Maximizing constructivist learning from multimedia communications by minimizing cognitive load

Students viewed an animation depicting either the process of lightning form ation or how car brakes work and listened to a corresponding narration desc ribing the steps. The entire animation and narration were presented at the same time (concurrent), the entire narration was presented before or after the entire animation (successive large bites), or short portions of the nar ration were presented before or after corresponding short portions of the a nimation for each successive portion of the presentation (successive small bites). Overall, the concurrent and successive small bites groups performed significantly better than the successive large bites groups on remembering the explanation in words (retention), generating solutions to transfer pro blems (transfer), and selecting verbal labels for elements in a line drawin g (matching), but they did not differ significantly from each other. Result s are consistent with a dual-process model of working memory in which learn ers are more likely to construct connections between words and correspondin g pictures when they are held in working memory at the same time.