The Dos and Don'ts of Multimedia Learning

The 12 principles of multimedia learning were developed by Richard E. Mayer. They are designed to optimize learning by taking advantage of insights from cognitive science.

The goal of these multimedia principles is to cut down on unnecessary mental effort, manage the difficulty of the content, and improve the way learners process information. They use both visual and auditory channels to maximize learning, ensuring that educational content is presented in the most effective way possible.

Here are those 12 principles:

The Coherence Principle

All materials that are presented to the learner should be essential and support the learning objectives.

The Signaling Principle

All essential information should be pointed out to the learner.

The Redundancy Principle

Visuals should be explained through narration or text, but not both.

The Spatial Contiguity Principle

Graphics and corresponding text should be displayed in close proximity to each other.

The Temporal Contiguity Principle

Related audio and visual information should be presented at the same time.

The Segmenting Principle

Divide complex content into smaller segments.

The Pre-Training Principle

Provide names and characteristics of main concepts in a lesson before teaching the content.

The Modality Principle

Use narration, rather than on-screen text, to explain visuals.

The Multimedia Principle

Training is more effective when it combines images and words, rather than relying on images or words alone.

The Personalization Principle

A conversational writing style engages the learner.

The Voice Principle

A friendly, human voice is best when narrating a course.

The Images Principle

Use relevant images to illustrate concepts.

Dos and Don'ts

These principles are best practices, but they can be a little vague.

Below is a list of dos and don'ts that you can more easily apply to your learning experiences.

Dos

• Do include media that supports the learning objectives.
• Do remove unnecessary information.
• Do point out key information or terms.
• Do use pop-up captions to highlight key terms in narration.
• Do include text-based statements that summarize key points from the narration.
• Do place graphics and corresponding text close together.
• Do presented related audio and visual information at the same time.
• Do divide complex content into smaller segments.
• Do provide practice opportunities in each learning segment.
• Do provide a “continue” button for learner-paced navigation.
• Do teach key terms before teaching the lesson.
• Do use narration.
• Do combine images and words.
• Do connect words and images to each other.
• Do use a conversational, polite tone.
• Do use first- or second-person point of view.
• Do use a friendly human voice.
• Do use relevant images to illustrate concepts.

Don'ts

• Don’t include extraneous audio or visuals that distract the learner.
• Don’t use background music during learning.
• Don’t expect the learner to determine which information is most important.
• Don’t use text and narration to explain a visual.
• Don’t use legends and markers to label graphics.
• Don’t place directions on a separate screen from the user input.
• Don’t show answer feedback away from the learner response.
• Don’t forget to sync audio and visual information or animations.
• Don’t include too much information at once.
• Don’t use on-screen text to explain visuals.
• Don’t be unprofessional.
• Don’t use third-person point of view.
• Don’t use voiceover that sounds computer-generated.
• Don’t use a robotic tone when recording voiceover.
• Don’t use images that do not illustrate a concept or support learning.
• Don't use decorative images.