This week we talked about learning theories and multimedia. What is multimedia? Multimedia is the use of different forms of verbal and non-verbal representations. Verbal can be words, texts, or narration and non-verbal can be images, graphs, icons, or pictures. Many studies show that a combination of words and pictures contributes more to learning than words or pictures alone. We also talked about cognitive load and how your cognitive load can be different for the different forms of representation. You can fill both your “verbal” and “non-verbal” cognitive loads and that’s why the combination of the two contributes more to learning and retention compared to filling only “one”.
I want to reflect a little bit on how using multimedia and these theories of learning can deviate based on the type of format being used whether it is video (visual), verbal (audio), etc. I feel like a good example of video and multimedia that I use regularly is when watching movies. I often will turn on the subtitles which allows me to read the dialogue while the movie is playing. This helps me process better what is going on in conjunction with the visual aspect of the movie. Sometimes if you miss what was said (and subtitles are not present) one might focus more on trying to remember what was said rather than what is currently happening. An example of audio and multimedia could be the use of lecture slide notes in conjunction with the audio (voice) of the lecturer. This allows for learners to hear what is said but also read notes that are related. For me, listening to long lectures (even with notes/audio) can cause cognitive overload. I think being able to add new combinations or changing up the combinations of verbal and non-verbal representations is extremely important. Breaking up a long lecture with a short video, or a long video with some discussion can help reset the cognitive overload and help achieve better learning and retention.
I think multimedia is something that is much more common these days and is important to continue to incorporate. For me personally, finding good ways to bring multimedia into the classroom to improve learning is something I hope to continue to work on.