Cognitive Load Theory: Implications for Adult Online Learning Through Multimedia

Rohan D. Webb

Boise State University

  

Introduction

The Internet and its related technologies continue to alter the way humans work, communicate, and learn.  The Internet  has evolved to include online education, and multimedia has become an integral component of the evolution.  The instructional design of multimedia however, affects the mental processes or cognitive load of the adult online learner.  This phenomenon is based on research of how adults learn from words and pictures (Mayer & Moreno, 2003).  The subject of this paper relates generally to adult online learning through multimedia because of the prevalence of multimedia in that educational setting.  It relates more specifically to the relationship between multimedia instructional design and cognitive load theory.  How does cognitive load theory influence the instructional design of multimedia in online adult learning?  The impact of cognitive load on the way learners process multimedia is cognitive load theory (CLT) (Mayer, 2001).  Review of the research annotated herein suggests a need to use CLT research findings in multimedia instructional design.  In this paper, I will make the case that effective instructional design for multimedia should account for the implications of cognitive load in adult online multimedia learning.  While there are other multimedia learning theories, the scope of this paper is limited to the definition of cognitive theory of multimedia learning offered by Mayer (2001).  

What is Multimedia? 

Students today are accustomed to multimedia because of the types of communication devices available and the prolific use of the Internet.  The use of video games, social networking, video repositories, and other web 2.0 tools, has exposed learners to a unique learning paradigm called multimedia.  Multimedia learning is a "presentation involving words and pictures that is intended to foster learning" (Mayer, 2001, p.3).  "The words can be printed (e.g., on-screen text) or spoken (e.g., narration).  The pictures can be static (e.g., illustrations, graphs, charts, photos, or maps) or dynamic (e.g., animation, video, or interactive illustrations)" (Mayer & Moreno, 2003, para. 2).  Furthermore, “The use of interactive multimedia can foster and develop cognitive engagement through its ability to attract and hold students’ attention and focus” (Stone & Oliver 1999 para. 7).  One of the best ways to foster meaningful learning is to design multimedia content in a manner that reduces cognitive load (Merriënboer, Kirschner & Kester 2003).  

Cognitive Load Theory

CLT is one of the most notable theories, which describe the cognitive processes that occur in learning with technologies such as online multimedia (Mayer, 2001).  The theory is universal and applies to all types of content, delivery systems, and learners (Clark, Nguyen & Sweller, 2005 p.7).  CLT states that cognitive load is caused by the complexity of the content, the manner in which the content is formatted, and the learner’s mental effort to process and understand the content (Pollock, Chandler & Sweller, 2002).  “Cognitive load increases with the amount of information to process.  This problem is not new but it is certainly aggravated with the advent of computerization, and more recently the Internet” (Quiroga, Crosby & Iding 2004, para. 4).  

The Challenge

Oud surmises in 2009, “Implications for instruction include the need to be aware of the limits of student capabilities for information processing.  When we give students more information than they can process at a given time, their working memory is overloaded and they cannot process anything well, which leads to poor understanding, retention and learning” (Nguyen & Clark, 2005).  Research in CLT has provided the basis for “instructional strategies and activities that reduce certain types of load” (Brünken, Plass & Leutner, 2003, para. 2).  Effective multimedia should therefore incorporate instructional strategies that minimize unnecessary content, provides the optimal amount of content, and adequate time for processing the content. 

Improving Instructional design

The effectiveness of multimedia in pedagogy is dependent on how well the instructional design is able to minimize the effects of unnecessary cognitive load on a learner (Mayer & Moreno, 2003).  According to Mayer, students learn better, when unnecessary information is not included in instructional design (2001).  "Extraneous material competes for cognitive resources in working memory and can divert attention from the important material, can disrupt the process of organizing the material, and can prime the learner to organize the material around an inappropriate theme" (Mayer, 2001, p.113).  In order to minimize distractions Mayer suggested nine principles to reduce cognitive load and thus improve multimedia instructional designs (Mayer, 2003).

