Helen Miller Coherence Analysis EdTech 513 - Multimedia Dr.

Barbara Schroeder Fall 2010 According to Clark & Mayer (2008) the coherence principle states that you should avoid using any material that does not support the instructional goal (p. 133). Although it is often thought that seductive details such as graphics, and sound serve to engage students, research shows that instructional materials should be straightforward and not embellished by extraneous words, graphics or sounds. Moreno and Mayer (2000a) found when students received both background music and environmental sounds, their retention and transfer performance was much worse than when students received neitherranging 61-149 percent better performance with the extraneous sounds and music (as cited by Clark & Mayer, 2008, p.139). The use of multimedia in learning and instruction is not a bad thing, but it is important to be sure the text, graphics and sound that are used be relevant and that the designer remember that the goal is the transfer of knowledge. For these reasons the search for media effects has been called off. In its place a search for the conditions under which various media, such as animation, affect the learning process. (Mayer & Moreno, 2002, p.88). I have most certainly witnessed violations to the coherence principle during my educational and professional career. I a course I am in the midst of taking the professor attempted to interject some metaphorical humor into the written online-lecture and added YouTube videos to go along with the joke. As I read the transcript the overall effect for me was confusion and I still cannot remember what the topic of the module was I only recall the extraneous text and video that went along with it. Although I appreciate the attempt of adding humor, the videos or seductive details to support that humor went to far and took away from my learning. The main point of the lesson was lost. Clark and Mayer (2002) note that adding this sort of unnecessary material to elearning can overload the learner and they will not get as much out of the lesson. For the most part my courses model good use of the coherence principle. They use audio introductions with supporting text or simply just use text and stay focused on the point of the lesson and avoid seductive details so as not to overload the learner. In creating instruction the use of multimedia must support the learning goal or should be left out all together. We know by way of the multimedia principle that learning occurs when text is supported with graphics (Clark & Mayer, 2008). The key is to choose and or create graphics that support learning and do not serve as mere decoration. According to Clark & Mayer (2008) the modality principle states that learning is more likely to occur when text is presented as audio narration rather than on-screen text. Therefore, in the context of the coherence principle designers must be able to distinguish audio that supports learning from that of extraneous noise. The cognitive theory of multimedia learning predicts that students will learn more deeply from multimedia presentations that do not contain interesting but extraneous sounds and music from multimedia presentations that do (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 138). The redundancy principle states that visuals should be explained with words in audio or text but not both. In terms of the coherence principle redundant text or audio is extraneous and should be avoided.

Clark & Mayer (2008) note that according to the cognitive theory of learning learners have separate channels for processing audio/verbal information and visual/pictorial information. Because the capacity of the audio and visual channels are limited instructional materials should not overload the learner. According to Reed (2006) extraneous load occurs when the instructional designer fails to present instructional material in a less demanding manner (pp. 90-91). By applying the coherence principle in the use of multimedia for instruction the designer will run less chance of overloading the learner. I think the coherence principle makes a lot of sense. It is important for an instructional designer to be able to look at their work and edit. The coherence principle gives that designer a starting point which is to cut out all extraneous and unnecessary information. The trick in the design process then is to present the information in an interesting and engaging way that does not overload the learners auditory or visual processing channels. The mistake that is so often made is to mask what is perceived as boring material with flashy graphics and text, this doesnt make the material more interesting, just harder to get through. Dewey was quoted as saying When things have to be made more interesting, it is because the interest itself is wanting, Moreover, the phrase is a misnomer. The thing, the object, is nor more interesting than it was before (as cited by Clark & Mayer, 2008, p.138). Adding random pictures or interesting examples may jazz up a lesson but they only serve to mask or hide the material that needs to be learned. Designers need to step back and keep a critical eye on their work and make sure the goal of the lesson is clear and not muddied by seductive details.

References Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2008). E-learning and the science of instruction, 2nd edition. Pfeiffer: San Francisco, CA. Mayer, R., & Moreno, R. (2002). Animation as an Aid to Multimedia Learning. Educational Psychology Review, 14(1), 87-99. Reed, S. (2006). Cognitive Architectures for Multimedia Learning. Educational Psychologist, 41(2), 87-98.