One of the most basic cognitive activities we use when processing new information or trying to understand things that we see is the natural response of "taking a closer look." In effect, we "zoom in" mentally on the information or topic we are trying to learn or understand. This process enables us to absorb greater detail and satisfies our curiosity. Often it prompts us to want to "zoom in" even more! It is powerful because we are literally "drawn in" to the subject matter. 

Multimedia instruction is ideally suited to "microadaptive hyperlink intructional techniques." Adaptive instructional techniques are the subject of many writhers on Instructional Technology (Park & Lee, 2003). A microadaptive technique is one that can adjust to the learner's needs in the middle of the instructional process by linking to the information that is most appropriate for the learner at the very point of instruction.

The "zoom" is just one of the building blocks to achieve this. When presenting any information that can be visually or graphically displayed, multimedia designers will find that there are countless opportunities to insert a zoom, and there are numerous methods for allowing the learner to move from a panoramic view to a more narrow, detailed view.

This step often makes the difference in helping the learner grasp the material that is taught. A designer may have several levels of zoom so that the learner can inspect the subject matter as closely as he or she desires. Learners may look at the zoom or skip to the next graphic.

To illustrate the effectiveness of this principle, let's take the example of a learner who is trying to figure out where to add brake fluid to a car's brake system. When opening the hood of the car, the viewer is confronted with a complicated tangle of machinery.

First, the learner must orient himself or herself spatially, then look closer for a more detailed inspection. The simplest method is to link the original photo to a larger version on a blank screen. The zoomed image can be as large as necessary, but the size of the file could create a delay in loading. The impatient learner might not want to wait that long. 

Where do I put the brake fluid? It goes in the

little white resevoir back on the right side with

 the black cap. Click on this picture for a closer view.

The rollover zoom loads more quickly because the original and the zoomed images both load at the same time. This is the fastest way to achieve the "zoomed" effect. The learner can glimpse the zoomed image without waiting for another screen to load. The disadvantage is that the zoomed image is the same size as the original image.

A third way to zoom is achieved by creating an image map on the original graphic linked to several "zoomed" views. The learner selects the part of the picture that is of interest to inspect it more closely. This is a more efficient microadaptive technique because it allows not only a zoom, but selection as well.

1. The windshield washer reservoir

2. The engine oil cap

3. The radiator (coolant) filler cap

4. The brake fluid reservoir

For learning how to create image maps in dreamweaver, I recommend the following web site:

http://www.bu.edu/webcentral/learning/dreamweaver1/formatting-imagemaps.html

Robert M. Olden
Department of Educational Technology
San Diego State University