Scenario & Challenge:• You are a graduate teaching assistant at FSU

anxiously awaiting the big game on Saturday• Before you can pick up your tickets to the

game, your professor has a few errands around campus for you to accomplish

• You must successfully complete the tasks to be dismissed for the weekend

Rules:• All tasks must be completed in the order they

are listed• You must answer each character’s question

about the Coherence Principle correctly before advancing to the next task

• Click on the numbered locations on campus and the garnet arrows to advance throughout the game

TO-DO CHECKLIST

Mandatory TA training at New Classroom BuildingTake professor’s textbook order to FSU BookstoreReturn books to Strozier LibraryDeliver paperwork to Westcott BuildingPick up graded tests from Testing CenterCLICK ON

NUMBERS TO COMPLETE

TASKS

TO-DO CHECKLIST

Mandatory TA training at New Classroom BuildingTake professor’s textbook order to FSU BookstoreReturn books to Strozier LibraryDeliver paperwork to Westcott BuildingPick up graded tests from Testing Center

Welcome to T.A. Training

My name is Tasha Andrews…I am a 3rd

year graduate teaching assistant here at FSU. Today we’re going to

learn about the Coherence Principle for

effective e-learning.

The Problem

When we create multimedia

presentations, we want to use glitz and games to make the learning experience

more engaging for the students.

The Coherence Principle

Rule #1Using gratuitous visuals, text and sounds can hurt

learning

What We Tend To Use

• Dramatic video or text (to add interest)

• Background music (to add appeal)

• Popular movie characters or themes (to add entertainment value)

The Coherence Principle

Rule #2Details related to the instruction that are

extraneous in nature depress learning

(seductive details)

How Seductive Details Affect Learners

• Distract learners from key instructional points

• Disrupt learners’ organization of information

• Activate irrelevant prior knowledge

Congratulations!

You’ve just completed the mandatory

training for graduate teaching assistants.

You are now on your way to instructional

excellence…good luck!

TO-DO CHECKLIST

Mandatory TA training at New Classroom BuildingTake professor’s textbook order to FSU BookstoreReturn books to Strozier LibraryDeliver paperwork to Westcott BuildingPick up graded tests from Testing CenterCLICK ON

NUMBERS TO COMPLETE

TASKS

TO-DO CHECKLIST

Mandatory TA training at New Classroom BuildingTake professor’s textbook order to FSU BookstoreReturn books to Strozier LibraryDeliver paperwork to Westcott BuildingPick up graded tests from Testing Center

Welcome to the FSU Bookstore!

Hi there, I’m the bookstore manager, Beatrice Sanchez. I

see you have Professor Woods’ textbook order for

next semester.

Welcome to the FSU Bookstore!

By the way…Professor Woods mentioned

that you are great at creating multimedia

presentations. Would you mind if I asked

you a question?

Welcome to the FSU Bookstore!

I’m making a training podcast for my new

employees here at the bookstore, and I don’t want it to be boring. Should I add some background music

during the instruction to keep them interested?

YES NO

INCORRECT

Rule #1Using gratuitous visuals, text and sounds can hurt

learning

We Tend To Want To Add…

• Dramatic video or text (to add interest)

• Background music (to add appeal)

• Popular movie characters or themes (to add entertainment value)

CORRECTSo what you’re saying is that using music during

instruction can negatively affect learning. Oh wow, I’ve never heard of the

Coherence Principle, but I can see your point.

Thanks for the advice, and see you next semester!

TO-DO CHECKLIST

Mandatory TA training at New Classroom BuildingTake professor’s textbook order to FSU BookstoreReturn books to Strozier LibraryDeliver paperwork to Westcott BuildingPick up graded tests from Testing CenterCLICK ON

NUMBERS TO COMPLETE

TASKS

TO-DO CHECKLIST

Mandatory TA training at New Classroom BuildingTake professor’s textbook order to FSU BookstoreReturn books to Strozier LibraryDeliver paperwork to Westcott BuildingPick up graded tests from Testing Center

Welcome to Strozier Library!

Hi there, I’m the circulation supervisor,

Sheree Landers. Professor Woods has had those books for quite a while now.

