Multimedia Learning

by Richard E. Mayer

For hundreds of years verbal messages such as lectures and printed lessons have been the primary means of explaining ideas to learners. Although verbal learning offers a powerful tool, this book explores ways of going beyond the purely verbal. Recent advances in graphics technology and information technology have prompted new efforts to understand the potential of multimedia learning as a means of promoting human understanding. In Multimedia Learning, Second Edition, Richard E. Mayer examines whether people learn more deeply when ideas are expressed in words and pictures rather than in words alone. He reviews 12 principles of instructional design that are based on experimental research studies and grounded in a theory of how people learn from words and pictures. The result is what Mayer calls the cognitive theory of multimedia learning, a theory first developed in the first edition of Multimedia Learning and further developed in The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Teaching, Design, Professional Development, M M Romance, Psychology

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 9, 2001

Reviews

[Aaron Dietz]

Great information. Dry presentation. Very skimmable, though. The headings alone will pretty much tell you what you need to know, though you probably should update yourself by reading E-Learning and the Science of Instruction instead. It's more recent.

[Stan Skrabut]

I have to be honest, as an instructional technologist, I was geeking out over Multimedia Learning by Richard Mayer. Mayer has spent his career researching how to put together effective multimedia learning products. This book shares his lessons learned. These are lessons that you can use to improve your message regardless if you're in education or in business. Read more

[Dr. Designerly]

Very informative and comprensive text.

[Paul Wetherington]

Quite possibly the best instructional design book written.

[Jonno]

This is a fantastic resource that I would recommend to every educator. It’s super repetitive, though, and far wordier than it needs to be.

[Rex]

This book gives a high level view of how to design multimedia materials. It conducts different research and interpret the results using cognitive psychology.
It gives a very interesting learner-centric view of multimedia learning.

The spatial Contiguity principle, temporal contiguity principle, coherence contiguity principle, modality principle, redundancy principle, individual differences principle mentioned in the book are absolute a must to know for people who is designing multimedia materials.

This book will not only help those who design multimedia for teaching and learning, it is actually very useful for technical and other presentations.

[Rebecca]

This book is not a guide on how to implement multi-media learning in the classroom, but instead an investigation of different cognitive theories. Mayer does not see multi-media models as infallible and provides ideas on how and why they need to be improved. The more theoretical aspects are clearly explained and the book is very engaging. Highly recommended for anyone who is designing or implementing multi-media tools.

[Lobna]

very helpful for those who are interested in the field.

[Zahirovic]

u toku je

[Sheri Trapp-Cordova]

Mayer's writing style is academic, but the research and conclusions are worth the endeavor. A must read for anyone in multimedia design.

[Stephen]

Read OCT 2002

[Sarah]

Somewhat dry but if you manage to read through it. It actually teaches you a lot if you're considering producing & publishing educational material.

[Novia Ratnasari]

Multimedia Learning recomended books reading from my major on my faculty. Keep it for my mini thesis ;)

[Devrim Ozdemir]

A nice starter's book in the field.

[Michael Bodekaer]

Really great scientific book for anyone working in the learning/educational design field.
All findings backed by evidence-based research, and summarized neatly in 12 principles in the conclusion.
Highly recommendable. Read the conclusion, and then choose the principles most relevant to your work.
For us, the Principles for Fostering Generative Processing were especially insightful and directly applicable to our work (or to support/back the existing work we have done)

[5H3MS]

Multimedia Learning составляет теоретическую основу моей диссертации.
Имеет свои сильные и слабые стороны. Надеюсь когда сдам работу, выложу сюда полный обзор на английском.

[Dhwani]

If you're looking for the research evidence and a treatment of the theory for the principles of instructional design for e-learning, read this book. If you're looking for guidelines for practice then read E-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning by Ruth Clark.