequality
 One challenge to our increasingly diverse society is the balance between those who have
power and resources and those who have not.