This document outlines Mayer's principles of multimedia learning. It discusses 12 principles organized into 3 categories: reducing extraneous processing, fostering generative processing, and managing essential processing. The principles aim to optimize instructional design by reducing cognitive overload and encouraging deeper understanding. Some key principles include coherence, signaling, redundancy, multimedia, segmenting and pre-training. The principles support effective learning from words and pictures by guiding how best to integrate text, graphics, audio and video.

1. Principles of Mayer’s Theory of
Multimedia learning
By Jameela John

2. INTRODUCTION
What is Multimedia Learning?
It is referred to as learning that occurs when students build mental representations
from words and pictures that are presented to them e.g., printed text and illustrations
or narration and animation. Multimedia messages include words, graphics and
animation. The principles of multimedia learning are focused on maximalization; text-
and-illustrations and narration-and-animation effect; students learn more deeply from
a multimedia explanation presented in words and pictures than in words alone. As we
may know, majority, approximately 65% of the world’s population are visual learners
and as such multimedia learning is a great way for presentations to come alive and be
well grasped by the audience/ students and peers.

3. CHART ILLUSTRATING MAYER’S PRINCIPLES OF
MULTIMEDIA INSTRUCTION
PrinciplesforReducing
ExtraneousProcessing
• 1. Coherence
Principle
• 2. Signalling
Principle
• 3. Redundancy
Principle
FosteringGenerative
Processing
• 1.Personalizati
n principle
• 2. Voice
principle
• 3. Multimedia
principle
Principlesformanaging
essentialprocessing
• 1.Segmentin
g principle
• 2.Pre-
training
principle

4. PRINCIPLES FOR REDUCING EXTRANEOUS
PROCESSING
What is Principles for Reducing Extraneous Processing ?
Cognitive processing that does not does not serve the instructional goal; caused by confusing
instructional design. Usually extraneous processing occurs when the multimedia presentation is poorly
laid out. If there is too much extraneous processing (overload) the learner does not have the resources
for understanding the material.
 This category is divided into five sub-categories;
1. Coherence Principle
2. Signalling Principle
3. Redundancy Principle
4. Spatial Contiguity Principle
5. Temporal Contiguity Principle

5. COHERENCE PRINCIPLE
What is the Coherence Principle?
This refers to when people learn better when extraneous words, pictures, and sounds are excluded rather than included. Essentially,
the presenter should avoid unrelated words, graphics, and sounds. Avoid on-screen action that is not related to the content as well as
use concise, well thought out content. In other words ‘less is more effective’. Irrelevant Information ultimately disrupts learning.
Vs
Example 1. Shows a video of the life- cycle of a butterfly but, contains
inessential sounds, words and pictures that are irrelevant to the
Intended purpose.
Example 2. Also shows a life-cycle of a butterfly but, here little
unrelated sounds, words or pictures were used as
opposed to example 1.

6. SIGNALLING PRINCIPLE
 What is Signalling Principle?
This refers to people who learn better when the words include cues about the organization of the presentation.
Basically, highlight essential words or graphics; key word IMPORTANT information. Such as using bold text in
presentation or even arrows in a video to emphasize certain information. For example,
In the picture below, a bold red arrow and circle was used to
highlight important information. That way the view would know
Is the crucial parts of the presentation without having to ask.

7. REDUNDANCY PRINCIPLE
 What is Redundancy Principle?
It refers to when people learn better from animation and narration than from animation, narration, and on on-
screen text. Basically, adding redundant on-screen text to a narration or video depresses performance. Its better to
have just voice and graphics than voice, graphics and redundant on-screen text. For example; the picture on the
right, has animation, on-screen text as well a narration as indicated with the video icon in the right lower corner of
the picture.

8. SPATIAL CONTIGUITY PRINCIPLE
 What is Spatial Contiguity Principle?
This refers to people who learn better when corresponding words and pictures are
presented near rather than far from each other on the page or screen.
For example; the picture illustrated on the right, shows that in one presentation, the
words are separated and far from the water cycle presentation. However, in the
Example below, the words and pictures illustrated are incorporated into the water
cycle presentation.

