Promoting Pre-service Teachers' Multimedia Design Skills through Collaborative Multimedia Service-Learning (CMSL)

Abstract

The Collaborative Multimedia Service-Learning (CMSL) model, based on the “learning by teaching” approach, was created in an effort to design a pedagogical intervention to promote pre-service teachers' multimedia design/development skills. This paper reports on the development of the CMSL and presents the findings of the implementation of the CMSL in a partnership between a pre-service teacher training program in a 4-year university and area elementary and middle schools. Sixteen pre-service teachers participated in a series of multimedia design trainings as a part of their undergraduate curriculum and completed the service-learning component of the CMSL by teaching nine sixth-grade classes in local schools using MacBook multimedia authoring tools. The findings show that the CMSL model was effective in improving pre-service teachers’ multimedia design skills and attitudes toward the CMSL. Follow-up interviews indicated that participating in the service-learning component of the CMSL was beneficial and a satisfactory experience.