  1. Present words as narrative

  2. Allow time between successive segments of a presentation

  3. Formulate prior instruction about what is to be learned

  4. Make narrated animations concise and coherent

  5. Provide cues for selecting and organizing content

  6. Present words and pictures in close proximity

  7. Reduce incidence of the same content as animation, narration, and text

  8. Synchronize visual and auditory content

  9. Match content to learner's ability to hold mental representation in memory

Additionally studies demonstrate that the use of words and graphics minimizes cognitive load and increases the probability of learning (Mayer, 2006).  Other effective methods of reducing cognitive load include employing a system from simple to complex, ordering content, and scaffolding (Van Merrienboer & Sluijsmans, 2009).

Effective Multimedia Development

Some studies have challenged the effects of CLT outside of controlled settings in which Mayer derived most of his findings (Muller, Lee & Sharma, 2008).  For instance, negligible effects on learning were noted in a study  in which three groups with varying degrees of background knowledge viewed an online astronomy multimedia presentation and were assessed using multiple choice and short response questions.  The study included two presentations.  One presentation added interesting but irrelevant material and the other only included content to meet the specific learning objectives.  The authors of the study concluded, "Adding approximately 50% extra interesting but irrelevant information to a multimedia treatment did not result in lower achievement on a post-test as would be predicted."  These findings indicate the need for additional research but do not negate the validity of the previous findings on the CLT of multimedia learning.

Conclusion 

Online learning presents a unique opportunity for today’s students who are already comfortable with the Internet, emerging technologies, and multimedia.  Multimedia is playing an increasingly important role in adult online learning despite challenges of how to best develop effective instructional design.  With increases in online education, the potential for cognitive overload presents a challenge for instructors, instructional designers, and multimedia learners (Mayer & Moreno 2003).  Therefore, solutions offered by CLT, should continue to be scrutinized for validity.  CLT is a theoretical construct and greater research is required to demonstrate its applicability to online multimedia education.  In light of recent findings like (Muller, Lee & Sharma, 2008) research into instructional design of multimedia should examine what constitutes extraneous material.  Further progress should also include research in greater user interactivity, and group collaboration, while addressing learning accommodations associated with the effects of cognitive load.   

References

Quiroga, L. M., Crosby, M. E., & Iding, M. K. (2004). Reducing cognitive load. In Hawaii International Conference on

System Sciences (Vol. 5, p. 50131a). Los Alamitos, CA, USA: IEEE Computer Society. doi: http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/HICSS.2004.1265328

Mayer, R. E. (1999). When multimedia works: Designing multimedia for meaningful learning. American Educational

Research Association, Montreal.

Oud, J. (2009). Guidelines for effective online instruction using multimedia screencasts. Reference Services Review, 37 (2), 164–177.  

Clark, R. C., Nguyen, F., & Sweller, J. (2005). Efficiency in learning: Evidence-based guidelines to manage cognitive

load. Pfeiffer.  

Brünken, R., Plass, J. L., & Leutner, D. (2003). Direct measurement of cognitive load in multimedia learning. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 53–61. 

van Merriënboer, J. (2003). Taking the load off a learner's mind: Instructional design for complex learning. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 5-13.

Mayer, R. (2001). Articles - Cognitive constraints on multimedia learning: When presenting more material results in less understanding. Journal of educational psychology., 93(1), 187. 

Muller, D. A., Lee, K. J., & Sharma, M. D. (2008). Coherence or interest: Which is most important in online multimedia learning? Educational Technology, 24(2), 211–221. 

Stoney, S., & Oliver, R. (1999). Can higher order thinking and cognitive engagement be enhanced with multimedia.

Interactive Multimedia Electronic Journal of Computer-Enhanced Learning, 1(2). 

Mayer, R. E., & Moreno, R. (2003). Nine ways to reduce cognitive load in multimedia learning. Web-based learning: What do we know? where do we go?, 23. 

van Merriënboer, J., & Sluijsmans, D. M. (2009). Toward a synthesis of cognitive load theory, four-component

instructional design, and self-directed learning. Educational Psychology Review, 21(1), 55–66. 

Pollock, E., Chandler, P., & Sweller, J. (2002). Assimilating complex information. Learning and Instruction, 12(1), 61-86. doi: 10.1016/S0959-4752(01)00016-0