Abstract
Multimedia enables the learner to "navigate" freely in the system. But the richness of non-linear representation is said to carry a risk of cognitive overload. This might lead the learner to "disorientation" and learning by multimedia might come to nothing. Therefore, various types of navigational aids have been developed to cope with this problem. Multimedia navigation can be divided into two types by its function; "aid for navigating in the system" and "displaying the structure of the system". In this study, the effects of the two navigation functions on the "expansion of knowledge structure" and the "integration of knowledge structure" were examined. Index-type navigation and hierarchal list-type navigation were selected to represent the two functions. The results of the present study indicate that in learning by multimedia, index-type navigation helps people expand their knowledge structure and hierarchal list-type navigation helps people integrate their knowledge structure.
