Research has repeatedly shown that adding emotional elements to images/videos can improve student’s study time (length paying attention), and help them learn, retain, and transfer the learning more. The Cognitive Affective Theory of Learning with Media (CATLM) assumes that emotion can impact motivation and motivation can impact cognitive engagement (Wong & Adesope, 2021). If we add emotional design features to graphics, we can increase attention to the graphics, improve retention, increase comprehension of concepts, and increase student transfer of concepts to new situations. Li et al. (2020) clarified “Our results suggest that the emotional design had no influence on student emotion. … Those who learned with emotional design paid more attention on learning material.”

Wang et al. (2023) defined the cognitive-affective model of e-learning showing how the addition of emotional design impacted affective and cognitive processing, resulting in better learning outcomes (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Cognitive-Affective Model of e-Learning (based on Wang, et. al. (2023)

(This is not the only model connecting emotional design to cognitive processing. See references for some others.)

In addition to improving cognitive processing, studies show that people perceive a product as more usable (Simionescu, 2020). In teaching, we can use this when designing our syllabus, handouts, slides, etc.

What is it:

You may be able to easily see how to add emotion to history or literature courses, but research has included science and medicine, among other disciplines. We are not talking about huge amounts of emotion, here, but rather adding minor attributes to graphics. Three relatively easy methods are to add color, shape, and/or anthropomorphism features.

Wang et al. (2023) found that adding two emotional attributes (such as color and anthropomorphism) increased learning more than a single emotional attribute. They provide an example about lightning (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Screenshots of essential elements in four versions of the instructional videos (Wang, et. al. 2023)

Chung & Cheon (2020) clarify “emotion is composed of two dimensions that affect performance: valence (positive or negative) and arousal (low or high; also called activating or deactivating).” They also found that a high arousal message can lead to cognitive overload, and a message with strong negative valance (unpleasant, for example) can lead to defensive processing.

Figure 3: An example (gestational diabetes) of learning materials using four different combinations of valence and arousal (Chung & Cheon, 2020)

The first of Gagne’s nine events of instruction is gain student attention. However, emotional design can help hold student interest in the subject (Endres et al., 2020), so including purposeful emotional design features throughout the lesson is important. According to Endres et al. (2020), “Emotional design seems especially useful when there is a strong need for self-regulation. A stronger need to self-regulate exists when learning periods are long, the circumstances for learning are difficult, or when the learning materials are complex.”

How you can do it:

As mentioned in my last blog on color use, avoid using color as the sole means of signaling/gaining attention. You can also use a different font, and/or bold and/or italics (although using ALL of these could be a bit much! 😊 )

Text

Be sure to use a font that is easy to read.

In text, use terms such as “we”, “you”, and “I.” Supiano (2021) found that using a warm tone encouraged students to reach out for help more often.

One place to use this is in the wording of the course objectives. Traditionally, we use:
“At the end of (TIMEFRAME such as course, unit), the student will be able to (ACTION VERB) to (EXTENT, SUCCESS LEVEL, etc.), under (CONDITIONS).”

Based on Supiano’s recommendation we could change this to:
“At the end of (TIMEFRAME such as course, unit), we will be able to (ACTION VERB) to (EXTENT, SUCCESS LEVEL, etc.), under (CONDITIONS).”

When writing up assignments and schedules, use “we will discuss…”, “In the reading, we are looking for…”, etc.

You can also use color in your text to emphasize concepts. If you do this, create a set of conventions first so each color is consistently used. Students will then be able to more quickly find the text they need. For example, if you have Word, PowerPoint, or Acrobat documents online for the students, include links (bookmarks) to sections and use either the default blue or another color for the links.

Graphics

As seen in the graphics above, it is relatively easy to add faces and color to graphics (If I can do it, you probably can 😊). However, if you have trouble, reach out to me and I’ll see if I can help. A few months ago, I posted some free graphics sites that might also give you ideas.

Animation

Animation can help draw students’ attention to important information (signaling) or can be used to demonstrate a procedure, etc. Research shows that animation decreases mental effort (less cognitive load determining what to look at). Static materials may also increase needed intrinsic motivation (Wong & Adesope, 2021). For example, I  tend to skip over graphics, but if they are animated I will look at them.

Signaling

“Signaling or cueing is the means of using text, pictures, gestures, or others’ eye movements to guide learners’ attention to essential learning material” (Alpizar et al., 2020). Signaling is a “technique to prevent split attention … to use the same color to associate elements in the text and in the illustration”  (Ozcelik et al., 2009). This can lower extraneous load.

What else should you consider:

• Always remember that every graphic must include a complete description for disability purposes. (I noticed when writing this post that my last post did NOT have a description for the graphics, sorry, so I will be adding that.)
• Try to stay away from negative arousal images or from overdoing the positive arousal in an image. You can always ask a colleague if something is too negative or too cutesy.
• Make sure that everything you add is useful. Interesting but extraneous information and graphics can confuse students and take their attention away from the real content as they try to make sense of it.
• Remember if you have students from a variety of culture and countries that they may view colors differently. For details on this see Eriksen Translations Inc, 2020; Visual Color Symbolism Chart by Culture, n.d.

References

Alpizar, D., Adesope, O. O., & Wong, R. M. (2020). A meta-analysis of signaling principle in multimedia learning environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(5), 2095–2119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-020-09748-7

Chung, S., & Cheon, J. (2020). Emotional design of multimedia learning using background images with motivational cues. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 36. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12450

Endres, T., Weyreter, S., Renkl, A., & Eitel, A. (2020). When and why does emotional design foster learning? Evidence for situational interest as a mediator of increased persistence. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 36(4), 514–525. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12418

Eriksen Translations Inc. (2020, February 3). How Color Is Perceived by Different Cultures | Eriksen Translations. Eriksen Translations Inc. https://eriksen.com/marketing/color_culture/

Li, J., Luo, C., Zhang, Q., & Shadiev, R. (2020). Can emotional design really evoke emotion in multimedia learning? International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(1), 24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-00198-y

Ozcelik, E., Karakus, T., Kursun, E., & Cagiltay, K. (2009). An eye-tracking study of how color coding affects multimedia learning. Computers & Education, 53(2), 445–453. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2009.03.002

Simionescu, D. C. (2020). The Impact of Emotional Design on the Effectiveness of Instructional Materials [Ph.D., Ohio University]. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2440089453/abstract/FD2D1AF91DC64755PQ/1

Supiano, B. (2021, March 25). Teaching: How Your Syllabus Can Encourage Students to Ask for Help. Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/newsletter/teaching/2021-03-25

Visual Color Symbolism Chart by Culture. (n.d.). ThoughtCo. Retrieved October 21, 2024, from https://www.thoughtco.com/visual-color-symbolism-chart-by-culture-4062177

Wang, X., Mayer, R. E., Han, M., & Zhang, L. (2023). Two Emotional Design Features Are More Effective Than One in Multimedia Learning. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 60(8), 1991–2014. https://doi.org/10.1177/07356331221090845

Wong, R. M., & Adesope, O. O. (2021). Meta-Analysis of Emotional Designs in Multimedia Learning: A Replication and Extension Study. Educational Psychology Review, 33(2), 357–385. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09545-x