Research has shown that it's not the learning styles that are a factor in learning but it's the combination of the different learning styles; the modalities, that are more effective, especially in multimedia instruction. The modality principle states student learn better from animation and narration, than from animation and on-screen text. The cognitive theory on multimedia learning focuses on the use of both the auditory and visual channels to interpret instructional materials. Information is processed in each channel separately and each channel’s capacity is limited. Studies have shown that people learn more from using audio and text together rather than text alone.
The learning styles approach states that including all of the modalities; graphics or animation, narration and text, in the learning materials is better than only two. The redundancy principle does not support this approach. The redundancy principle states that learners can learn better just with animation and narration. When visual text is also presented at the same time, the text becomes redundant. Using narration plus onscreen text to explain the graphic will compete for attention in the visual channel. The learner’s visual channel becomes overloaded. Eliminating the redundant material will help the learner understand the material better.
Redundancy should be allowed in certain instances. There are times that the words should remain on the screen to give support to the learner and for future reference even if the auditory is repeating the words. For example, steps in a procedure, technical words, unfamiliar words, words not in the leaner’s native language or when no images are used.
As instructors we should focus on introducing materials that engage and enhance everyone’s learning and that builds their memory strategies. When creating a multimedia lesson using the modality and redundancy principals will assist in a deeper learning experience. The goal of the modality principle is to reduce the cognitive load of the learner’s visual channels by including an auditory channel to lessen the visual load in instructional materials. Using audio to explain graphics rather than use onscreen text will help keep the learners attention and to be more effective.
Ear & Eye photo By Allan-Hermann Pool (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The learning styles approach states that including all of the modalities; graphics or animation, narration and text, in the learning materials is better than only two. The redundancy principle does not support this approach. The redundancy principle states that learners can learn better just with animation and narration. When visual text is also presented at the same time, the text becomes redundant. Using narration plus onscreen text to explain the graphic will compete for attention in the visual channel. The learner’s visual channel becomes overloaded. Eliminating the redundant material will help the learner understand the material better.
Redundancy should be allowed in certain instances. There are times that the words should remain on the screen to give support to the learner and for future reference even if the auditory is repeating the words. For example, steps in a procedure, technical words, unfamiliar words, words not in the leaner’s native language or when no images are used.
As instructors we should focus on introducing materials that engage and enhance everyone’s learning and that builds their memory strategies. When creating a multimedia lesson using the modality and redundancy principals will assist in a deeper learning experience. The goal of the modality principle is to reduce the cognitive load of the learner’s visual channels by including an auditory channel to lessen the visual load in instructional materials. Using audio to explain graphics rather than use onscreen text will help keep the learners attention and to be more effective.
Ear & Eye photo By Allan-Hermann Pool (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons