Abstract
Instructional material provided through digital media and various types of educational technology may be able to support students with a wide range of learning abilities, providing better educational opportunities for a greater number of students. Technology-based instructional design, however, often does not take into consideration variation in student abilities. Research on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) promotes the idea of providing students with a variety of means of representation and expression. Investigations into cognitive load note the impact of the complexity of information content (intrinsic cognitive load) and the type of information presentation (extraneous cognitive load) on student learning. The work provided here is part of a larger effort to understand the influence of a student-centered approach to technology-based, instructional design in the field of high school chemistry. In the present study, results from a study by Carlson, Chandler, and Sweller (2003) of cognitive load were replicated in a digital media learning environment to determine whether the elements of cognitive load theory can be extended into design requirements for technology-based instructional materials. In a two-by-two experimental design, participants were required to learn contents in organic chemistry that was designed with either high or low intrinsic load and high or low extraneous load. Results were congruent with Carlson et al. (2003) and further support the following claims: (1) when compared to low element interactivity, high intrinsic load leads to decreased performance and higher subjective workload, (2) extraneous load reduction can promote performance gains and reduction in workload for tasks with high element interactivity.
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