Chapter 6
Applying the Modality
Principle, present words as audio narration
rather than on-screen text
Summary
The
evidence from research demonstrates the importance of this principle in the
design of multimedia presentations and students learning. Harskamp, Mayer and
Suhre ( as cited in Clark & Mayer, 2011) expose that students from a high
school learned less from a biology presentation which only included on-screen
text than other which included illustrations with narration. Other research, Schmidt-Weigand, Kohnert and
Glowalla (as cited in Clark & Mayer, 2011) is consistent with cognitive
theory approach because students focused better on the graphs since they had no
text; on the other hand, by including text they found it difficult to
understand the content of the graphics. Another research, Mayer (as cited in
Clark & Mayer, 2011) compared 21 experiments in which the researcher
included graphics and text in contrast with audio (narration) and graphics. The
results showed a median of 97% demonstrating students learned better the
information to solve problems using both graphics and audio channels.
The modality principle is an important
point in the designing of multimedia presentations in both online and
traditional courses. It is great for me, as an educator, to reflect how I
usually prepare the presentations for my own students. How I respond to a paradigm
such as the acquisition of information when I design a presentation as part of
the course. All this, despite the fact
that as an educator I recognize the important of learning theories, for
example, the cognitive theory and its importance in the designing of
instructional materials. Why I could not recognized how the cognitive theory
explains the way I need to design presentations considering, equally, both
auditory and visual channel; because the purpose is that students learn deeply.
As a result of this learning experience, I will consider the modality principle
as part of the information to apply during the planning and designing of
presentations. This principle can be relevant to my ISD project if as part of
the instructional strategies the team includes a multimedia presentation to
presents teachers different examples about “Genius Hour” projects. The
presentation can provide images of
projects made by students incorporating a description in audio.
Clark, R.C, & Mayer, R.E. (2011). Applying the modality principle,
present
words as audio
narration rather than on-screen text. E-Learning and
the science of instruction, (pp. 115-130). San Francisco, CA:
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Hi, Beatriz,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your review of Chapter 6. The issue of modality is something I’ve often considered in my HS English classes, especially in recent years with the addition of multi-media project assignments. Students tend to think that more is better when creating presentations, and it definitely is not, especially in terms of learning! The idea that “people use two different channels to process” information is one we need to remember whether we are creating our own lessons or assigning projects to our students. I always appreciate a well-presented lesson, as do others, I’m sure! ~Katy
Great post Beatriz! I agree the Modality Principle should be taken into account when developing multimedia presentations and our ISD projects. Students learn differently, and we as designers must take into consideration the auditory and visual load. According to Cheon, Crooks, and Chung (2014), "The modality principle argues that people learn more deeply from pictures and spoken words than from pictures and printed words" (p. 57). This gives a balance of both auditory and visual so cognitive overload does not occur. As you stated, more research is needed on the effects of this principle, but it does make perfect sense.
ReplyDeleteCheon, J., Crooks, S., & Chung, S. (2014). Does segmenting principle counteract modality principle in instructional animation?. British Journal Of Educational Technology, 45(1), 56-64. doi:10.1111/bjet.12021
You did a great job of explaining this principle Beatriz. In combining text with audio, I always believed that it would help address the needs of learners with different modalities. Even after learning about cognitive load theory and the need to avoid adding to students’ extraneous load, the idea of mixing modalities within a single presentation was not clear. Clark and Mayer (2011) do a good job in this chapter of describing how to reinforce learning while focusing on a single modality by using audio explanations for graphics, for instance. At the same time, they are realistic and acknowledge that this may not always be practical due to technology restraints or restrictions in the learning environment. This chapter’s presentation of the modality principle will have a lasting effect on how I approach my own classroom presentations and my design of curriculum in the future, especially as I move further into online curriculum. In our ISD project, this principle will be important to consider as we design the online components of the online PD for teachers. We will need to consider both how we present the information to the teachers and how we instruct them to design their presentations to students.
ReplyDeleteReference:
Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. (2011). e-Learning and the science of instruction: Proven
guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (3rd Ed).
John Wiley & Sons P&T, 8/1/11. VitalBook file.