We’ve all been there, starting an online course with flashy visuals, animated characters, and lots of bells and whistles. You are impressed and think “This is it! I’m going to learn so much because this course is so cool.” However, all those fancy bits and bob won’t guarantee actual learner outcomes. The proof is in the pudding!  

Richard Clark and David Feldon, in their 2005 study from The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning, shatter some of the big assumptions we’ve been making about multimedia instruction. The goal of the article is to contradict the assumption that learning benefits are greater from digital multimedia learning than from other instructional methods. Let’s look at what they have to say about that in a bit more detail.  

The Flashier the Better

Okay, so you’ve signed up for a course with stunning animations and a high-tech design. You’re thinking, “Wow! I’m totally going to get this because it looks so sleek.” Well, not really. According to Clark and Feldon, there’s no solid proof that multimedia, no matter how cool it looks, makes learning any more effective. In fact, simpler approaches, like regular schoolbooks or straightforward teacher-led lessons, will often work just as well, if not much better​. 

Multimedia Keeps You Motivated and Makes You Learn More

Sure, you’re more likely to stick with a course if it’s fun and engaging. Who wouldn’t choose a course with interactive elements over something dry and boring? But here’s the catch, just because it gets your attention doesn’t mean you’re learning more. There is evidence to suggest that students’ interest does not result in more learning and is significantly less than would have occurred in instructor-led courses. Students in these highly gamified digital courses end up learning less. It’s like a shiny new toy that’s fun at first, but after the novelty wears off, you realize you didn’t get as much out of it as you hoped.

Multimedia is Tailored to Your Learning Style

This dead horse has been flogged for so long. The idea is that we all have different “learning styles” and that multimedia can cater to each one. The truth tells a different story, as there is no solid indication that customizing multimedia instruction to learning styles makes the slightest difference. Researchers have looked at cognitive styles and learning preferences, but they haven’t found a clear link to improved outcomes. So, what does matter then when if comes to learning? Things like your prior knowledge of the topic and your learning goals.  

Avatars and Animations Help You Learn Better

We’ve all seen them, those lovely, cute little animated characters that pop up in e-learning courses to help guide us. But while they might be funny and entertaining, they’re not always helpful. In fact, research shows they can sometimes be a distraction. Instead of focusing on what you’re supposed to learn, you end up watching the character’s movements and losing track of the actual content​. So next time you’re learning from a platform with a cartoon, remember that it’s the information that matters, not the cartoon. 

Having Complete Control Will Lead You to Better Learning

One of the grand ideas behind digital multimedia learning is that by giving students more control over what they learn, they’ll have better learning outcomes. I am talking about learners being able to navigate alone through vast digital learning environments. It sounds fantastic to be able to choose from thousands of options, jump forward and back, and go where you want. However, the evidence suggests that it quickly leads to cognitive overload. This means your brain is working too hard to organize the information, and you end up not learning much at all. The research is clear on this: structure is important, especially when you are learning something new​. This is essential when creating new schemas and building on them.  

Final Thoughts 

So, the key to learning doesn’t lie in flashy apps with fancy extras. It’s all about how much you engage with the material. Self-paced multimedia content can amplify the effectiveness of instruction, but it cannot displace traditional training methods with its flawed assumptions.