Doran - Digital Story

I decided to write my digital story on the life of an Arsenal supporter. I think this tale rings true for anyone who has supported a team only to have them disappoint time after time. I decided to start out with the faux introduction specifically to gain the attention of the audience. I wanted to begin mine like so many of those I viewed prior to the last assignment so that the contrast would be astonishing and focus their attention (there's nothing like a scratching record to gain your attention)

Technically, I didn't learn much with this assignment. I've already taken courses in video editing, but I enjoyed piecing a personal story together. I've not done much first person writing and this was a breath of fresh air for me. Up the Gunners!!!

Coherence Analysis

    The Coherence Principle essentially applies focus to any presentation. It states that any material that does not support the instructional goal should be avoided (Clark and Mayer, 2008, p. 151). The Coherence Principle should be thought of as message proof reading. Just as Hemingway edited his writing by eliminating any extraneous words or phrases, so too should an instructor examine his presentation to ensure that the concept of one slide, one idea is followed.

    The classic misapplication of the Coherence Principle is the extraneous clip art found in most Power Point presentations. At Millstone Power Station, there are three reasons for the existence of these annoying distractions. First, the art of creating info-graphics defies most instructors. Few possess the ability to distill a complex concept into a single illustration. As a result, instructors fill their Power Point slides with words and the clip art is an entertaining afterthought. The second reason is technical in nature. Very few instructors understand photo editing program. Additionally, because instructors work from company computers connected to a network, the downloading of open sourced software such as Gimp is forbidden. The last reason is one of methodology. Since the advent of Power Point, instructors are more inclined to read their lessons from their presentation rather than use the slides to enhance their instruction.

    The above slides illustrate a good use of the Coherence Principle. It is being presented as part of lesson on atoms. The first slide informs the learner on the standard notation for an atom. The second provides a specific example in which that standard notation is displayed both graphically and in text. If both these illustrations were presented together, the result would be cluttered and confusing. By laying the groundwork in the first slide, the second clarifies the concept for the learner. Good use of the Coherence Principle promotes effective learning.

    Thus far, the principles we’ve learned have one thing in common. They are designed to provide multiple, unfettered paths to the brain, thereby facilitating learning. In an odd way all learning reflects the way we teach very young children. Consider, for a moment, how we teach our children to count to five. Every parent, at one time or another has done this.  We sit with the child and count one to five while raising our fingers. This simple act illustrates all the principals we have learned thus far. We are combining our words with visual stimulation in accordance with the Multimedia Principle. As per the Modality Principle, we use spoken word rather than text. The Contiguity Principle dictates that we coordinate our words with the graphics, and therefore no parent would say the word “three” while holding up two fingers. Lastly, such an act is usually performed during quiet time to minimize distractions thus applying the Coherence Principle. The end result, of course, is that every child learns to count. This simple fact buttresses that which we are learning.

    The authors mention that some believe that including extraneous material may psychologically arouse the interest of the student and thus increase their attentiveness. I strongly disagree with this opinion. A good instructor can hold the attention of the class both with their demeanor and an effective presentation. A study published in 2014 found that teacher charisma induces student interest (Lee, Lu, Mao, Ling, Yeh & Hsieh, 2014, p. 1147). True, it is much more difficult to create good graphical representations, but a well thought out info graphic combined with engaging presentation methods will not only hold the attention of the class, but will focus them on the topic at hand. In short, an expertly baked and flavorful cake does not need frosting.

    These thoughts are contested by the results of a study conducted in 2008 in Australia. In the study, researchers from the University of Sydney compared the results of two astronomy courses. One group of students was given a course on stellar spectra that presented only the information which was germane to the topic. The others were presented with a course that included an extra fifty percent of related, but extraneous material. The test scores between the two groups were not significantly different. The authors of the study used these results to conclude that the assumptions made by the Coherence Principle were flawed (Muller, Lee & Sharma, 2008, p. 219).

    I disagree with the researcher’s interpretation of the study. They set the Coherence Principle as the baseline for their results, and as the results from the second group did not drop below the baseline, they conclude that the assumptions of the Coherence Principle are wrong. However, if we consider the case of those who advocate student’s interest as important, then, in reality, those students who received the extraneous detail should have been more interested and thus performed better on the exam. 

    To me, the Coherence Principal is incredibly important. It allows the instructor to present the material effectively and lead the learners. It promotes a systematic approach to presentation. Often times, when an expert in the subject matter prepares a course, they overlook the step by step approach that they used when initially learning the material. The Coherence Principle forces the designer to take the baby steps required to ensure that the information does not overwhelm the learners. There are assertions made that this principle should not apply to higher level learners. I would argue that, done right, the principle applies to all learners. Obviously, the instructor is not going to teach a class of Einstein, Newton and Fermi fundamental algebra, but if they were present in a class on bootlegging whiskey, these principles would apply and would be effective. The only downside I can see to the Coherence Principle is that adhering to it would require a great deal more work from the instructor. Limiting the extraneous material on each slide, results in the need to create more slides. However, the benefits to the learners more than justify such efforts and make for an outstanding opportunity.

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-Learning and the Science of Instruction:            Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.

 De-Chih Lee, Jung-Jei Lu, Ko-Min Mao, Szu-Hsing Ling, Mei-Chun Yeh & Chih ling Hsieh. (2014).  Does Teachers Charisma Can Really Induce Students Learning Interest ?. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116, 1143-1148.

Muller, D. A., Lee, K. J., Sharma, M. D. (2008). Coherence or interest: Which is most important in online multimedia learning? Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 24(2), 211-221.