My required reading this week was Chapter 8 of Clark and Mayer’s “E-Learning and the Science of Instruction” (2011). Chapter eight was dedicated to things that inhibit learning. In a traditional classroom, it may be the lighting, the way the room is set up, or perhaps noises. However, when one enters the world of e-learning, these distractions change. Clark and Mayer (2011) point to three areas that can distract students from learning in the world of online education.
The first area that is covered in this chapter is the overuse of audio within the website during presentations. Clark and Mayer (2011) argue that because of the amount of cognitive work that is happening from the information students are trying to learn, music, regardless of what style and volume, distracts more than it helps (2011). This means that by incorporating music in the lesson could cause more problems than help. The studies used to support this show a comparison of students who went through a class with a music and another without music. The students who were a part of the classes that did not have music scored consistently and significantly better than those with music (Clark and Mayer, 2011).
The second area covered was the overuse of graphics. Similar to the overuse of music, too many graphics or distracting graphics can keep students from their full potential of learning (2011). Clark and Mayer (2011) want to ensure that it is okay to add pictures, but there comes a point when they may distract from the learning that is attempting to take place. In fact, they say if the only purpose of adding a picture to your page (whether online or paper) is to decorate, odds are it will not cause learning to take place (2011). To prove their point even further, they become very critical of Math curricula for adding pictures that many times do not have anything to do with the problems being used (2011). Another issue that is discussed is the use of more simple graphics. When using very detailed drawings, studies have shown that learning takes a hit. In other words, the more simplified the drawing, the more retainable information is for the students (2011).
The last area that can prevent learning is the use of irrelevant or unconnected words. This means there are a couple of words that may need to be left out, such as: excessive words used to make interesting, to expand on ideas, or vocabulary that does not aid in the lesson (2011). The overall idea that Clark and Mayer (2008) attempt to get across in this area is keeping it simple and to the main point is the most effective manner in learning. By adding words that may be interesting or extravagant in use, it may ultimately distract a learner from actively learning. A study is used to point to this concept. Inside the study, there was an extra phrase added to a picture. When quizzed over the lesson, many students remembered the added phrase, but scored significantly lower than students who had the same lesson without the extra phrase (2011).
All of this was very interesting to me. I found that I tend to be overboard in all three areas. It seems that I have the attitude from the saying “dress to impress”. As I reflect on it, I may even use some of these in the traditional classrooms that I have taught in past years. There comes a point that a teacher needs to step back and look at the distractions that may be coming from the curriculum that has been designed, both traditional and online. This is also an important point when looking at the current project that my group is working on. We need to balance the desire of making our project attractive while keeping the distractions to a minimum. This chapter has caused me to reevaluate how I have designed my PowerPoints and online forums. If learning is the desired outcome, the distractions, whether visual, audio, or unnecessary need to be put to rest as much as possible.
References:
Clark, R., & Mayer, R. (2011). E-Learning and the Science of Instruction (Third ed.). San Fransisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
