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.
Jason,
ReplyDeleteWell written review highlighting Chapter 8 the Coherence Principle. I think it is interesting as instruction is developed, the overuse of such things as audio, busy graphics and unnecessary or irrelevant words can be very distracting from the main lesson objectives. Probably most of us have been guilty of incorporating these distractions within our individual lessons.
I have always been intrigued by music and its proper use within the classroom. As Clark, R., and Mayer, R. (2011) assert, when music is introduced in a learning environment, students naturally focus more on the music than on instruction. Students are easily distracted. In scripture, 1 Sam 16:23, we see an example of how music can calm emotions, “And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.” However, in the academic setting, as noted by Clark, et al., (2011), music overwhelms working memory, thus detracting from learning.
Having a good understanding of things that serve to distract students is invaluable in the task of creating quality lessons. Again, well done Jason.
Jose
Clark, R., & Mayer, R. (2011). E-Learning and the Science of Instruction (3rd Ed.). San Fransisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Hi Jason!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your chapter review from our text this week. You did a very thorough job of explaining distractions within a distance education environment. I was reminded of a previous class that we have taken (529 I think) when we talked about physical distractions that a face-to-face class may have. It's very interesting how very simple things, such as a seat in a classroom, pictures on the wall, classroom design, or even lighting (as you mentioned) can be serious distractions to learners (Clark and Mayer, 2011). I really had not given much thought to online learning distractions, other than my own personal environmental distractions such as my children, the dog, or a ringing phone. Also within a previous class, we learned that poor course design can also be very frustrating to students, and I would assume that would certainly also calls distractions for learners. I know that in my own experiences, when assignments and instructions are in several different places within blackboard, I have been distracted and unable to concentrate on meaningful experiences. I would have to agree that too much audio within a presentation or lecture, too many graphics within a PowerPoint presentation, and too many excessive words can all be extremely distracting to a learner. The latter distraction is the more prominent distraction I found, not so much with instructors, but more so with the material used within the courses. For example, in my educational history class, I felt like I did not learn nearly as much as I could of if the text had been somewhat easier to read. The text really took away from the class and my understanding material. Anyway, this seems to be a very interesting to and I think you did a great job outlining the main points in this chapter to our class. I hope you have a great week, and will forward to reading more of your posts in the future.
Amanda Parton
Reference:
Clark, R., & Mayer, R. (2011). E-Learning and the Science of Instruction (Third ed.). San Fransisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Hi Jason,
ReplyDeleteYour review of chapter 8 is well developed and clearly written. Like the one I completed on chapter 5 both list those strategies that should be avoided because, when analyzed in detail they just are not effective to achieve education as delivered thru e-learning.
Although e-learning, also known as distance learning is the fasted growing field in education (Okonkwo, C., 2010), the authors (Clark, R., & Mayer, R., 2011) are providing scientifically based guidance on how to better deliver the instructional material. The coordination of graphics, sounds, and the proper word connections must be all coordinated to convey the message to the learners. Which in terms will follow by some type of computer-based assessments; which will also required instructional designers to have the ability to assemble meaningful evaluations (Rowntree, 1977). Your mention of Power Points is a very appropriate example as sometimes people get into all the designing possibilities overwhelming the learner, we must be extremely careful to properly convey clarity to the learners.
Ina Rios
Reference
Clark, R., & Mayer, R. (2011). E-Learning and the Science of Instruction (Third ed.). San Fransisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Okonkwo, C. (2010). Sustainable Assessment and Evaluation Strategies for Open and Distance Learning. Turkish
Online Journal of Distance Education-TOJDE ISSN 1302-6488, 11(4.6), 121-129.
Rowntree, D. (1977). Assessing Students: How shall we know them? Kogan Page Ltd., London.
This chapter brings about some very valid points. The first point is when you are talking about audio being overused in presentations. I have noticed in some presentations that the music or audio being used over takes the actually presentation and I am listening to the audio more so than paying attention to the information being presented. Graphics too can be a hindrance because if something is too flashy or distracting, students will pay more attention to it and become unfocused. Their attention has now been pulled to something else. The vocabulary used in lessons needs to be on point and valid. Using big words to make the presentation or lesson seem important might actually confuse those listening to or watching it because they may not understand what the words mean.
ReplyDeleteShanna Ayer
I'm still struggling with the concept of excessive music that distracts from learning for two reasons. The first reason is I am one of those people who listens to music while typing or working on material. The purpose behind this is to get rid of other distractions. For instance, it is hard for me to concentrate on school work when I can hear the discussion of the people next to me or the TV show my children are watching. Second, there is a website called "Coffitivity" (https://coffitivity.com/). On this website, it states empirical research to show how the sound of coffee shops help people to be more creative (Mehta, Zhu, & Cheema, 2012). I recognize that this is not music, but it would seem that the principle still applies. Regardless of such, even with the full evidence submitted in the Clark & Mayer (2011), I think there may be some alternate reasons that may benefit or be of use for learning to occur.
ReplyDeleteReferences:
Clark, R., & Mayer, R. (2011). E-Learning and the Science of Instruction (Third ed.). San Fransisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Mehta, R., Zhu, R., & Cheema, A. (2012). Is Noise Always Bad? Exploring the Effects of Ambient Noise on Creative Cognition. Journal of Consumer Research, 39(4), 784-799. doi:10.1086/665048