Coherence Principle #3: Avoid e-Lessons with Extraneous Words

Clark and Mayer (2011) recommend against the inclusion of text (words) beyond what is required to convey necessary information at the intended level of instruction. The addition of interesting but extraneous words may result in poorer learning (p 166). Extraneous words can detract from learning for the same psychological reasons that extraneous sounds and graphics should be avoided (p 168). The issues include relate both to the constraints of human working memory and to the potential to create incorrect or sub-optimal neural connections by triggering tangential existing neural patterns rather than the neural patterns containing the target points of attachment in long-term memory.

Source: https://www.commoncraft.com/video/rss

The screenshot above is from a site intended to teach viewers the value of the use of Commoncraft resources for use by teachers. The instructional video (example) is overly hyperactive in my opinion (but perhaps not by modern practice). The video and the context in which it is displayed is heavy with a lot of textual content that may be relevant to the company trying to sell its product but which is probably extraneous to most people viewing the presentation. The presentation contains a lot of text and so a lot of rapid animation that serves to overload at least my working memory.

References

Clark, R. C. & Mayer, R.E. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven Guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.