Work in progress : model design to measure the efficacy of students learning preferences-does media matter?

With the advances of online learning management system (LMS), it is easier ever to provide students content providing multiple types of media. Many contend that this generation of students prefers video to text. This paper proposes a study that will examine if first year engineering students learn more about given case studies using the recommended textbook or the video prepared by the text publisher. Students are required to learn about the wonders of the industrial world in their first year engineering course. Students are tasked to learn about the wonders from the video that is being available from the publishers of the book. In this study, it is planned to assess how much the students learn depending on their choice of media as well as study style and time on task. The students' performance in the reflective assessment item will be combined with the survey results to determine if there are any significant effects on student learning. The results of this study are not yet known. It could be that students learn better with the video vs. the text or vice-versa. It may be that the most influential aspect is how long the student spent studying or if the student reviewed notes before taking the assessment. Regardless of the specific outcome of results, the overall conclusion will be useful in helping future first year engineering course students be successful in this particular assignment and in the course overall.