EDTECH 513: Coherence Principle

In essence, the Coherence Principle means “less is more.” In other words adding “interesting but unneeded” material can negatively affect the learning process (Clark & Mayer, 2011, p. 152). The three primary concepts that make up the Coherence Principle are:

• Do not include extraneous audio in e-learning.
• Do not include extraneous graphics in e-learning.
• Do not include extraneous words in e-learning.

Each of these concepts are well-supported in learning psychology, as well as evaluation of research evidence. One way of looking at the Coherence Principle is that, if the item being examined cannot be tied directly to the learning needed, weed it out. This does not mean the lesson needs to be boring, but that it does need to be focused on the desired learning outcome.

A well-known local organization  provides edtech integration instruction, and they’ve created a significant number of presentations/learning packages for ed tech trainer use. I’ve recently been searching for information to assist me in structuring learning for an 800+ iPad rollout for teachers and students at my new school, and reviewed some of their materials available online.

I’ve been surprised how often their presentations (viewed online) put me into an “information overload” state. The amount of words, links, concepts and images on each Google Slide (or scrolling Google Sites pages) can be overwhelming. A Google Slides presentation on iPad integration exhibited characteristics of what to avoid based upon the Coherence Principle, particularly for excessive text and graphics. It’s difficult to cull key information from any given page, in particular overloading the learner (in this case, me) with too much text (Principle 3).

Another Google Site learning artifact had too many columns of dense text, links, and images, violating Principle 2 and 3. This is too bad, because the information provided IS good, and could be used and learned much more easily if presented more clearly.  Fortunately, there is new blood in the organization, and they fully understand learner needs, and how important it is to structure information in more bite-sized chunks.  I’m already seeing many signs that new multimedia presentations done by this group much better support learners’ capabilities.

I have attended many training sessions by a very well-respected ed tech speaker/trainer that support the Coherence Principle. I feel he is a master of the minimalist Google Slide page. His well-attended sessions tend to be fast paced, but focused on a specific topic that is well-supported by simple, not overwhelming images (most typically), short videos, and very few words. He routinely includes a “resources” page at the end of his presentation where people can refer later for more detail, if need be. I aspire to create training material along the lines of this gentleman, who produces very focused training materials. Correspondingly, in California (and beyond), he is one of the more sought-after speakers, and often is now asked to keynote large ed tech conferences. All three of the Coherence principles are supported well. In particular, extraneous words on a slide are used VERY sparingly, and even what he verbalizes is typically very to the point.

Clearly, the Coherence Principle should work in tandem with the Redundancy Principle, which states that visuals should be explained with either audio (spoken word) or text, but not both. To me, as one develops a high-quality multimedia training artifact, time must be taken to craft something that has the learner foremost in mind. This will mean finding the balance between providing enough information in a slide, page or video scene and not overloading the learner. Keeping in mind how easy it is to overload the learner’s “learning channels” - audio and visual - is paramount (Cognitive Theory of Multimedia).  The end result should craft the appropriate amount of visuals, enough spoken word to convey the meaning/learning desired, and nothing more. Adding additional “fun” things or arm’s length facts of interest to the presenter must be looked at with GREAT care. It is far too easy to overload the learner, and again, he/she must be top of mind in our thinking as we design effective multimedia.

Similarly, I believe the the Modality Principle works with both the Coherency and Redundancy Principles. That is, the multimedia/e-learning designer should normally consider audio (spoken word) instruction to go along with well-chosen images to provide the learner with an environment conducive to learning the material presented, and maximize the likelihood of learning that material.

There are some competing thoughts about the Coherence Principle, and one is in the area of “extraneous audio” - music, sound effects, and so on. One idea is that, in today’s YouTube focused world of high-energy, fast paced video, the learner needs more stimulation to keep interested in the material, and, hopefully, learning it. The idea, termed Arousal Theory, is that emotion (lots of elements to get the learner’s attention, e.g., music) affects cognition (more flashiness equals higher cognitive engagement) (Clark and Mayer, 2011, p. 156).

The other view, as noted above, is that the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia learning is much more relevant when studying whether additional audio (or other stimuli) is included in multimedia. The Cognitive Theory is the concept of the extreme limitations of the learner’s channels (audio and visual) for learning. Overload these channels, and learning does not occur. To me, from a psychological and learning standpoint, the Cognitive Theory is much more relevant and should be strongly considered when developing multimedia/e-learning. I felt, in particular, the summarization of extra pictures can distract (by guiding limited learner attention away from core learning) and “seduce” (by suggesting to the user that more information is coming for that ‘topic’ and thereby using limited memory to start to organize it) was well-stated.

As I have developed my own training items (presentations for face to face learning or as reference material, videos, other e-learning tools), I have consistently struggled with the balance of information I provide. While I have improved over the years, I still tend to provide too much written information, making it difficult for the learner (particularly the NEW subject matter learner) to read and interpret my materials. This principle (actually, ALL the principles so far in the text) has resonated with me and I am fully supportive of Coherence Theory approach. As noted above in the “bad” e-learning examples I described, when I am the recipient - particularly with material new to me - the overload of information makes it difficult to learn much, and is an almost instant turnoff.

“Gamification” and simulations in learning are hot topics, and not much is yet known about how  “extra” music and sound effects (or graphics, for that matter) affects learning; it is as yet unclear how the Coherence Principle supports or impacts game-based learning.  It will be interesting to see the results of games created using more learning and psychological best-practices, once more research and testing is done.

In summary, the Coherence Principle, in concert with the principles of Modality, Redundancy and the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia, will greatly help multimedia designers “weed the garden” and produce more effective materials to maximize student learning.