Recent research shows that animations are not inherently effective but depend on how the characteristics of animations interact with the psychological functioning of the learner. Clarifying and integrating the major themes of current research, a team of internationally recognized experts explore the success of learning resources that incorporate animation, aiming to improve their design and usage within a variety of learning contexts. A unique text that will interest specialists and graduate students as well as those developing electronic-based learning materials.

Preface Richard Lowe and Wolfgang Schnotz; Part I. Information Search and Processing: 1. Effects of knowledge and spatial ability on learning from animation Mary Hegarty and Sarah Kriz; 2. Research-based principles for learning with animation Richard Mayer; 3. Learning from animation: where to look, when to look Richard Lowe; Part II. Individual Differences and Strategies: 4. Successful and less successful use of dynamic visualizations in instructional texts Rolf Ploetzner, Daniel Bodemer and Sieglinde Neudert; 5. Functions of animation in comprehension and learning Wolfgang Schnotz and Thorsten Rasch; 6. Animations of thought: interactivity in the teachable agent paradigm Daniel L. Schwartz, Kristen P. Blair, Gautam Biswas, Krittaya Leelawong and Joan Davis; 7. Making sense of animation: how do children explore multimedia instruction? Mireille Bétrancourt and Alain Chassot; 8. Commentary on Parts I and II John R. Kirby; Part III. Interactivity and Learning: 9. Animated pedagogical agents: how do they help students construct knowledge from interactive multimedia games? Roxana Moreno; 10. Young learners' control of technical animations Jean-Michel Boucheix; 11. Turning the tables: investigating characteristics and efficacy of student-authored animations and multimedia N. Hari Narayanan and Theresa Hübscher-Younger; Part IV. Instructional Issues: 12. Enriching animations Barbara Tversky, Julie Heiser, Rachel Mackenzie, Sandra Lozano and Julie Morrison; 13. A comparison of how animation has been used to support formal, informal, and playful learning Yvonne Rogers; 14. A unified view of learning from animated and static graphics Wolfgang Schnotz and Richard Lowe; 15. Commentary on Parts III and IV Susan R. Goldman.