Enhancing Learning

Information Processing Theory at Education.com

In my research on IDT issues I found an interesting article about the Information Processing Theory on the Education.com website. The article gives a concise and clearly written overview of the theory and its implications for instructional design.

Besides being well written the article also has an impressive reference list which increases its credibility and provides a rich source for further research.

I highly recommend this article as well as the website.

http://www.education.com/reference/article/information-processing-theory/

Mayer and Moreno on Reducing Cognitive Load

In “Nine Ways to Reduce Cognitive Load in Multimedia Learning” (Meyer & Moreno, 2003) the authors discuss an aspect of information processing theory called the dual channel assumption. The theory assumes that humans use two types of memory, language and images, to receive information. Assuming that we can only intake a limited amount of information at a time the authors propose ways to be mindful of this limitation when designing multimedia learning experiences and thereby avoid cognitive overload.

This is an excellent article for anyone interested in instructional technology.

Mayer, R. E. & Moreno, R. (2003). Nine ways to reduce cognitive load in multimedia learning. Educational Psychologist, 38, 43–53.

http://www.uky.edu/~gmswan3/544/9_ways_to_reduce_CL.pdf