Added value (media effects)

The questions regarding added value are: "Are the technologies developed or implemented more effective than others? Can the additional expense of using the technology be justified for added didactic value?" Here, the focus is also on the effects of a specific technology on learning success, and these effects should be frequently studied in comparison with other ("conventional") technologies.

Comparative media research: The "no significant difference" phenomenon

Firstly, it should be said that decades of media research have rarely been able to prove the impact of a specific technology on learning results (cf. e.g. Kulik, 2003; Russel, 1999; for a theoretical discussion see Clark, 1983).

Study design

If, however, the question of the added value of a specific technology should be the focuse for the evaluation, this can ultimately only be answered using a complicated study design which must comply with different principles (random division of students into intervention and control group, before and after measurement, consistency (whenever possible) all factors: more information can be found on the Page on Study design).

Only if all of these methodological guidelines are followed can differences in learning outcomes which possibly arise between intervention and control group be ascribed to the medium or the technology!