Multimedia Technologies and Online Shopping: Open University Malaysia

This essay explores the application of multimedia technologies to enhance the learning experience at Open University Malaysia, focusing on how these technologies can supplement traditional learning methods. It suggests the adoption of specific multimedia systems to improve data management, interactivity, and multi-sensory representation of course content. The essay also discusses the irreplaceable role of teachers in fostering student motivation and creating a supportive learning environment. Furthermore, it analyzes the impact of online shopping, comparing its advantages (convenience, ease of comparison, extensive product mix) and disadvantages (delivery delays, lack of interactivity) while also considering its effects on traditional retail stores and shopping malls. The essay concludes by recommending that retail stores adapt their business models to compete with the online market.

Running head: APPLICATION OF MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES
Application of Multimedia Technologies
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s note

1APPLICATION OF MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES
a) Multimedia technologies used to enhance the learning experience
The use of multimedia technologies helps in providing several kind of opportunities
for the creation of several form of environments of learning. These uses of the technologies
would be able to extend the old form of technologies such as blackboards and books and thus
replace them with the offering of new form of possibilities (Feng, Siu & Zhang, 2013). The
use of inappropriate form of multimedia based technologies could be a factor of hindrance for
the purpose of learning.
The main aspects of the multimedia technology that should be adopted by Open
University Malaysia in order to enhance the learning experience are:
1. The multimedia systems are able to translate the media data into a form of standard
streams of structured code that would allow the operations of data management (Steinmetz &
Nahrstedt, 2013). This would include the exchange, analytical based processing,
transmission, storage, recombination and a great control over the interaction. The multimedia
technology has the great feature of interactivity that would normally refer to the processing
and the integration of the several fragments of information. This would help in enabling the
teachers to display real-time media such as image, text and audio (Babiker & Elmagzoub,
2015). In this process, there would be a less requirement of the time of teaching as compared
to the traditional methods of teaching.
2. The multimedia technology would be very much helpful for teachers to integrate
the content of the courses into multi-sensory representation with the help of various types of
digital media (Hoffman & Ralph, 2013). This would also stimulate the sense organs of the
student and would thus draw their attention to synchronize the video and audio. The use of
multisensory resources within the multimedia technology would be helpful in providing the
student with different kinds of learning materials, which would enhance the engagement and

2APPLICATION OF MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES
the retaining of the content of their learning courses. This would help in elevating the
efficiency of teaching and the effectiveness of the instruction within the classroom.
There are many aspects of learning that cannot be replaced by technology. Although
technology has been a major boom for the teaching sector. One of the aspect that would be
never be replaced is the relationship and the bond between teachers and students, which has
grown over the years.
Technology has certainly transformed the form of education in which the students
would gain knowledge but still it cannot be a form of replacement for the teachers. Highly
qualified teachers help in creating a good environment within the classroom, which is highly
necessary for motivating the students and thus lead them towards their path of achieving
success. The new generation of the students love the use of the technology in order to connect
with their teachers. In order to connect with the students, the teacher would have to connect
with the students in a physical form and thus would have to explore upon innovative ways of
engaging the students. Technology will undoubtedly play a major role in achieving the
purpose of the teachers. The use of technology has a major potential for the purpose of
upgrading the recent educational system (Lim et al., 2013).
There is no such software or machine or artificial intelligence software, which can
take care about the needs of the student and create an interaction within the classroom in a
way that the teachers would be able to teach their students. Apart from the use of advanced
form of technology, teachers would always be necessary within the classrooms for the
internal development of the children.
However, the teachers should be extremely careful when they have to choose the right
form of software within the classrooms. They should also take certain matter into

3APPLICATION OF MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES
consideration such as curriculum quality, privacy of the data and the right form of software,
which would be able to interact or react mechanically with the students.
b) Impact of Online Shopping
Online shopping could be done as one of the popular methods in order to make
purchases. This option has become the most viable option of purchasing any kind of product
as it allows the customer to purchase almost everything with the click of the mouse. The
impact of online shopping is such that they would offer a wide range of services and
products. It also allows the buyer to purchase airline tickets, clothing items and even grocery
items (Dai, Forsythe & Kwon, 2014). There are many websites such as ebay.com,
amazon.com that have become popularised as the forms of e-commerce sites. The
comparison of the advantages and the disadvantages of the online method of shopping are:
The advantages of online shopping are:
Convenience – With the help of the online form of shopping, the buyers would be
able to purchase their products by sitting at their homes. The online form of shopping has
been made much more convenient and easier with the help of the internet.
Ease of Comparison based Shopping – With the help of the online form of
shopping, the buyers would be able to compare from several products based on their price,
availability and the quality of the products (Hsu, Chuan-Chuan Lin & Chiang, 2013).
Availability of Extensive Product Mix – The ease of the online form of shopping
would help in providing much more options than if the buyer would focus on the local
markets. The buyers would have to make decisions about the right kind of items from the
online based stores.

4APPLICATION OF MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES
Saving of Time – Online shopping would be quite helpful for the customers as they
would be able to save their considerable amount of time. This would help them to save their
time by going to the physical store.
Online Tracking – The buyers would be able to track the status of their ordered
items. They can also track the status of their delivery. They would also be able to know the
exact timing of the delivery of their products.
Saving of Money – In order to attract a wide number of customers, different
marketers would offer several form of discounts to their customers. The retailers are often
able to sell their products by providing attractive offers due to the elimination of real-estate
cost and maintenance.
The disadvantages of online shopping are:
Delay in Delivery – The lack of a proper kind of inventory management and long
duration of deliveries would often result in the shipment related delays. Though the process
of selecting a product and ordering would take only a few minutes, but the product delivery
would take few weeks. This might create a bad impression on the customer side.
Lack of interactivity – The online shopping would prohibit the user to touch and feel
the quality of the product. They have to depend entirely on the reviews of the buyers who had
purchased the product previously. The physical stores would offer the facility if negotiation
with the seller whereas in the online stores the customers would not be able to get the facility
of negotiation (Al-Debei, Akroush & Ashouri, 2015).
In the recent years, it has been seen that the traditional market has been hugely hit
with the rise in the practice of online shopping. The developers of the malls are experiencing
tough times as nowadays people are more attracted towards the online shopping. The margin
of profit and the turnover has decreased within the recent past years. The retail stores are

5APPLICATION OF MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES
much engaged within services to satisfy the needs of the customer. In order to deal with the
effect of online shopping, it would be recommended for the retail stores to change their
business pattern and thus face the online competitive field. They should also adapt to the
changes within the marketing strategy while focusing on the growth of their business (Kim,
Suh & Lee, 2013).

6APPLICATION OF MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES
References
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Lim, C. P., Zhao, Y., Tondeur, J., Chai, C. S., & Chin-Chung, T. (2013). Bridging the gap:
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