Slides from the second Literature & Practice Session of the uImagine Scholarship in Online Learning Group took place on the 28th October.

1. Cognitive Load in
Multimedia Learning
For Literature and Practice Discussion
28th October 2015
Professor Barney Dalgarno
Co-Director Institutional Engagement

2. • Introductory presentation/comments from chair
including contextual background to the choice of articles
and overview of some key points
• Round table to draw out
a) key conceptual ideas and
b) opinions and/or questions about the ideas and/or
methods and/or quality of articles
• Round table discussion about the implications for
teaching and educational design/support practice at CSU
• Sessions to be recorded and the recordings and
presentations placed on the uImagine website
Structure for these discussions

3. Mayer, R. E., & Moreno, R. (2003). Nine ways to reduce cognitive
load in multimedia learning. Educational psychologist, 38(1),
43-52,
http://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/doi/abs/10.1207/
S15326985EP3801_6#.ViqXHytH6Zc
Article for discussion

4. • This body of work has a large number of empirical
studies behind it
• Mayer and colleagues have published numerous
articles reporting on these studies
• The article discussed has 1857 Google Scholar
citations while the book Multimedia Learning has
6004 citations
• Cognitive Load Theory on which this work builds
has also had significant academic impact (e.g.
Sweller’s original 1988 article has 3486 citations)
Why important

5. • Multimedia:
• words (text and audio)
• pictures (static, animated, interactive)
• Learning:
• attending to material
• organising within cognitive structures
• integrating with existing knowledge
• Measuring learning
• retention tests
• problem based application (primary focus here)
Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning

6. • Assumptions from cognitive science:
• Dual channel assumption
• Limited capacity assumption
• Active processing assumption
Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning

7. Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning

8. • We have limited available cognitive capacity (capacity to
process incoming information and information within
working memory)
• Three kinds of cognitive demands
(and how addressed through design):
• Essential processing (can be redistributed)
• Incidental processing (can be reduced)
• Representational holding (can be reduced)
• Cognitive overload can be detrimental to learning when
incidental and representational demands restrict
essential processing
Cognitive Overload (building on
Cognitive Load Theory)

9. Cognitive Overload in Multimedia
Learning
Overload scenario Load-reducing method
Essential processing (visual overload) Offloading visual to auditory
Essential processing (complex
conceptual material)
Segmenting (e.g. learner control)
Pre-training
Extraneous material Weeding out non-essential detail
Signalling to highlight essential aspects
Confusing presentation (adding
incidental processing)
Aligning words and pictures
Eliminating redundancy
Representational overload Synchronising visual and auditory
information
Individualising (e.g. to spatial ability level)

10. From the Educational Psychologist article:
• Modality effect
• Segmentation effect
• Pre-training effect
• Coherence effect
• Signalling effect
• Spatial contiguity effect
• Redundancy effect
• Temporal contiguity effect
• Spatial ability effect
Mayer and Moreno’s Nine Principles

11. From Multimedia Learning:
• Modality principle
• Segmenting principle
• Pre-training principle
• Coherence principle
• Signalling principle
• Spatial contiguity principle
• Redundancy principle
• Temporal contiguity principle
• Spatial ability effect
Mayer’s Twelve Principles
• Multimedia principle
• Personalisation principle
• Voice principle
• Image principle

12. • Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning
• Cognitive Load Theory and some alternative
perspectives
• Cognitive overload in multimedia learning and
how it can be addressed
• Alternative perspectives
• Implications for learning design and teaching at
CSU
Discussion points