Developing a Student-Centered Learning Environment in The Malaysian Classroom - A Multimedia Learning Experience
Abstract
In recent years, the infusion of multimedia into teaching and learning has altered considerably the instructional strategy in our educational institutions and changed the way teachers teach and students learn. The traditional teacher-centric method of teaching, used for decades in our educational system, has been modified and enhanced. In this paper, we focus on a course in the Faculty of Creative Multimedia, in which students used multimedia in creating a student-centered learning environment. Here, students were taught the basic multimedia design process (MDP) and the use of an authoring tool, Macromedia Director, and then to apply the knowledge they have gained to build a multimedia project of their own choice. In this learning environment, students must play an active part in their learning process and determine how to reach their own learning outcomes themselves. This student-centered approach empowers students to construct their own knowledge and enables them to think critically, learn to work in teams and solve problems collectively. A survey was carried out to ascertain the reactions of the students towards this student-centered learning mode. In general, students responded enthusiastically to the course and demonstrated positive attitudes towards the student-centered learning environment.