Designing Instructional Animation for Psychomotor Learning - A Conceptual Framework

Abstract

Research on the effectiveness of animated virtual human representation towards psychomotor learning is still lacking. Recent studies show that animation is effective in learning procedural tasks. Instructional animation is a form of animation designed to educate viewers. The purpose of this paper is to lay out a conceptual design framework for studies of the instructional animation design for psychomotor learning. Three theoretical approaches are considered in constructing the conceptual framework: (1) Learning Theories; (2) Instructional Video Design; and (3) Virtual Human Representation. Together, these theoretical fields complement one another and explain different viewpoints on this complex subject. Relating to earlier studies on types of visual representation may elucidate the ways in which animation can be applied for motor skill acquisition.

The Similarities and Nuances of Explicit Design Characteristics of Well-Received Online Instructional Animations

“…Additionally, the characterization system of expository animation proposed by Ploetzner and Lowe (2012) can be enhanced to capture more characteristics of successful instructional animation in video format. Another domain of instructional animations not included in this study is procedural learning; this involves the use of instructional animations for psychomotor learning that may have potential not only in demonstrative videos but also in instructional virtual reality (Lucas and Rahim, 2015). Thus, a study on the design characteristics of instructional animation for psychomotor learning could also be investigated.…”