Can multimedia pretraining promote deep learning with interactive technologies?

This study explored how educational technology can help students learn and retain information. Specifically, it addressed whether multimedia pretraining can encourage deep learning with intelligent tutors. Students were pretrained on two geometry theorems and then practiced problem solving in the Geometry Cognitive Tutor; pre- and posttests were used to measure learning. Results showed that multimedia pretraining enhanced learning outcomes when students used a visually-interactive intelligent tutor version, suggesting that pretraining may help students to develop visual-verbal coordination of the geometry principles, thus resulting in deeper learning.