Cognitive Theory of Multimedia DesignInstructional Message DesignJohn C. BedwardAssistant Professor of Education-STEMBuena Vista University, Iowa

Poll Questions

• What design rule did I break on the opening slide? Wait 10 minutes before responding.1. Spatial contiguity2. Temporal contiguity3. Redundancy4. Coherence

Multimedia

• Learning from words (e.g., spoken and printed) and representations (e.g., illustrations, photos, maps, graphs, animation, simulations and/or video)

• Environments (Static to Dynamic)– Online instructional presentations– Interactive lessons– E-courses– Simulation games– Virtual reality

Goal of Multimedia Learning

• Building coherent mental structures– The construction of schemata (formation and/or

embellishment of new schemata)– Automaticity of schemata

Sounds Verbal Model

PriorKnowledge

Words

Pictures Images

Integrating

Organizing

Words

Organizing

Images

Ears

Eyes

Selecting

Words

Selecting

Images

Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning

MultimediaPresentation Sensory Memory Working Memory Long-Term

Memory

Pictorial Model

• Dual Channel: separate channels for processing auditory and visual information• Limited Capacity: limited in the amount of information each channel can process• Active Processing: attend to relevant incoming information, organize information

into coherent mental structures and integrate mental representations with other information

PriorKnowledge

Pictures Images

Integrating

Organizing

ImagesEyes

Selecting

Images

Processing of Pictures

MultimediaPresentation Sensory Memory Working Memory Long-Term

Memory

Sounds Verbal ModelWords

Organizing

WordsEarsSelecting

Words

Pictorial Model

Words Ears Sounds Verbal Model

PriorKnowledge

Integrating

Organizing

Words

Selecting

Words

Processing of Spoken Words

MultimediaPresentation Sensory Memory Working Memory Long-Term

Memory

Pictures Eyes Images Pictorial Model

Organizing

Images

Selecting

Images

Words Sounds Verbal Model

PriorKnowledge

Eyes Images

Integrating

Organizing

Words

Selecting

Images

Processing of Printed Words

MultimediaPresentation Sensory Memory Working Memory Long-Term

Memory

PicturesPictorial Model

Organizing

Images

EarsSelecting

Words

Poll Questions

• What is the biggest challenge to learning in rich media environments?1. Inability to interact with information2. Limited self-evaluation opportunities3. Information design and composition4. All of the above

Classic Principles of Multimedia Design

Spatial Contiguity

Temporal Contiguity Coherence

Modality Redundancy Individual Differences

Spatial Contiguity

• Students learn better when corresponding words and pictures are near rather than far from each other– Minimizes cognitive resources (i.e. visual search)– Ability to hold both types of information in

working memory simultaneously

Template

Example

Natural monuments formed by erosion in Monument Park. The monuments are formed of Dawson arkose, layers of which have been hardened by a cement of iron oxides and have resisted weathering, thus forming a cap that has protected the softer rocks beneath. Two of these hard layers are shown in monument at left. El Paso County, Colorado. 1914. Plate 12 in U.S. Geological Survey. Folio 203. 1916. Natural monuments formed by erosion in Monument Park.

The monuments are formed of Dawson arkose, layers of which have been hardened by a cement of iron oxides and have resisted weathering, thus forming a cap that has protected the softer rocks beneath. Two of these hard layers are shown in monument at left. El Paso County, Colorado. 1914. Plate 12 in U.S. Geological Survey. Folio 203. 1916.

Temporal Contiguity

• Students learn better when corresponding words (narration) and pictures (animation) are presented simultaneously rather than successively– Ability to hold both representations in working

memory at the same time– Fosters greater mental connections between verbal

and visual representations– Meshes well with dual code theory of learning– Minimizes cognitive load

Template

Example

Simultaneous narration with animation…Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Eruption of Kilauea Volcano beginning in 1983. Geologist measuring the height of a lava fountain. Photo by J.D. Griggs, March 28, 1983.

