Dual Coding

Dual coding relies on the idea that people perceive things visually and verbally. Almost everything we do/interact with stimulates us visually as well as verbally, and therefore both channels should be engaged when learning new information. There is a lot of information being conveyed through this module, and one way to prevent having too high of a cognitive load is to move some of the information to being processed verbally. As I start to build this module, I am thinking about what is actually being shown on the screen vs. what will be spoken verbally through the screencast. Here is an example:

A slide with information about communication strategies will be displayed with the following text:

Chapter Communications:

Listserv

Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)

JMUAA Emails

JMUAA Social Media

While these are on the screen, the learner will hear my voice saying the following text:

"There are many different strategies for communicating with your chapter. First there is your chapter listserv, which is comprised of a list of alumni who have indicted that they live within a 30 mile radius of your city. You can also use your social media channels to send out information about upcoming events, and share stories from other JMU sources. For example, the Alumni Association often posts stories about noteworthy alumni on their pages- you can share those with your constituents as well. In addition to your emails and social media, our office an provide nicely formatted emails, as well as courtesy posts via our social media about your events and programs."

This dual coding will convey more information and ensure that the learner is not overwhelmed.