You must be here to return them.

Welcome to Strozier Library!

Hey…since you know Professor Woods so well, maybe you can help me

with something. He asked me to pull some movies to

show in the Physics for Non-Majors class that

illustrate the principles of aerodynamics.

Welcome to Strozier Library!

I found this one from the Discovery Channel called History of Flight, but I think the students would much rather see Top Gun. It has some

great aerial shots in it! Which would you

choose? History of Flight Top Gun

INCORRECT

Rule #2Details related to

the instruction that are extraneous in

nature depress learning (seductive

details)

How Seductive Details Affect Learners

• Distract learners from key instructional points

• Disrupt learners’ organization of information

• Activate irrelevant prior knowledge

CORRECTYeah, you’re right. I never thought that

seductive details would depress learning, but it

makes sense that details like those

activate irrelevant prior knowledge. Well, I

guess I’ll see you when you return this movie.

TO-DO CHECKLIST

Mandatory TA training at New Classroom BuildingTake professor’s textbook order to FSU BookstoreReturn books to Strozier LibraryDeliver paperwork to Westcott BuildingPick up graded tests from Testing CenterCLICK ON

NUMBERS TO COMPLETE

TASKS

TO-DO CHECKLIST

Mandatory TA training at New Classroom BuildingTake professor’s textbook order to FSU BookstoreReturn books to Strozier LibraryDeliver paperwork to Westcott BuildingPick up graded tests from Testing Center

Welcome to Westcott

Hello, I’m Wendy Barnes, executive

assistant to the Dean of Graduate Studies. You’re dropping off some paperwork for

your professor?

Welcome to Westcott

Now I know all of the graduate teaching

assistants have mandatory training on this stuff, so let me ask

you a question. The dean asked me to create a

video for a webinar on how to increase graduate

student enrollment.

Welcome to Westcott

I want to add images of graduate students at

football games, working out at the

Leach…basically images of them having fun! The dean said it isn’t

relevant and to keep it simple. Who is right?

WendyThe

Dean

INCORRECT

Rule #2Details related to

the instruction that are extraneous in

nature depress learning (seductive

details)

How Seductive Details Affect Learners

• Distract learners from key instructional points

• Disrupt learners’ organization of information

• Activate irrelevant prior knowledge

CORRECTWell, I suppose the

dean is right. Images of graduate students

having fun might sound like a good idea, but

they are distracting and really have nothing to do with enrollment.

Thanks for getting this paperwork to me!

TO-DO CHECKLIST

Mandatory TA training at New Classroom BuildingTake professor’s textbook order to FSU BookstoreReturn books to Strozier LibraryDeliver paperwork to Westcott BuildingPick up graded tests from Testing CenterCLICK ON

NUMBERS TO COMPLETE

TASKS

TO-DO CHECKLIST

Mandatory TA training at New Classroom BuildingTake professor’s textbook order to FSU BookstoreReturn books to Strozier LibraryDeliver paperwork to Westcott BuildingPick up graded tests from Testing Center

Welcome to the Testing Center

Hey there, I’m Tressa. Were you at the

mandatory training this morning? I thought I

saw you there. I’m a TA in the biology

department, but I work here part-time too.

You’re here to pick up some exams?

Welcome to the Testing Center

So check this out…as soon as we got out of

that training, my professor calls my cell

phone and wants me to whip up a PowerPoint for her evening lecture

tonight.

Welcome to the Testing Center

I was listening to my iPod this morning at

the training, so I didn’t hear anything that

other TA said. I say use all the bells and

whistles because most of the students fall

asleep in class. What do you think?

Bells & Whistles

Keep It Simple

INCORRECT

Rule #1Using gratuitous visuals, text and sounds can hurt

learning

We Tend To Want To Add…

• Dramatic video or text (to add interest)

• Background music (to add appeal)

• Popular movie characters or themes (to add entertainment value)

CORRECTOh jeez, I should’ve

paid attention during the training. I never

thought that using too many visuals, text and

sounds would negatively affect

learning. Thanks for the tip…see you at the game on Saturday.

CLICK ON NUMBERS TO

COMPLETE TASKS