Multimedia Learning Theory is concerned with HOW we learn. Information exists in multiple forms – text, images, sound, video… how does the media type impact how we receive, process, and retain information? How do they work when in combination (e.g, text with an image vs. text with a sound, etc.)?

Rich Mayer edited a Handbook on Multimedia Learning Theory, which dives into many principles that can guide us on how to develop and present information in ways that learners can best learn from them. It is unlikely that anyone will create media that perfectly adheres to all of them, but the more we know, the more likely we are to support implementation of good practice based on research and theory.

In your reflections on these principles or to discuss in your learning pod, consider sharing examples of multimedia that you think support these principles and examples where they do not.

For further learning, you may opt to explore:

  • Mayer, R. E. (2014). Cognitive theory of multimedia learning. In R. E. Mayer (Ed.), Cambridge handbooks in psychology. The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning (p. 43–71). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139547369.005
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