Artcile 2 - Animation

Animation can be described as a process of creating an illusion of motion by displaying consecutive images one after another with minimal change in them, thereby making the viewers see change. It can be either in analogue media such as a flip book, video tape and motion pictures or in digital media, where it comes in the form of animated GIF, digital video and software animation. The animations are usually displayed using a projector, computer or a digital camera.

Animation and Student Learning:

Animation can be used as a medium of instruction due to its nature of interactivity which bears a beneficial boost to the banality of passive learning which comes with the traditional chalk-and-talk teaching method (Mayer, 2000). Several studies have revealed that the students learning with visual animation aids outperformed the ones learning from static graphics, such as algebra, biology and physics (Kim, 2007). Animated graphics have gained popularity in recent times due to the belief that they are more interesting, appealing and motivating. A study done in 2010 found that animation increased academic performance among students while also helping them with better interaction compared with recognition, collaboration and problem solving (Sebastian, 2010).

Dynamic animation can have a significant advantage in the promotion of learning success (Hoeffler, & Leutner, 2007) whereas giving the learners control over animation and can enhance the effect of animation-based learning environments (Betrancourt, 2005). Animation can also greatly decrease the time spent of gathering information and retrieving it from long term memory and reconstructing it in short-term memory by encouraging organization. Today, internet is widely used by students of all levels everywhere to obtain information, web pages often include animations of different kinds to build interactivity with the users. Used rightly, animation and its variants can make the learning process not only faster but also reciprocal. The usage of animation can also influence a student’s cognitive and academic skills while determining their social development in the learning institution.  With the onset of rapid technological advancement in the current times, animation has not only enveloped the media in different forms but also impacted our daily lives in the areas of education, health care, business and technology. 

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References:

1. Betrancourt, M. (2005). The animation and interactivity principles in multimedia learning. In R.E. Mayer (ed.), The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning (pp. 287-296). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. Hoeffler, T. N., & Leutner, D. (2007). Instructional animation versus static pictures: A meta-analysis. Learning and Instruction, 17(6), 722-738.
3. Kim, S. (2007), ‘The effect of animation on comprehension and interest’ Available online: https://www.tc.columbia.edu/faculty/bt2158/faculty-profile/files/nheeffectofanimationoncomprehensionandinterest.pdf Access Date: 25^th April, 2017
4. Mayer, R.E. (2000), ‘Multimedia Learning: Are we Asking the Right Questions?’ Educational Psychologist., 32(1)
5. Sebastian T. W. (2010),  ‘A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF COMPUTER ANIMATION ON CHILDREN IN THREE CITIES OF KERALA (CALICUT, COCHIN & TVM)’ Available online: http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/3286/15/15_synopsis.pdf Access Date: 25^th April, 2017