Coherence or Interest: Which Is Most Important in Online Multimedia Learning?

This is worth noting. "The coherence principle states that all non-essential information in multimedia messages should be eliminated to minimise demands on cognitive resources." So we should keep our online learning on topic and unadorned with any extra context-specific information, even if it's drop-dead boring. But does hold in real life? Maybe not. This study "suggests that in authentic learning settings, interest may mitigate the effects of the coherence principle." It may be that relevance is important after all. Which make, to me, rather more intuitive sense. Treating 'cognitive load' as though it were a constant seems absurd. PDF. Via Helge Scherlund. Derek A. Muller, Kester J. Lee and Manjula D. Sharma, Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, April 14, 2008. [Link] [Tags: ] [Previous][Next]

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Re: Coherence or Interest: Which Is Most Important in Online Multimedia Learning?

I think what bothers me most about this particular segment is that we continue to identify "...authentic learning settings..."!! Anyone care to define that?
v/r, don [Comment] [Permalink] [Previous][Next]

Re: Coherence or Interest: Which Is Most Important in Online Multimedia Learning?

Well I agree that the phrase "...authentic learning settings..." is just jargon, which is why I don't use it.

But the intent of the phrase makes sense to me - 'authentic learning' as the idea that learning about P takes places in a situation or context in which P is actually used.

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Re: Coherence or Interest: Which Is Most Important in Online Multimedia Learning?

I don't disagree - - but the inference is that outside of that situation or context, outside of an "authentic learning setting", P cannot take place and if it did, there would be no resultant learning.

That's my biggest point of disagreement - I believe learning can, and does, take place most everywhere and at any time and is just as effective (if not more effective) as the so-called authentic learning setting.

So by narrowing the situation or context into a preferred environment or learning arena we miss out on the results of an enormous learning space.

Additionally, we continue to propagate the old learning can only happen in a classroom theory.... [Comment] [Permalink] [Previous][Next]

Re: Coherence or Interest: Which Is Most Important in Online Multimedia Learning?

Sorry - - neglected to login. The above comment is mine. [Comment] [Permalink] [Previous][Next]

Re: Coherence or Interest: Which Is Most Important in Online Multimedia Learning?

> but the inference is that outside of that situation or context, outside of an "authentic learning setting", P cannot take place and if it did, there would be no resultant learning.


I'm not sure what you meant by this.

According to what I've said above, we are defining 'authentic learning' as a context in which P takes place, so by definition, if P does not take place, it is not 'authentic' learning.

None of that entails that 'learning about P' cannot take place outside such contexts; it only means that 'learning about P' in contexts where P does not take place is not 'authentic' learning.

The interence is not that such learning is impossible, it is that such learning is not as good. And, specifically, it is not as good as a consequence of the interest factor that is the subject of this post.

As for perpetuating the 'learning can only happen in a classroom' theory, we do nothing of the sort here, not even remotely. I have no idea where you got that from, unless your implicitly stipulating some alternative definition of 'authentic'.

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Re: Coherence or Interest: Which Is Most Important in Online Multimedia Learning?

Ok - It's most likely my own narrow definition of the authentic learning situation that created this. Sometimes I get caught up in my own tunnel... [Comment] [Permalink] [Previous][Next]

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