Mastery Journal - Music and Audio for Instructional Design
I have learned a lot about the effective use of audio in instructional design over these past four weeks. Even though, I feel like I still know nothing—in a Socratic paradox way.
I’d say the biggest takeaway from this month’s readings that I will use when creating future instructional resources has to be—like anything in design—each audio element must serve a purpose. Otherwise, if the audio I select does not directly contribute to the learning goal, I run the risk of distracting learners from achieving the desired learning outcomes.
Another key takeaway from this month is the ability to use GarageBand. I had, up until four weeks ago, never worked with audio editing programs. Now I am prepared to integrate and broaden my newly developed skills with GarageBand seamlessly into the industry norm—Final Cut Pro. I have not only learned how to mix audio but more importantly, I have learned why things like panning and EQ settings contribute to a better listening experience. This month allowed me to take all of the things I learned almost ten years in College Physics about sound waves, frequency, and other technical terms and actually apply that knowledge to the real world.
The final takeaway from this month is probably discovering the reverse modality effect. Despite humans having the ability for dual-channel processing of simultaneous audio and visual input, there exist several studies that debunk the idea that people learn more when text is supported with narration. Of course, about the same amount of research exists that support dual modality. Therefore, it will be important for me to stay up to date on the latest developments in cognitive science as I continue on as an instructional designer. In addition, I will have to carefully assess my audience, client and design to ensure that I create instructional resources that do what they are supposed to—help people learn.