Modality and multimedia

Dr Michael Noetel
Designing Presentations
10
 m
UKPSF Dimensions

Teach and/or support learning

How students learn, both generally and within their subject/disciplinary area(s)

What can I do?

Impact
3
Quality
4
  • Use images (like pictures, graphs, diagrams) and verbally explain what they mean
  • If you can't use images, use key words on slides and elaborate on what the text means
  • When you speak, use the same language that appears on slides
  • Avoid large chunks of text on presentation slides

What is this about?

There are three principles important for understanding this topic:
‍

  • The multimedia principle is a principle of learning that suggests that people learn more effectively when they receive information through multiple modalities, such as visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic. In the context of higher education, this principle can influence learning by highlighting the importance of presenting material in a way that is most effective for different types of learners. For example, an instructor might use visual aids such as slides or videos to present material, and then reinforce key points through verbal explanations or hands-on activities. By presenting material through multiple modalities, the instructor can help to ensure that all students are able to learn in a way that is most effective for them. Some students may prefer to learn through visual means, while others may prefer to learn through auditory or kinaesthetic means. By using a variety of different approaches, the instructor can help to accommodate the needs of all students.
    ‍
  • The modality principle is a principle of learning that suggests that people learn more effectively when they receive information through the modality that is most effective for them. In the context of higher education, this principle can influence learning by emphasising the importance of tailoring instruction to the individual needs of each student. For example, an instructor might offer visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic options for students to choose from when completing assignments. By giving students choice and control over their learning process, the instructor can help to increase motivation and engagement in learning. Some students may prefer to learn through visual means, while others may prefer to learn through auditory or kinaesthetic means. By offering a variety of different options, the instructor can help to accommodate the needs of all students.
    ‍
  • The redundancy principle is a principle of learning that suggests that people learn more effectively when they receive information through multiple modalities and when the information is presented in a way that is redundant, or repeated in multiple ways. In the context of higher education, this principle can influence learning by highlighting the importance of reinforcing material through multiple modalities and of repeating key points to help ensure understanding and retention. For example, an instructor might use visual aids such as slides or videos to present material and then reinforce key points through verbal explanations or hands-on activities. By presenting material through multiple modalities and repeating key points, the instructor can help to ensure that all students are able to learn in a way that is most effective for them and that they are able to retain the material over the long term.

What's the evidence say?

There's quite a lot of evidence that informs this summary. You might like to read a review of reviews on multimedia learning which summaries a raft principles related to the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (see additional resources). Related to the multimedia principle, combining text and images has been shown to improve academic performance compared to using text alone (➕➕➕) 3  (➕➕➕➕➕) 2. These finding are robust across different levels of difficulty, domains of study, testing environments, and level of education 3.

For the modality principle, students who listen to an illustrated text compared to reading text demonstrated better learning outcomes (➕➕➕) 4. This evidence is robust and is stable across levels of education, whether static or dynamic images were used, length of the text used, and whether or not the image was labeled. There was, however, evidence for system-paced presentations over self-paced ones (➕➕➕➕) and when using simple images compared to decorative ones (➕➕➕➕).

For the redundancy principle, speaking some of the written text that students see is better than students just reading the text or just listening to instructors (➕➕) 1. The redundancy principle is more effective when presentations are system-paced (➕➕➕) (compared to self-paced) and when presentations display key terms (➕➕➕➕➕) (compared to reading word-for-word).

What's the underlying theory?

The multimedia principle, the modality principle, and the redundancy principle are all based on the idea that people learn differently depending on the mode or modality through which they receive information. This idea is supported by research on cognitive load theory, which suggests that people have limited cognitive resources and can only process a certain amount of information at a time.

According to cognitive load theory, the auditory and visual channels are important because they are the primary means through which people receive and process information. The auditory channel is important because it allows people to process verbal information, such as spoken words or explanations. The visual channel is important because it allows people to process visual information, such as images or diagrams.

The multimedia principle, the modality principle, and the redundancy principle all recognise the importance of the auditory and visual channels in learning and suggest that people learn more effectively when they receive information through multiple modalities. By presenting material through multiple modalities, instructors can help to reduce the cognitive load on students and make it easier for them to process and retain the material.

Where does the evidence come from?

We can be moderately confident about the findings from the studies that inform this summary. Four meta-analyses inform this summary. One included 57 effect sizes from randomised controlled studies that included students from a variety of educational domains and levels 1. However, the authors reported high heterogeneity and noted a possible publication bias favouring published studies.

The second meta-analysis that informs this summary included 39 effect sizes from randomised controlled studies and included students from across a variety of educational settings 2. The heterogeneity of this study was high and no publication bias was reported. The third study included 23 studies that were either randomised controlled trials or quasi-experimental in design 3. The primary studies included in this meta-analyses were diverse, but the heterogeneity was high and the fail-safe N suggested that publication bias was a risk. The final meta-analyses that informed this summary included 86 effect sizes from rigorous primary studies from a variety of contexts and reported an acceptable heterogeneity result. The only concern was the effect adjusting the main effect for publication bias had (g=.38 changed to g=.20 when adjusting for publication bias).

References

1 Adesope, O. O., & Nesbit, J. C. (2012). Verbal redundancy in multimedia learning environments: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(1), 250–263. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026147

2 Ginns, P. (2005). Meta-analysis of the modality effect. Learning and Instruction, 15(4), 313–331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2005.07.001

3 Hu, L., Chen, G., Li, P., & Huang, J. (2021). Multimedia effect in problem solving: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 33(4), 1717-1747. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09610-z 

4 Reinwein, J. (2012). Does the modality effect exist? And if so, which modality effect? Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 41(1), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-011-9180-4

Additional Resources

Noetel, M., Griffith, S., Delaney, O., Harris, N. R., Sanders, T., Parker, P., del Pozo Cruz, B., & Lonsdale, C. (2022). Multimedia design for learning: An overview of reviews with meta-meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 92(3), 413-454. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543211052329

Dr Michael Noetel

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