Over the last few weeks we have looked at techniques for reducing extraneous processing by our learners. This week we start to look at essential processing, and how we make that better. The first principle to do this is the Segmenting Principle.
The Segmenting Principle means that user-paced segments are better than continuous presentation.
You have probably heard of this technique, as it is also known as “chunking.” When working memory is full, any additional information, no matter how important, will disappear like it never happened. So, organizing information becomes very important.
In this video, we will hear expert Richard Mayer discuss the Segmenting Principle, how it works, and information on why it works.
We want to organize our courses in a logical and progressive way by putting together related material. We segment by Module, and we divide modules into smaller topics. One tip is to make sure that from screen to screen you are not introducing multiple topics. Also, remember the coherence principle, and make sure you include “need to know” material only. We need to get rid of all extraneous material and keep only meaningful “chunks” of essential information.
I’m going to leave you with a fun video on “chunking!”
Next week we are going to find another way to make essential processing better, and that is by Pre-Training!
Thanks for reading the FLC. See you next week!
“Chunking: Learning Technique for Better Memory and Understanding.” YouTube, Sprouts, 21 Jan. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=hydCdGLAh00.
Mayer, R. Ten Research-Based Principles for Designing Multimedia Instruction. Presented at E-Learn: World Conference on E-Learning. Retrieved October 15, 2019 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/180549/.
Mayer, R. (2014). The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning, Second Edition. New York City: Cambridge University Press.
