Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning

1. Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning MIT 511Martin Fall 2011

2. 2 Last Three Weeks Overview of the Course Design Principles Graphic Design Assigned Print Design Project Guided Lab Day � Print Design

3. 3 Readings for Week 4 Multimedia Learning, 2009 edition Creating interactive multimedia based educational course ware: Cognition in Learning - Muthukumar S.L

4. 4 This week Topics Cognitive Theory of Memory and Learning Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning Research based principles of Multimedia Learning Multimedia principle

5. Introduction to Multimedia Learning Mayer Chapter 1 5

6. Three Views of multimedia Delivery media Focuses on media used to present information Two or more delivery devices Focus is on technology rather than the learners Presentation Modes Presentation of material using two or more presentation modes Verbal and Pictorial Representations (Use of words & pictures) Consistent with Cognitive theory of learning � assumes humans have separate information processing channels for words and pictures Sensory Modalities Two or more sensory systems in the learner are involved Learner-centered Auditory and visual senses

7. Two approaches to Multimedia Design Technology-centered approach How can we use these capabilities in designing multimedia presentations? Learner-centered approach How can we adapt multimedia to enhance human learning?

8. Metaphors of Multimedia Learning Response Strengthening Strengthening or weakening an association between a stimulus and a response Information Acquisition Adding information to memory Deliver information; act as delivery vehicle Knowledge Construction Building a coherent mental structure Provide cognitive guidance; act as a helpful communicator 8

9. Goals of Multimedia Learning Remembering Ability to reproduce or recognize presented material Retention Understanding Ability to construct a coherent mental representation from the presented material Transfer

10. Kinds of Active Learning No learning No knowledge Rote learning Fragmented knowledge Meaningful learning Integrated knowledge 10

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12. 12 Part I - Cognitive Load Theory Cognitive load refers to the total amount of mental activity imposed on working memory at an instance in time. The major factor that contributes to cognitive load is the number of elements that need to be attended to.

13. 13 Designer�s underlying conception Single channel assumption All information enters the cognitive system the same way regardless of modality Unlimited capacity assumption Humans can handle unlimited amount of material Passive-Processing information Learners do not need any guidance in organizing and making sense of the presented information

14. 14 Cognitive Theory Characteristics Dual Channels Humans possess separate channels for processing visual and auditory information Limited Capacity Humans are limited in the amount of information they can process Active Processing Humans engage in active learning by attending to relevant incoming information

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16. 16 Our Cognitive Architecture Dual-store model of memory (Atkinson & Shiffrin, 1968) Three components Sensory register Short-term/Working memory Long-term memory Control process affect movement of information from one component to another

17. 17 Model of Memory and Learning

18. 18 Sensory Register Capacity: Unlimited Form of storage: Preprocessed, in form in which it has been sensed Duration: Very brief (visual < 1 sec., auditory 2-4 sec.)

19. 19 Short Term/Working Memory (Bottleneck of Memory System) Characteristics Capacity: very limited, 7+/- chunks Duration: brief Organization: chunking Retrieval: depends on size of information held

20. 20 Moving Information to Working Memory Factors influencing attention Size: Large objects draw attention Intensity: More intense stimuli attract attention Novelty: Novel stimuli attract attention Incongruity: Objects that don�t make sense within their context attract attention Emotion: Stimuli with strong emotional associations Personal significance: Personally relevant stimuli

21. 21 Long Term Memory Characteristics Capacity: theoretically unlimited Form of storage: bulk semantically stored Duration: indefinitely long Storage: best with SOI approach, schemas Retrieval: closely tied to storage processes

22. 22 SOI Model (Mayer) SOI model for designing text-based instruction to enable the learner to construct their own meaningful learning outcomes. S = selecting relevant information O =� organizing information in a meaningful way to the learner I = integrating the new information with the learner's prior knowledge

23. 23 Schemas Schema organized body of knowledge about a specific topic they influence how we perceive and remember new situations Schema about events are often called scripts

24. 24 Part II - Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning

25. 25 Cross channel representation Although information enters via one channel, learners may be able to convert the representation for processing in another channel This happens when learners are able to devote adequate cognitive resources to task Plays important role in Paivio�s dual coding theory

26. 26 Limited capacity assumption Learner is able to hold only a limited amount of information/images in the working memory at any time Memory span test

27. 27 Sources of Cognitive Load Intrinsic cognitive load Occurs during the interaction between the nature of the material being learned and the expertise of the learner Inherent difficulty of the material Extraneous cognitive load The way the instructional material is designed that is organized and presented Factors that aren�t central to the material to be learned

28. 28 Structuring of Knowledge Outcome of active cognitive processing is construction of a coherent mental representation Mental model � represents key parts of the presented material and their relations

29. 29 Basic Knowledge Structures Process Flowchart, Cause and effect chains, explanations of how systems work Comparison Matrices, comparisons between two or more elements Generalization Branching tree, consists of main idea with subordinate supporting details Enumeration Lists, collection of items Classification Hierarchies, consist of a set and subsets

30. 30 Flowchart

31. 31 Matrix

32. 32 Branching Tree

33. 33 Lists

34. 34 Hierarchies

35. 35 Three processes for active learning Selecting Learner pays attention to relevant words and pictures to create word base and image base Organizing Learner builds internal connections among selected words to create a coherent verbal and pictorial model Integrating Learner builds external connections between the verbal and pictorial models and with prior knowledge

