Issue #3: For the Love of Mayer: Pt 1 ??????

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?? Shoutouts ?? In our last issue subscriber and Sci-Comm blogger Sheeva Azma made a great point about ADDIE. It's quite like the scientific method, and she's absolutely right! She and I are both science friends, so I had some fun playing with a hybrid acronym between OHEC and ADDIE. I came up with OAH-DECIDE by grouping like minding process parts together... not too bad!

Observation / Analysis - Hypothesis / Design - Experiment / Develop - Implement - Conclusion / Evaluate

Technically OHEC also follows up with disseminate (to share results to the public) which we could bundle into evaluate as well.

Thanks to all new subscribers and commenters - it really helps the series a lot! ??

And now into our newest issue...

A core instructional design tenant I learned about in my graduate work was the 12 Principles of Multimedia by Mayer. An educational psychologist, Richard E. Mayer popularized the scientific rigor of experimentation with instructional design in an online environment. Each of his principles were vetted and tested in trial runs for efficacy, and his work became pioneering standards for successful multimedia (combining text with images and video) in an online learning environment. (Here’s a bit more about Mayer if interested.)

Since there are 12 in total, I’ve decided to make this a two part posting. Life is overwhelming as is, so let’s break it down into simpler steps (some segmenting principle right there if I do say so myself ??).

Note: these principles aren’t ranked in any particular order of importance. They all can apply equally given the circumstances / design elements.?

??Principle 1: Coherence Principle

The coherence principle is summed up as “simpler is better”. Reduce competing stimuli and distracting information. Flashing graphics that aren’t necessary? Scrap ‘em. Extraneous text or data that could derail or lead the learner down an unnecessary rabbit hole? Let it go. The coherence principle is all about providing cleanliness and simplicity for them to absorb information in the learning environment.

??Principle 2: Signaling Principle

The signaling principle is one of my personal favorites. Similar words for this principle could be annotating, marking up, or calling out items on a screen. This is done often on YouTube videos where someone indicates where to click to subscribe or tap the bell icon, or in simple circle images, underlining text while narrating something on the screen. This saves learners time (and especially those with attention deficits) by calling out where is most important to pay attention to on the screen.

??Principle 3: Redundancy Principle

As the name implies, this principle discourages repetition where it might distract the learner. For example, in a narrated presentation try to supplement the visual display with more graphics and visuals than text. Putting the same text as is read out orally (a fairly common practice but not necessarily effective in learning science) can exhaust the learner as they have to pay attention to both what’s on screen and being read out loud to them. Bulleted or more concise points related to what’s being spoken are okay. This is related to a technical term called the “dual channel assumption”. You can watch a quickie video on this principle here. (Note: this doesn’t apply to auditorily impaired learners who will need a transcript or closed captioning. Exceptions do apply.)

??Principle 4: Segmenting Principle

This principle is one of my personal favs. When I was a public school teacher I learned this as “chunking” (not the most appealing word tbh haha). The segmenting principle informs us that we need to take bulk content and break it down and present it to the learner in smaller parts. If you’ve ever taken an online course that has “modules” or “chapters”, then you’ve experienced this concept. This principle can also tie into things like learner control and pacing in an online experience (more on that in another posting).

??Principle 5: Spatial Contiguity Principle

Have you ever tried to close out an ad but the “X” was nowhere placed in relation to where the image exists? When two design elements are presented really far apart or out of frame (in the case of the pop up ad the situation is a bit sinister, as arguably they want you to be confused about how to close it out) it makes it hard for the learner to link and relate them to each other. This principle says to place objects related to text close together, otherwise it may be confusing or uncertain that they should be paired together.

??Principle 6: Temporal Contiguity Principle

“I love out of synch audio and visual!” - said no. one. Ever. Temporal contiguity asserts that video and audio (like narration over an animation or presentation) need to be synched up to occur at the same speed / aligned timing. Otherwise, this can create confusion about what is being discussed and what it is in relation to. This is similar to the spatial principle except it relates to hearing / audio.

In the next issue I’ll go over the remaining 6 - stay tuned! In the meantime, I would love to hear your response to the polling question below. I love reading your comments on the series in general too, so please keep them coming!

Julie Ann is a junior instructional designer with a strong background in education and STEM. She’s available for project based, part time and flexible work while in school. This could include anything from an advisory session to updating training decks or crafting learning materials. If you have a need in mind, reach out via DM!

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