9. TEMPORAL CONTIGUITY PRINCIPLE
 What is Temporal Contiguity Principle?
People learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented simultaneously rather than successively
(one after the other). More or less, present corresponding words and pictures simultaneously. For example, figure 1,
displays a chart only and explanations or words sequentially whereas figure 2, illustrates both words and pictures
simultaneously.
Fig 1
Fig 2

10. FOSTERING GENERATIVE PROCESSING
What is Fostering Generative Processing?
Refers to cognitive processing required for deeper understanding; caused by motivation of the learner.
A multimedia presentation must facilitate processing that helps a learner deeply understand the
information.
This category is divided into Four sub-categories;
1. Personalization principle
2. Voice principle
3. Multimedia principle
4. Image principle

11. PERSONALIZATION PRINCIPLE
 What is Personalized Principle?
People learn better when the words are in conversational style rather than formal style. One way to achieve this is
by using 1st and 2nd person (I, me , you, we). Another way is by using a human-like voice rather than robotic wen
doing multimedia presentations. For example, in the illustration below, we see that in the first example, the lady is
using more of a conversational 1st and 2nd person narrative and in the second example, she is being very formal.

12. VOICE PRINCIPLE
 What is Voice Principle?
People learn better when words are spoken in a friendly standard-accented human voice than in a
machine voice or foreign-accented human voice. For example, a teacher is giving a presentation on
the stages/ levels of phonological awareness, and she decides to show a video fro YouTube with a
robot voice explaining the steps/levels. Then she decides to show them a video from YouTube
again but with a woman speaking in a friendly tone about the exact same steps. In conclusion, the
presentation that would be well received would be the second one with the standard accent voice
as the students could relate more and grasp information better.

13. MULTIMEDIA PRINCIPLE
 What is Multimedia Principle?
People learn better from words and pictures than from words alone. People are ore likely to understand material
when they can engage in all cognitive processes, selecting words and images, organizing them and integrating
them with existing knowledge. (Clark & Mayer 2011).
For example, in the second picture, only words are used to describe a image, however, in the first picture words
and pictures are used to give a clearer image thus integrating both with existing knowledge to get a clearer
picture.

14. IMAGE PRINCIPLE(NOT SUPPORTED)
 What is Image Principle?
People do not necessarily learn better from a multimedia lesson when the speaker’s image is added to the
screen. Additionally, no evidence has proven that when the speaker’s image is added to the screen while
presenting any form of material, results in learning.

15. PRINCIPLES FOR MANAGING ESSENTIAL PROCESSING
What is Principles for managing essential processing?
Refers to cognitive processing required to represent the essential material in working memory;
caused by complexity of material. Richard E. Mayer states that “Narrated animations are effective
means of instruction but when they are presented quickly and contain complicated information, they
may induce essential overload. This is when the amount of essential cognitive processing required to
understand the instruction exceeds the learner’s cognitive capacity”.
This category is divided into three sub-categories;
1. Segmenting principle
2. Pre-training principle
3. Modality principle

16. SEGMENTING PRINCIPLE
 What is Segmenting Principle?
People learn better when a multimedia lesson is presented in learner-paced segments rather than as a continuous
unit. Basically Chunking information into a lesson. For example, books are segmented into chapters; chapters are
then segmented into sections and so on. Its breaking down large steps into smaller steps. For example the
illustration below shows that each step is segmented in headings and within these headings are steps that should
be taken to achieve them.

17. PRE-TRAINING PRINCIPLE
 What is Pre-Training Principle?
People learn better from a multimedia lesson when they know the names and characteristics of the main
concepts. This can be achieved through a glossary, pre-training lesson or even a before you begin, instructional
video. Thus enabling students to connect new knowledge from existing knowledge. Therefore you may see that
lessons are planned from simple to complex.
For example, before the lesson on “The Eye” can commence, students will have to posses prior/background
knowledge of it’s parts and definitions etc..

18. MODALITY PRINCIPLE
 What is Modality Principle?
People learn better from animation and narration than from animation and on-screen text. This principle focuses
on maximizing mental stimulation by using both visual and audio but keeps it simple by not using a lot of on-
screen text. For example, In the first picture, the picture is shown with the cycle and words illustrating the cycle.
However, the next group was shown the exact same cycle but it was narrated to them and the retained more
information that that of the image and on-screen text alone.

20. REFERENCES
Mayer. E. Richard. “Multimedia Learning: 12 Principles of Multimedia Learning”. Cambridge Press, 2001.
Richard E. Mayer. Multimedia Learning (Kindle Locations 3077-3090). Kindle Edition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDbgmI4mFIY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o_nE1X014U&t=63s