The Modality and Redundancy Principles

EdTech 513 - MultimediaDr. Schroeder by Kris Mesler

•After viewing this multimedia presentation, students will be able to view pages and identify which examples correctly use the Modality and Redundancy Principles.

Learning Objective:

The Modality Principle

The Modality Principle

•Present words as audio narration rather than on-screen text

What does that mean?

What does that mean?

•When the graphic is the focus, use narration.

The Apollo 11 mission was the first manned mission to land on the Moon. Launched on July 16,

1969, it carried Commander Neil Armstrong, Command

Module Pilot Michael Collins and Lunar Module Pilot 'Buzz'

Aldrin, Jr. On July 20, Armstrong and Aldrin became the

first humans to land on the Moon, while Collins orbited

above.

Lunar Landing

When does the Modality Principle

NOT apply?

When does the Modality Principle

NOT apply?•When words are presented without

any concurrent picture or other visual input

It is okay to simply have on-screen text if you are reading what is on a

slide and you do not have a graphic.

When does the Modality Principle

NOT apply?•If the material is familiar to the learner

Bananas are a great source of potassium!

When does the Modality Principle

NOT apply?•If the learner has control over the pacing of the material

When does the Modality Principle

NOT apply?•When words are presented without any concurrent picture or other visual input

•If the material is familiar to the learner

•If the learner has control over the pacing of the material

Input Channels

Visual Auditory

Visual

Visual

1. On-screen Text2. Graphics

Auditory

Auditory

Narration

Input Channels

Auditory

Visual

PhoneticProcessing

VisualProcessing

Input Channels

On-screen Text

Graphics

Auditory

Visual

PhoneticProcessing

VisualProcessing

Input Channels

On-screen Text

Graphics

= OVERLOAD

Auditory

Visual

PhoneticProcessing

VisualProcessing

Input Channels

Graphics

Auditory

Visual

NarrationPhonetic

Processing

VisualProcessing

Input Channels

Graphics

Auditory

Visual

NarrationPhonetic

Processing

VisualProcessing

= BALANCED

From Moreno and Mayer, 1999a.

Graphics +Narration

Graphics +On-screen Text

The Modality Effect

The Redundancy Principle #1

The Redundancy Principle #1

•Do not add on-screen text to narrated graphics

The Borah High School boys soccer team

defeated Timberline 3-2

on a last-second goal by Drew

Smith over the outstretched hands of John

Jones, Timberline’s

goalie.

Learning Styles Hypothesis

•“Instruction should support both auditory and visual learning styles”

Which is better?Information Acquisition

Theory

Cognitive Theory of MultimediaVS

More input is better!

Keep inputchannels balanced!

Which is better?Information Acquisition

Theory

Cognitive Theory of MultimediaVSKeep input

channels balanced!YES!More

input is better!

From Moreno and Mayer, 1999a.

Animation +Narration

Animation + Narration +

Redundant Text

The Redundancy Effect

The Redundancy Principle #2

The Redundancy Principle #2

•Consider adding on-screen text to narration in special situations

Add narration, if:

•There are no pictures

This is an example of text without graphics. It is okay to narrate this text when giving a presentation.

Add narration, if:

•The learner has ample time to process the pictures and words

Happy Afraid

Add narration, if:

•The learner is likely to have difficulty processing spoken words

Der Hund

Der Hund

“the dog”

Add narration, if:

•There are no pictures

•The learner has ample time to process the pictures and words

•The learner is likely to have difficulty processing spoken words

The following slides may or may not follow the Modality and Redundancy Principles. Decide whether each slide is a good example to follow or

not and why.

The hot dog is a meal staple at America’s favorite pastime-the

baseball game. Along with peanuts and sodas, hot dogs are sold by

vendors throughout the stands during a ball game.

Example 1

Example 1 is not a good use of the Modality and Redundancy principles, because it has both on-screen text and audio narration along with a

graphic. It would be improved by either

removing the on-screen text or the audio narration.

See the next slide for a revised version.

Example 1-revised

Example 2

Relay Handoff

Example 2 is a good example of the Modality and Redundancy principles. The audio narration complements the graphic

of the baton without overloading the visual input channel.

Color Your WorldExample

3

Example 3 is a good representation of use of the Modality and

Redundancy principles. On-screen text is limited to a title only, so the

graphic, along with the audio narration, balances in the input

channels.

Example 4

Redundant-1. Exceeding what is necessary or natural; superfluous.2. Needlessly wordy or repetitive in expression: a student paper filled with redundant phrases.3. Of or relating to linguistic redundancy.4. Chiefly British Dismissed or laid off from work, as for being no longer needed.5. Electronics Of or involving redundancy in electronic equipment.6. Of or involving redundancy in the transmission of messages.

Example 4 demonstrates when the Modality and Redundancy principles do not apply. When learning a new term

and having to remember the definition, it is okay to have on-screen text and narration to reinforce learning or for

reference.

Now that you have seen the Modality and Redundancy

Principles, take time to review them

before you prepare your next multimedia

presentation!

Thanks for watching!

Image creditsAll images are from Microsoft Office 2008

online Clip-art

Print SourceClark, Ruth Colvin, Mayer, Richard E. (2008). e-Learning and the Science of Instruction (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Pfeiffer - An Imprint of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

A 2009 Tggr Production