Delayed narration with animationHawaii Volcanoes National Park. Eruption of Kilauea Volcano beginning in 1983. Geologist measuring the height of a lava fountain. Photo by J.D. Griggs, March 28, 1983.

Coherence

• Extraneous material is removed rather than included in the final design– Minimize words, pictures, sounds and duration– Helps learner focus and mentally organize key

elements

Photographer: Marli Miller University of OregonCaption: Ripples on sandy beach in southern Alaska.

Ripple Marks

Bedding Plane Irregularities

Sand Waves

Shorelines

Sedimentary StructuresSedimentation

Water

Erosion

Coastal Processes

Geomorphology

Photographer: Marli Miller University of OregonCaption: Ripples on sandy beach in southern Alaska.

Earth Science World Image Bank

Ripple Marks

Sand Waves

Sedimentary Structures

Modality

• Students learn better from animation and narration than animation and on-screen text– Eliminates cognitive load

On-screen text• As the sphere

hit the ground it compressed transferring some of its energy……

Narrated Text

Redundancy

• Students learn better from animation and narration rather from animation, narration and text

On-screen textAs the sphere hit the ground it compressed transferring some of its energy……

Narrated TextNarrated Text

Individual Differences

• Design effects are stronger for low knowledge learners than for high knowledge learners, and for high spatial learners rather than low spatial learners– High knowledge learners can leverage their

domain knowledge to build mental models even w/poorly designed multimedia

Conversational versus Formal Narration

Conversational: • First or second person; resembles

human-to-human interactions; • People work harder to understand

material when they are in conversation• Primes appropriate cognitive processes

Formal: • Impersonal• perceived as simply receiving

information

Time Remaining

Four-Component Instructional Design Model (4C-ID model)

What content knowledge do I need to know?

Step by step processes or heuristics

Survival skills to complete the adventure or sub-routines

Supportive Information Procedure Information Part-Task Practice

Integrated environments

Learning Task

Learning Task

• The learning environment– Integrates real-life or simulated tasks that may

include problem solving aspects and reasoning aspects

• Goal is schema constructionDesign Principles• Sequence: Sequence from simple to complex• Fidelity: The realism/complexity of the environment; move from low to high fidelity environments• Variability: Learning task must be sufficiently different from each other to promote abstract schemata• Individualization: The learning difficulty adjust/adapts to the learner• Training-wheels: Guiding the learner for process support (step-by-step); or constrain the learners

performance• Completion-strategy: students study completed followed by partial then complete conventional problems

Supportive Information• Builds a bridge between current student knowledge and

useful knowledge to complete the task• Provide systematic approaches to problem solving• Teaches theory by providing:

– Domain models: “what is this?”– Conceptual models: “how is this organized?”– Structural models: “how does this work?”

• Cognitive Feedback: opportunity to compare personal solution with expert solution

Design Principles• Redundancy: The presentation of redundant information has a negative impact• Self-explanation: Elicit self-explanation from learners by using pre-questions, a cognitive tutor or

postponing feedback• Self-pacing: Provide learners’ control over the pace of the learning experience (learner-controlled segments)

Procedural Information• Providing just-in-time information useful in

completing a task– How-to instruction– Pre-requisite information (i.e. definitions)– Corrective Feedback, based on the quality of the

performance

• Promotes schema automation

Design Principles• Temporal, Split-attention: The simultaneous presentation of animation and narration/text and pictures• Spatial-split attention: Text and images should be optically integrated within the learning task• Signaling (attention-focusing): Drive the learners’ focus to critical aspects of the learning task, reducing

visual search (i.e. point to something)• Modality: Encourage dual mode techniques (images and narration)

Part-Task Practice

• Additional exercises (practice problems) for routine aspects of learning the task– Promotes automaticity (i.e. drill & practice)– Intermixed with learning tasks

Design Principles• Component Fluency: Drill and practice used to promote automaticity

References

• Mayer, R.E. (2005). The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning. New York, New York: Cambridge University Press.

• Clark, R.C. and Mayer, R.E. E-Learning and the Science of Instruction. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.