Mayer's Principles of Multimedia Learning
A cognitive science framework for creating effective and engaging eLearning experiences by reducing cognitive load and maximizing learning.
The Core Philosophy: A Blend of Science & Art
Effective instructional design isn't guesswork. It's a strategic process based on how the human brain processes information. The goal is to present material in a way that minimizes mental strain (cognitive load) and helps learners build meaningful knowledge.
The Science 🧠
Utilizing research-backed principles to design instruction that aligns with cognitive architecture, ensuring information is processed through both visual and auditory channels efficiently.
The Art 🎨
Crafting a compelling and personalized learning journey with a clear narrative, engaging visuals, and a conversational tone that motivates and involves the learner.
The 10 Key Principles of Multimedia Learning
1. Multimedia Principle
Use both words and relevant graphics together rather than words alone. This leverages both visual and auditory processing channels for better learning.
2. Contiguity Principle
Align corresponding words and graphics close to each other on the screen and present them simultaneously to reduce mental effort.
3. Modality Principle
Present complex information using graphics and audio narration, rather than graphics and on-screen text, to avoid overloading the visual channel.
4. Redundancy Principle
People learn better from graphics and narration alone. Avoid adding redundant on-screen text that mirrors the narration, as it can be distracting.
5. Coherence Principle
Exclude extraneous words, pictures, and sounds. Keep the content focused only on what is essential for the learning objective.
6. Personalization Principle
Use a conversational, human-like tone and first/second-person language ("I," "you") to create a stronger social connection and improve learning.
7. Embodiment Principle
On-screen pedagogical agents (characters) should exhibit human-like gestures and movements to enhance social presence and learning.
8. Segmenting Principle
Break a longer lesson into smaller, bite-sized segments that learners can control at their own pace. This helps manage complexity.
9. Pre-training Principle
Introduce key concepts and vocabulary upfront before diving into the main lesson. This primes the learner and reduces in-task cognitive load.
10. Signaling Principle
Highlight essential material or provide cues (like arrows or color changes) to guide the learner's attention to the most important information.
How the Principles Work Together
Mayer's principles can be grouped by their primary goal in managing the learner's cognitive load. This chart shows the composition of the framework based on these goals.
A Practical Application Workflow
Applying these principles is a systematic process. Here is a simplified workflow for an instructional designer integrating the principles into their design process.
(Pre-training & Segmenting Principles)
(Multimedia & Contiguity Principles)
(Modality & Personalization Principles)
(Coherence, Redundancy & Signaling)
✨ Quick Design Tip Generator
Need to bridge theory and practice? Enter your learning topic below and get an AI-powered instructional design tip that integrates specific Mayer's Principles.