Some Basics of Multimedia Design for Learning
Multimedia refers to various types of media used to convey information: e-texts, still imagery, slideshows, audio, video, simulations, and various combinations of these. Multimedia appeals to learners in multi-sensory ways.
Content Types in Learning (Dr. Ruth Colvin Clark)
Facts: Unique standalone information
Concepts: "Groups of objects, events, or symbols deigned by a single name"
Processes: A description of how something works
Procedures: A series of steps "resulting in completion of a task"
Principles: "Guidelines that result in the completion of a task; cause-and-effect relationships" (Clark & Mayer, 3008, p. 61)
Multimedia Design Tips from "E-Learning and the Science of Instruction" (2nd)
Note: This segment highlights some of the core principles of Drs. Ruth Colvin Clark and Richard Mayer's "E-Learning and the Science of Instruction" (2nd Ed.). The concepts are addressed briefly, with some elaboration comments offered.
The Multimedia Principle: Use text and graphics in a learning object. The graphics should align with the learning aim of that segment. Visuals may serve a number of needs: representational, organizational, relational, transformational, and interpretive, among others. Do not use graphics that are merely decorative. The words and graphics should work together to create meaning. Animations work better with narrations, so the visual and textual mental channels are engaged. Even static images shown in sequence may highlight processes or procedures.
The Contiguity Principle: Place related words and images close to each other to show the relationship and to enhance understanding. Avoid the physical separation of related elements, if possible.
The Modality Principle: Presenting words as audio narration works better than on-screen text. The rationale for this is that the pictures or visuals are visually processed while the spoken words are phonetically processed. Those use different perceptual tracks. Text would draw on the visual track (and symbolic processing). If these are divided, then the cognitive load does not overwhelm one perceptual track or another.
The Redundancy Principle: Explain visuals with words in audio or text, not both. The concept here is that excessive cognitive load would not enhance learning. (However, accessibility requires that the textual version is still available for learners, if that is their preference.) This is based on a cognitive view of learning, where there are certain channels for gathering information and retaining it. Offering inappropriate redundancy would harm the learning because the extra information would be distracting.
The Coherence Principle: This principle suggests that adding "interesting" material may be distracting, if that materials is not a core part of the learning. Again, extra information may be extraneous or diversionary. For new learners, it helps to have a clear focus on the main points that the subject matter expert (SME) wants them to learn. (Excess details may also simply be annoying.)
The Personalization Principle: This principle suggests that a conversational style and "virtual coaches" may help promote learning through online means. Accessible and conversational language connects more effectively to learners. The concept is that people will work harder to engage difficult contents if a conversational approach is used. Social cues may prime learners for deeper learning. A more formal approach may be off-putting. (This depends on the needs of the particular learners though.) Pedagogical coaches are characters (whether "real" or "imaginary" in terms of design) that encourage learners and come alongside to help them learn. It's harder to create these without being too artificial or hokey.
The Segmenting and Pretraining Principle: Complex learning may be managed by breaking down the learning into more manageable parts (also known as "chunking"). People can only focus on so much information at a time. In that spirit, it helps to segment learning into right-sized and related pieces. When individuals are faced with too much information, they may shut down their own learning. They may experience frustration and stop persisting. "Pretraining" suggests that some prelearning (including priming) may be helpful to learners to prepare them for more complex learning ahead.
(Clark & Mayer, 2008)
References
Clark, R.C. & Mayer, R.E. (2008). e-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. 2nd Ed. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
The third edition (2011) is out.
