Comparing Multimedia and Traditional Approaches in Undergraduate Psychology Classes

In this study, we compared the effectiveness of multimedia and traditional classes. Six instructors within the Department of Psychology taught 1 of 3 courses: human development, psychological statistics, or abnormal psychology. An instructor taught each course in either a multimedia or traditional classroom. Results showed that (a) the students in the multimedia and traditional classes did not differ on scholastic abilities prior to course enrollment, (b) students in the larger multimedia class averaged higher examination scores than those in the traditional classes, and (c) there were no consistent patterns between the student's learning preference and final examination scores in either the multimedia or traditional classes. We discuss the implications and limitations of the results.