The second coherence principle, is to avoid extraneous images and graphics. Learning is encumbered when there is too much unrelated content included. When selecting images for a project, try finding images that can be interesting and still add to the subject matter. Mayer quotes another book in saying that “In review for science and mathematics book, most of the illustrations were irrelevant.”
Pictures, videos, etc, can make teh experience more interesting according to the arousal theory. The idea that students will become more engaged if you can arouse an emotional connection with the content. There are 3 different types of interference. Distraction(lost of focus), disruption(no conection to the topic) and seduction(makes you start making connections to the wrong ideas).
Simple graphics with fewer details work best.
In this slide, the image in the presentation is unrelated to the content it’s suppose to be teaching. Not only that it has a very destinctive and obnoxious art style and uses bright colors that take you out of the presentation. This would be an example of seduction and disruption.
Sources:
Nick Yates: Creating Digital Resources using Instructional Design Principles at TESOL Arabia 2015
e-Learning and the Science of Instruction; Ruth Colvin Clark • Richard E. Mayer