Christen Thompson

17 February 2016
EDIT 720
Multimedia Product Critique #3: Study Island
Introduction:
Study Island is a product that was developed in 2000 by the Edmentum Company. Study
Island is available to help students in kindergarten through 12th grade, and has standards for each
state in math, reading, writing, science, and social studies. Study Island uses features such as
interactive games to engage students in learning. Study Island is currently in over 24,000
schools across the United States and offers over 600,000 unique questions for students to answer.
They have over 6,600 technology enhanced question items and 14 different item types. During
the 2014-2015 school year, students answered more than 2.5 billion questions on Study Island.
According to their website, Study Island offers standards based practice, Edmentum Sensei for
Study Island, school and district reporting, benchmarking capabilities, test building, group
sessions, premium games, a teacher toolkit, writing prompts, and other features.
Study Island is best used as a reinforcing tool rather than a primary method of teaching.
Students begin a segment of a course by taking a pre-assessment. Students can choose to look at
lessons, which are text based along with video and flash components. Students can also choose
their session type: test mode, worksheet (printable), or game. Students who pass the assessments
earn a blue ribbon, while students who need more practice receive a caution sign. If students
continue to struggle with a topic, they go back to the building block practice. After passing all
of the topics, the student takes a post-assessment.
Teachers can adapt Study Island to fit their unique needs in their classrooms. Teachers
can choose the number of questions they want their students to answer, as well as skip over
information that students do not need to know or may have already mastered. Study Island
activities can also easily be differentiated in order to accommodate learners with special needs.
Teachers can choose to pare down multiple choice questions (such as change four answer choices
to three), or lower the score necessary for students to earn a blue ribbon. Students can use Study
Island on any computer that has internet access. They can access the program from home,
school, or other location within a community (such as a library). Students are assigned
usernames and passwords prior to logging on.
Cognitive Load Theory:
According to Cognitive Load Theory, extraneous cognitive load is imposed by the
presentation of new material to learners. Intrinsic cognitive load is imposed by learning the task
itself, and germane cognitive load is load that is dedicated to processing information,
constructing schemas and making them automated. Study Island reduces cognitive load by
accommodating learners. Study Island should be used as a reinforcement, which means if it is
used as a primary learning tool, it is not being used appropriately. The set-up of Study Island

adheres to Cognitive Load principles. Study Island does not present students with extraneous
information that will inhibit schema acquisition and use. Only intrinsic and germane sources of
cognitive load are imposed on the student because of the skillful way that lessons, quizzes, and
games have been created. Study Island should reduce cognitive load by providing the right
amount of guided and independent practice for students. Students who are overwhelmed
cognitively will be given the chance to review and remediate before moving on, which will
reduce cognitive load associated with learning a new subject before mastering another. The
lessons within Study Island build off of one another, which allows students to create a firm
foundation on which to complete their courses. Once students master a topic, they are
cognitively ready to move on to the next topic. They will not be moved on within the program
until they have mastered the objectives required of them.
Personalization Principle:
The Personalization Principle states that people learn better when lessons are presented in
informal style instead of a formal style. Study Island offers kid-friendly instructions and
feedback. The program offers immediate feedback to students in a conversational style instead
of a formal textbook type style. The explanations are short and to the point, typically given
through some sort of pop-up window. Students can find more information by selecting why or
explanation in order to get more detail about the correct answer. The program also stops
students from guessing on answers by making students wait 10 seconds to answer further
questions if they begin answering them too quickly.
Segmenting Principle:
The Segmenting Principle states that students learn better when they are able to be taught
units that are based on their learning pace and under their control. Continuous units that are not
paced by the students encourage extraneous cognitive load. In Study Island, students control
how fast or slow they move through material, which adheres to the Segmenting Principle. The
student can progress at their own pace by answering questions correctly or incorrectly. Students
move forward in the program when they master material (as demonstrated by correct answers),
or stay on the topic until mastered, or move backwards to go back and gain foundational
knowledge that will help them. Students do not move on from a topic until they have mastered
the required goals or objectives. This allows students to truly move at a pace that they are able to
keep up with cognitively.
Multimedia Principle:
The Multimedia Principle states that students learn better from a combination of pictures
and words rather than words alone. Study Island adheres to the Multimedia Principle by
presenting information to students through the use of text and pictures, as well supplemental
video and flash components. This enables students to learn better from a variety of multimedia
formats rather than text alone.
Summary:

Study Island is a multimedia product that is being used in schools across the country. It
offers state-specific standard lessons in math, reading, writing, science, and social studies.
Students enjoy using this product because of its interactive features and game-based approach.
Teachers benefit from using Study Island as a learning reinforcement tool rather than a primary
method of teaching tool. Teachers are able to differentiate instruction easily in Study Island for
students, particularly those students who may have accommodations in place or special needs.
According to one Study Island user, Dawn Brookhart, the Director of Curriculum and Instruction
for the Danville Area School District in Pennsylvania, said Study Island played a key role in the
transformation of our schools by providing our teachers with the tools necessary to assess,
remediate, and enrich all learners.
Conclusion:
Study Island adheres to the Principles of Multimedia Learning. Three principles are
particularly evident in Study Island: the Personalization Principle, the Segmenting Principle, and
the Multimedia Principle. Study Island is an effective multimedia product.
Works Cited
About Us. (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2016, from http://www.studyisland.com/about
Mayer, R.E. & Pilegard C. (2014). Ten Common but Questionable Principles of Multimedia
Learning. The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning. (pp. 150-173). New York:
Cambridge. (e.g. Chapter 6).
Mayer, R.E. & Pilegard C. (2014). The Four-Component Instructional Design Model:
Multimedia Principles in Environments for Complex Learning. The Cambridge Handbook of
Multimedia Learning. (pp. 104-148). New York: Cambridge. (e.g. Chapter 5).
Study Island (Product Reviews on EdSurge). (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2016, from
https://www.edsurge.com/product-reviews/study-island
Sweller, J. (1994). Cognitive load theory, learning difficulty, and instructional design. Learning
and Instruction, 4, 295-312.