The combination of different modalities in the Web-based learning environment: a comparative analysis of the perceptual instructional outcomes

The Web-based learning environment (WBLE) has the capability to incorporate many modalities (text, graphics, audio and video) and their combinations into one single medium for instructional purposes. However, when each modality combination is used, information is extracted differently through the information pathways by the learners, resulting in varying levels of memory storage. This article reports on the comparative analysis between the three different types of modality combinations (text + graphics, text+ graphics + audio, text+ graphics +video) in the WBLE in terms of the instructional outcomes as perceived by the students. The Post Hoc Test for multiple comparisons revealed that the hierarchical modality combination with text + graphics + audio exhibited the highest mean score followed by the text + graphics combination. The text + graphics + video combination exhibited the lowest mean score. The effect of information degradation from the excessive rates of transmission through multi-channel communication is highlighted and discussed.