36. 36 Five steps in Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning Selecting relevant words from presented text or narration Selecting relevant images from presented illustrations Organizing selected words into a coherent verbal representation Organizing selected images into a coherent visual representation Integrating the visual and verbal representations and prior knowledge

37. 37 Applying Cognitive Load Theory to Instructional Design Excessively high levels of cognitive load may result directly from the instructional materials presented to students. Redesigning instructional materials to reduce the levels of extraneous cognitive load may enhance learning

38. 38 Part III - Research based principles for design of multimedia Multimedia principle Spatial contiguity principle (Split - Attention effect) Temporal contiguity principle Coherence principle Modality principle Redundancy Principle Individual differences principle

39. Research based principles for design of multimedia Signaling Principle Segmenting Principle Pre-training Principle Personalization, voice, and image principles Worked example effect Completion Problem Effect Goal Free effect Variability Effect 39

40. 40 1. Multimedia Principle Students learn better from words and pictures than from words alone

41. 41 2. Spatial Contiguity Principle Students learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented near rather than far from each other on the page or screen Also called split attention effect

42. 42 3. Temporal Contiguity Principle Students learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented simultaneously rather than successively

43. 43 4. Coherence Principle Students learn better when extraneous material is excluded rather than when included.

44. 44 5. Modality Principle Students learn better from animation and narration than from animation and on-screen text

45. 45 4. Redundancy Principle Students learn better from animation and narration than from animation, narration and text

46. 46 7. Individual Differences Principle Design effects are stronger for low-knowledge learners than for high-knowledge learners, and for high-spatial learners rather than for low-spatial learners

47. 47 8. Signaling Principle Better transfer occurs when narrations are signaled. Signaling reduces cognitive load in auditory working memory by providing cues to learners about how to organize the material. Signaling assists learners of organizing sounds, which can result in deeper, more meaningful learning.

48. 9. Segmenting Principle People learn better when a multimedia message is presented in user-spaced segments rather than as a continuous unit 48

49. 49 9. Pre-training Principle Better transfer occurs when animation and narration are not combined with printed text. When pictures and words are presented visually, it can overload visual working memory capacity

50. 11. Personalization, voice and image principles People learn better from multimedia presentations when words are in conversational style rather than formal style 50

51. 51 12. Worked Example Effect Providing learners with worked-out examples of problems to study can be just as or even more effective in building schemas and performance transfer than working out similar problems themselves

52. 52 13. Completion Problem Effect Provides a goal state and a partial solution, and then require the learners to complete the partial solution Learners must carefully study the partially-worked example and then apply to actively solving the problem

53. 53 14. Goal-free effect Problems should not be given with an end-goal It causes the learner to maintain several conditions in working memory while engaging in problem solving Example (Geometry) Conventional: Find a value for a particular angle Goal-free: Find values of as many angles as possible

54. 54 15. Variability Effect Variability of practice because it encourages learner to develop schemas that aid in transfer of training to similar situations The more variability in instruction, the more the learner will develop multiple schemas

55. 55 Part IV

56. 56 IPSO Cycle Input - data goes in Processing � data is processed Storage - data stored Output - data comes out

57. 57 IPSO Cycle

58. 58 IPSO Cycle Input - data goes in Processing � data is processed Storage - data stored Output - data comes out

59. 59 Multimedia Principle A lesson is a presentation that is intended to foster learning in a student. Words are the most common way of presenting information because verbal messages are efficient and easy to create. Pictures are any form of static or dynamic graphic; including photos, graphs, charts, illustrations, video, and animation. According to Information delivery: if a delivery route is fully or partially blocked, then multiple deliveries, may result in more learning.

60. Rationale When words and pictures are both presented, learners have an opportunity to construct verbal and visual mental models and to build connections between them 60

61. 61 Example 1

62. 62 Example 2

63. 63 Multimedia Principle Same material can be described in words and depicted in pictures However, resulting verbal and pictorial representations are not informationally equivalent Although the verbal and pictorial representations may complement one another, they cannot be substituted for one another.

64. 64 How does the�normal heart work? The normal heart is composed of four chambers. The two upper chambers are reservoirs, which collect blood as it flows back to the heart. These are called "atriums".� From the Atriums blood flows into the lower two chambers, called "ventricles', which pump blood, with each heart beat, into the main arteries. From the right side of the heart one of these arteries (the Pulmonary Artery) carries blood into the circulation through the lungs. The left side of the heart, on the other hand, pumps blood into the other main artery (called the Aorta), which takes blood to the rest of the body. The two ventricles and the two atriums are separated by partitions (called Septums). The partition between the Atriums is called the Atrial Septum (AS) and that separating the two ventricles the Ventricular Septum (VS). Dark (blue) blood returning to the right atrium from the body and its organs, through the two main veins (called the Superior and Inferior Vena Cavas), is pumped by the right ventricle to the lungs for replenishment with oxygen. The blue blood becomes bright red in the lungs when oxygen is replaced. This red blood returns, through two veins from each lung, to the left atrium and is pumped by the left ventricle� to the body again.

65. 65 Multimedia Principle An illustration can be decorative (interest or entertain), representational (portray), organizational (relations among elements; map or chart), explanative (how it works). In particular, the results support the idea that humans process pictures versus words using qualitatively different mental representations. A central premise is that meaningful learning occurs when learners build picture-based and word-based representations and build systematic connections between them.

66. 66 Looking ahead to Week 5 Rapid Elearning e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning, 2nd Edition - Chapter 1 Rapid Elearning Authoring Tool - Selection Criteria Assign Captivate Project