The central idea of the Coherence Principle is that when
designing instruction, we should be careful to exclude extraneous information
and unrelated sensory stimulation. Clark and Mayer (2011) expand this principle
intro three main ideas. First, we should be careful to avoid extraneous audio
such as sound effects and background music. Secondly, we should avoid including
non-essential graphics along with desired learning objective materials. Lastly,
instructional designers should be careful not to include extraneous words that
are unrelated to key material. It can be tempting as instructional designers to
want to include superfluous material in an attempt to pique the learners’
interest and attention. However, several studies have shown that doing so has
negative effects on learning.
It is important to consider the ideas of the Coherence
Principle in relationship to fundamental psychological learning theory, in
particular, cognitive learning theory. In cognitive learning theory, Paivio
(1986) proposes that learners process new information through separate verbal
and visual systems (as cited in Mayer, 1999, p. 612). The Coherence Principle
is sound when you consider the fact that learners are limited in how much
information they are able to process within these two channels. Including
extraneous information just “muddies the water” and makes the learning process
more difficult.
It is equally important to consider how the ideas of the
Coherence Principle align with other instructional principles. For example, the
Multimedia Principle asserts that learners benefit from connecting words with
pictures (Mayer, 2011). If the words and pictures are not related to one
another and to the learning objective, they violate the Coherence Principle and
cause the Multimedia Principle to fail as well. The Contiguity Principle
asserts that related content should be close to each other or presented in a
synchronous manner. Once again, this only works if the content is related to
the learning objective.
Personally, I find the Coherence Principle to be very sound
and really like the ideas and concepts laid out by Mayer in chapter 8. As
instructional designers, we should always ask ourselves, “Is this related to
the learning objective?” or “Is this something I have added unnecessarily for
effect or entertainment?” The ideas of this principle can make it seem as if
there is no room for creativity or entertainment value. I don’t think this is
the case. Instructional designers can be creative and still make sure all of
the content is related to learning objectives.
I have experienced successful use of the Coherence Principle,
as well as many violations of its ideas, in my time as a student. One successful
use in instruction could be starting the lesson or material with an
entertaining video or interesting fact to draw in the learner. This approach
seems effective because it generates interest without forcing the learner to
sift or sort through what is important in the middle of the learning content.
An example that violates the principles that I have experienced is a slide
presentation that is full of appendices or boxes filled with “interesting facts.”
These boxes often contain engaging images that make it hard to focus on the
main content. While providing interest and entertainment, they usually do not
pertain to the learning objective and make it harder to remember the “important
stuff.” A fitting slogan could be: “leave out the fluff, include the important
stuff.”
References
Clark, R., & Mayer, R. (2011). E-learning
and the science of instruction proven guidelines for consumers and designers of
multimedia learning, third edition (3rd ed.). San Francisco, Calif.: Pfeiffer.
Mayer, M. (1999). Multimedia aids to problem-solving
transfer. International Journal of Educational Research, 31(7), 611-623.
Paivio, A. (1986). Mental representations: A dual coding
approach. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
