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6.3: Content Acquisition Podcasts

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    Content Acquisition Podcasts, or CAPs, are short, multimedia-based instructional vignettes that deliver high-quality instruction for one vocabulary term or concept at a time. There are two domains of concern when creating CAPs: 1) The looks and sounds of instruction independent of content, and 2) The shape of the instruction being delivered using this tool. To address the looks and sounds of instruction, CAPs are built using Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (2009) and the accompanying 12 evidence-based instructional design principles (2008). CAPs can be used in a variety of flexible ways. Teachers can show CAPs during traditional lectures; students can watch CAPs at home with or without parents; CAPs can be viewed before exams or quizzes as a review, ahead of lectures as an advance organizer, or really anytime students have a couple of minutes to receive high-quality instruction. We feel CAPs’ greatest strength is that they can be repeatedly and flexibly used among students and teachers in perpetuity once the upfront cost of production (i.e. time) is paid.

    Table 6.3.1 contains a list of Mayer’s principles, a description of each, and effect sizes based on Mayer’s research. A sample CAP (that simultaneously introduces these principles) is available at https://vimeo.com/89716786. A sample CAP that delivers vocabulary instruction for students can be seen at www.qmediaplayer.com/?103. As you watch this CAP, note the pace, the use of visuals, the repetition of the key definition and information, the use of embedded questions, and the short length of the video. None of the decisions regarding the looks and sounds of this CAP were made without explicit reference to leading instructional design theory and evidence-based practices (EBPs) for vocabulary instruction.

    Table 6.3.1: Mayer’s Design Principles as Aligned with the Triarchic Model of Cognitive Load.
    Triarchic Model of Cognitive Load (DeLeeuw & Mayer, 2008) Research-Based Instructional Design Principles (Mayer, 2009) Brief description of Mayer’s instructional design principles (Mayer, 2008; 2009)
    Limit Extraneous Processing Coherence Principle Instructional materials are enhanced when irrelevant or extraneous information is excluded
    Signaling Principle Learning is enhanced when explicit cues are provided that signal the beginning of major headings or elements of the material being covered
    Redundancy Principle Inclusion of extensive text (transcription) on screen along with spoken words and pictures hinders learning. Carefully selected words or short phrases, however, augment retention (Mayer & Johnson, 2008)
    Spatial Contiguity Principle On-screen text and pictures should be presented in close proximity to one another to limit eye shifting during instructional presentations
    Temporal Contiguity Principle Pictures and text shown on screen should correspond to the audio presentation
    Manage Essential Processing Modality Principle People learn better from spoken words and pictures than they do from pictures and text alone
      Segmenting Principle People learn better when multimedia presentations are divided into short bursts as opposed to longer modules
    Foster Generative Processing Multimedia Principle People learn better from pictures and spoken words than from words alone
    Personalization Principle Narration presented in a conversational style result in better engagement and learning than more formal audio presentations.
    Voice Principle People learn better when narration is clearly spoken with respect to rate and accent.
    Image Principle People learn better when images are non-abstract, and clearly represent the content being presented

     

    This page titled 6.3: Content Acquisition Podcasts is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Samuel Sennott, Sheldon Loman, Kristy Lee Park, Luis F. Pérez, Michael J. Kennedy, John Romig, & Wendy J. Rodgers (Portland State University Library) .