[quoting Hart, 22 Jan 97] Clark's essay seems to deny the possibility of engagement through art and the unique voice of the artist and concentrate exclusively on the postmodern concerns of the "text" and the "reader." ... really engaging media requires tension, creativity and (dare I say it again?) artistic vision.
While I disagree that Clark's essay rules out the use of artistic vision, I agree that incorporating elements we find in art, literature, and movies can also make learning environments more engaging. They're just another way of making learning environments more engaging.
It is easy to see how a film can be used to teach attitude types of instructional goals, but lets see an example using another type of instructional goal. (a concept, verbal information, a rule (Gagne), a process, problem solving, etc.)
Ian, my invitation goes to you as well as to Clark. Lets see an example of incorporating art (or some of the other things you mention) into an instructional product to engage the learner and advance a specific (stated) instructional goal.
A verbal description of your instruction is fine for this discussion platform--create it for us in our minds' eye, in our imagination.
If you show us (or describe) an example that will (we think) work, then maybe we'll believe what you say. "Tell me, and I forget, show me and..." (How does that go, anyway?)
Talk is cheap, give us an example that at least sounds like it will work.