Maximizing constructivist learning from multimedia communications by minimizing cognitive load.

Students viewed an animation depicting either the process of lightning formation or how car brakes work and listened to a corresponding narration describing the steps. The entire animation and narration were presented at the same time (concurrent), the entire narration was presented before or after the entire animation (successive large bites), or short portions of the narration were presented before or after corresponding short portions of the animation for each successive portion of the presentation (successive small bites). Overall, the concurrent and successive small bites groups performed significantly better than the successive large bites groups on remembering the explanation in words (retention), generating solutions to transfer problems (transfer), and selecting verbal labels for elements in a line drawing (matching), but they did not differ significantly from each other. Results are consistent with a dual-process model of working memory in which learners are more likely to construct connections between words and corresponding pictures when they are held in working memory at the same time. The purpose of this research is to examine theory-based design principles for promoting constructivist learning in multimedia environments. To address this goal, it is necessary to clarify what is meant by multimedia environments, constructivist learning, and theory-based design principles, and to specify predictions concerning ways of designing multimedia environments for constructivist learning.