Learning a procedure from multimedia instructions: The effects of film and practice

College students were taught to build a model helicopter from an assembly kit. Their instructions consisted of a narrated film (one viewing or two), hands-on practice using a model as a guide (one building or two), or a combination (see film first, build second; or build first, see film second). Performance on assembly from memory was assessed either immediately or after a 1-week delay. Both structural and functional measures were used. (A new structural measure is introduced here.) Performance was best immediately for groups who had hands-on practice, either twice, or in conjunction with a film. After a week, the group who practised first and saw the film second performed significantly better than all others. A theoretical framework, based on multimedia concept formation, is briefly presented to account for the results. In order for lasting concepts to be formed in memory, a precedence is suggested: motoric elements with their accompanying mental components should be put in first, followed by visual, followed by linguistic.