A classification of eLearning tools based on the applied multimedia

Abstract

This paper proposes a classification that should help understanding key aspects of multimedia application in eLearning tools. The classification tries to cover important aspects of multimedia application in eLearning tools: communication channels and exchange of different types of contents throughout the channels, understanding in communication, and the ways of object manipulation in the user-tool interaction. Types of contents are classified according to the senses they affect on both sides of communication channels. The paper presents characteristics of 30 representative tools through a uniformly structured text. The presented tools are analyzed according to the proposed classification. A view of the future challenges, based on an analysis of the global trends in the area, is given.