So, is the coherence principle a hard and fast rule? Does following this principle always create improved learning? This research article by Mueller, Lee, and Sharma conducted a study on students providing extraneous information about different occurrences in space. Let's read about if extraneous material decreased learner retention.
Coherence or Interest: Which is most important in online multimedia learning?
After reading this paper, we can find that with many of these multimedia principles, there can be exceptions. When designing multimedia presentations, we must always keep in mind the content and knowledge of our intended learners.
Sometimes, when designers include extraneous material it doesn't always distract from the intended purpose. In some learning situations, learners can make decisions on what material they view is relevant and beneficial to the exercise.
ReplyDeleteWhen I give my lectures, I try to only include the "relevant" information in the PowerPoint slides, but I think that the use of "seductive details" in the classroom is very important. These details are sometimes what gets a student's attention to a subject that might not seem interesting to them originally. I may not test the student on these seductive details, but I have gained the attention of the most bored students in the classroom. I enjoy invoking interest in my students.
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