Personalization Principle

1. Applying the Personalization Principle
in Multimedia Instruction

2. Learning Objectives
The learning objectives of this lesson are to:
(1) Understand the purpose of the personalization
principle
(2) Identify the different ways that personalization
principle can be applied
(3) Learn how to apply the personalization principle in
multimedia instruction

3. Personalization Principle
When multimedia instruction is personalized,
students feel like they are engaging in a conversation
which, in turn, will make them work harder and
perform better in school pursuant to the cognitive
theory of learning (Clark & Mayer, 2011).

4. Three Methods of Personalization
Personalization can be achieved by using
conversational style, on-screen coaches, and a
visible author in multimedia instruction ( Clark &
Mayer, 2011).

5. How Do You Use a Conversational
Style?
 personalized language
 human voice
 polite speech
(Clark & Mayer, 2011)

6. Which is Better?
a. This presentation is about the ethical rules that paralegals should uphold in the
law firm as they carry out their daily tasks.
b. You are about to work as a paralegal at a law firm where you will be expected to
uphold ethical values as you carry out your daily tasks.
a. The instructor narrates an animated video about Family Law with a machine
voice.
b. The instructor narrates an animated video about Family Law with a human voice.
a. Click on the link to view the YouTube video to learn how to use Microsoft Excel
in the law firm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L1OVkw2ZQ8
b. You can click on the link to view the YouTube video to learn how to use
Microsoft Excel in the law firm:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L1OVkw2ZQ8

7. Responses
“You are about to work as a paralegal at a law firm where you will be
expected to uphold ethical values as you carry out your daily tasks.”
This is better, because students perform better when a conversational
style is used than when a formal style is used.
“The instructor narrates an animated video about Family Law with a
human voice.” This is better, because students perform better when a
human voice is used than when a machine voice is used.
“You can click on the link to view the YouTube video to learn how to
use Microsoft Excel in the law firm:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L1OVkw2ZQ8.” This is better,
because students perform better when polite language is used than
when direct language is used (Clark & Mayer, 2011).

8. How Do You Use a Pedagogical Agent?
 Cartoon character,
avatar, or talking head
 Human voice
 Verbal speech
 Conversational style
(Clark & Mayer, 2011)

9. Which is Better?
a. Max, a cartoon man, uses a machine voice to explain the steps for filing a lawsuit.
b. Max, a cartoon man, uses a human voice to explain the steps for filing a lawsuit.
a. Instructor: “You can resolve the dispute with your employer with the help of a
mediator.”
b. Instructor: “A dispute can be resolved with the help of a mediator. “
a. In the instructional video, an avatar and a list of the Miranda rights appear on a
slide.
b. In the instructional video, an avatar appears on a slide while Miranda rights are
listed verbally.

10. Responses
“Max, a cartoon man, uses a human voice to explain the steps for filing a
Lawsuit.” This is better, because a human voice is promotes more learning
than a machine voice.
“Instructor: ‘You can resolve the dispute with your employer with the help
of a mediator.“ This is better, because conversational style promotes more
learning than formal style.
“In the instructional video, an avatar appears on a slide while Miranda
rights are listed verbally.” This is better, because spoken promotes more
learning than text (Clark & Mayer, 2011).

11. How Do You Make the Author Visible?
 “highlight their personal
perspective”
 “[give] a voice to the
text”
(Clark & Mayer, 2011, p.
197, p. 199)

12. Which is Better?
a. During the seminar, the instructor shares an excerpt of an article in the New York Law Journal
with his students. The article discusses the experience of Joshua Katz, a family law attorney for
25 years, who has seen courts grant child custody to women in 9 out of 10 cases.
b. The instructor provides an excerpt of transcript of an interview with Joshua Katz, a family law
attorney for 25 years, to students. An excerpt of the transcript reads, as follows:
Question: Do courts generally favor the mother in child custody cases?
Answer: In my experience, courts grant the mother child custody in 9 out of 10
cases.
a. During the seminar, the instructor says the following to students:
“According to a survey, the most important technological device used by law firms is the tablet.
What do you think is the most important technological device used by law firms? I think that the
most important technological device is the tablet.”
b. During the seminar, the instructor displays the following on the presentation slide:
“The most important technological device used by law firms is the tablet.”

13. Responses
“The instructor provides an excerpt of a transcript of an interview with Joshua
Katz, a family law attorney for 25 years, to students. An excerpt of the
transcript reads, as follows:
Question: Do courts generally favor the mother in child custody cases?
Answer: In my experience, courts grant the mother child custody in 9 out of 10 cases.”
This is better, because, when the author is included in the example, students learn more
effectively.
“During the seminar, the instructor says the following to students:
‘According to a survey, the most important technological device used by law firms is
the tablet. What do you think is the most important technological device used by law
firms? I think that the most important technological device is the tablet.’ “ This is
better, because, when the author reveals his own opinions, students learn more
Effectively (Clark & Mayer, 2011).

14. Summary
In sum, multimedia instruction should be
personalized to promote learning. When
conversational language, on-screen coaches, and
visible authors are used, students feel like they are
engaging in a conversation which, in turn, makes
them put more effort into understanding the lesson
and perform better pursuant to the cognitive theory of
learning (Clark & Mayer, 2011, p. 184).

15. References
Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-learning
and the science of instruction: Proven
guidelines for consumers and designers of
multimedia instruction (3rd ed.). San Francisco,
CA: Pfeiffer.