Using Multimedia Narrative to Foster Affective Development in the OLE

Online education has been dominated by a postivistic paradigm for developing cognitive intelligence. This approach fails to recognize the diversity of intellectual competences; nor does it encourage students to question personal values that influence their own attitudes and behavior. Recent brain research suggests that affective development is not just another domain of intelligence, but the fundamental basis for all learning. According to Alexandrov and Sams (2005), learning occurs when the brain has no appropriate knowledge in memory to solve a problem or fulfill a need; therefore, the intensity of emotion increases with the amount of learning required. Although multimedia narrative has been used to foster affective learning in the traditional classroom, no guidance specific to the use of narrative to foster affective learning in the online class is provided in the current literature. Perhaps this is because many educators feel that the OLE is inadequate for promoting and assessing affective development. Krathwohl's taxonomy provides a method for selecting and organizing narratives that can be used to promote and assess affective development in the online classroom. A pilot study conducted by the author demonstrates the application of this method to foster empathy in an online professionalism and medical ethics course. The implication that online students benefit from affective education may have significant applications to distance education, educational theory, public policy, and future research. Alexandrov, Y.I. & Sams, M.E. (2005). Emotion and consciousness: Ends of a continuum. Cognitive Brain Research, 25, 387-405.