Dynamic vs. static visualizations for learning procedural and declarative information

The present investigation addresses the use of static vs. dynamic visualizations for learning declarative and procedural information under the topic domain of computer networking. One hundred and ten undergraduates were exposed to both procedural and declarative instructional material either in the form of static visualizations or dynamic visualizations. Participants were tested twice on both declarative and procedural information, once before exposure to the instructional material to measure baseline knowledge and once after exposure to measure information gain. The format of each test matched the nature of the information presented. The declarative test took the form of open-ended questions; the procedural test was a performance test. The results of this study indicated effects of visualization type for learning a procedure. Results are discussed in terms of multimedia learning, and applied to the design of multimedia materials.