Using a Scottish multimedia statistics courseware in a Hong Kong tertiary institution : an experiment

In this paper, we present an application in which a Scottish multimedia statistics courseware was used for teaching purposes in a Hong Kong University. First, background information and the philosophy underlying the development and application of this multimedia software are presented. Then, during the use of the software, various informal evaluations were conducted, and the experiences of students and staff in manipulating the software are observed and described. Following this, the results of using the courseware from selected pilot and control groups are analyzed and discussed. The results indicated that students from the pilot group performed significantly better than those of the control group, and it was concluded that using educational multimedia software facilitated the whole learning process. Furthermore, issues pertaining to culture differences and English proficiency are also addressed to elaborate the learning attitudes of Hong Kong tertiary institution students regarding the use of multimedia software in their learning process. Finally, this study provides recommendations pertaining to the further development of this multimedia courseware in improving the quality of teaching and enhancing student learning.