March 19-25, 2025

After reading e-Learning and the Science of Instruction Chapters 4, 5, and 6 this week, I found myself naturally connecting the concepts of multimedia, contiguity, and signaling to my JLPT N3 assessment project. Even though I haven’t started building the project in Adobe Captivate yet, the readings helped me think critically about how to design the module to actually support learning—not just make it look nice.

Chapter 4’s Multimedia Principle really resonated with me. Clark and Mayer (2024) emphasize that people learn better from words and relevant graphics than from words alone. It made me realize that even though my project is assessment-focused, there are still ways to apply this principle—like providing brief explanations or examples visually along with the feedback when learners answer incorrectly. It’s easy to assume an assessment is just about right or wrong answers, but this chapter helped me think about using graphics or visual cues to reinforce learning, even during testing.

The Contiguity Principle from Chapter 5 also stood out. It seems so obvious when I read it—keeping words and graphics together—but I know I’ve seen (and maybe created) e-learning that violates this. If I separate the Japanese question text from the answer choices or bury explanations somewhere else, I’ll only make it harder for the learner. Clark and Mayer (2024) explain that separating related content forces learners to split their attention and wastes cognitive resources that could be focused on learning. I need to be deliberate about keeping related content close together to avoid unnecessary cognitive load.

Chapter 6’s Signaling Principle made me think about how I can help learners focus their attention—especially since some Japanese grammar structures can be so subtle. I liked the idea of using color or bolding important parts of explanations or question stems. Clark and Mayer (2024) show that these kinds of cues reduce the need for learners to search for key information, freeing up cognitive capacity for deeper processing.

I also completed the Adobe Captivate Essential Training on LinkedIn Learning this week. While I haven’t installed Captivate yet, I’m feeling more confident about jumping in. One review from another learner really stuck with me—they said, “Adobe Captivate is very similar to Canva and PowerPoint. While I have enjoyed this course, if you can use one of the other platforms, you will easily apply those skills to this one.” I completely agree with that assessment. I’m hopeful the skills I already have with PowerPoint and Canva will transfer easily.

One thing I’ve realized this week is that the most difficult part of my project may not be the technical side at all—it’s going to be pulling together the Japanese grammar and vocabulary questions at the N3 level. I’ve started gathering some sample questions, and the process is already making me nervous. Making sure they’re accurate, level-appropriate, and useful for assessment is going to take serious effort. Honestly, that part might be more challenging than learning Captivate!

Overall, the readings gave me a better framework for what good design looks like, and I’m excited (and a little intimidated) to apply it all in the coming weeks.

Reference:

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2024). e-Learning and the science of instruction (5th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.