Educational Theory and Website Design

Jackie Luke, PhD Student

University of Toledo
December, 2014
Introduction
There are a number of educational theories designed to improve the retention and
engagement of students. Educational theories are essential to incorporate, because they
are methods that have been shown to influence educational outcomes. As educators, the
goal is to design effective content that is clear, useful, and most importantly, educates the
student.
Integrating these theories into web design helps to ensure that the website
provides a meaningful learning experience by engaging a variety of users. There are a
number of web design principles to follow, in addition to the incorporation of the
educational theories. By combining educational theory and web design, the learner will
engage and have a more meaningful learning experience.
Different Types of Theories
There are a number of different types of theories. Some theories focus on
reaching all learning types, such as the Multiple Intelligences Theory. Others focus on
optimizing content so that the learner is not over or under stimulated, such as the
Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning and the Cognitive Load Theory.
Multiple Intelligences Theory
Multiple Intelligences Theory was developed by Howard Gardner (1983). Since
the first publication of his book, he has included several new editions. Gardner included
eight areas that impact how an individual learns. These areas are linguistic,
logical/mathematical, musical Rhythmic, bodily/kinesthetic, spatial, naturalist,

intrapersonal, and interpersonal. Most individuals are a combination of several of these

learning styles, with a few dominating how they learn.
The reason this is so important is because educators may be missing out on the
most effective way to teach the student. If the majority of the class is a combination of
spatial, logical/mathematical, and intrapersonal but the educator has developed materials
that mostly appeal to linguistic and visual learners, the student will likely not learn as
well. Knowing the different types of learners allows educators to incorporate all learning
styles into materials to effectively reach all of their students instead of some with a
specific style.
Linguistic intelligence learners use language as their primary from of
communication and learning. Words are more meaningful to them than other learners.
Writing and speaking allows linguistic intelligence learners to effectively use language
and retain the material that is spoken and written (Multiple Intelligences Theory, N.D.).
Logical and mathematical intelligence learners use math and logic to learn.
Numerical figures are meaningful to logical and mathematical learners. These
individuals learn best when exposed to a scientific method involving the use and
manipulation of numbers and a logical flow (Multiple Intelligences Theory, N.D.).
Musical rhythmic intelligence learners are individuals who use music to learn.
Musical patterns are quickly identified and allow learners to retain the material easily.
Appealing to this type of learner would involve using musical patterns (Multiple
Intelligences Theory, N.D.). There are a number of ways that this can be done, from a
song talking about Arthropods to creating a musical rhyme that helps the students
remember a series of words (Miller, 2013).

Bodily and kinesthetic intelligence learners are physical learners. These

individuals learn best when they are using their body to learn. This may involve using
their body to form something, feel something, or physically move and act out the material
(Multiple Intelligences Theory, N.D.).
Spatial intelligence learners are able to think about the world on multiple planes
and are learn best when they are manipulating space with their mind (Multiple
Intelligences Theory, N.D.). Some of the individuals who learn this way might include a
cartographer, an architect, or other individuals who learn and process information in more
dimensions than linear. By including materials that challenge a spatial thinker, they will
learn and retain materials easier than having a learning style that is not as suited to how
they think and learn.
Naturalist intelligence learners thrive in the physical world. The individuals
easily learn the features of the natural world including rocks, clouds, plants, and animals
(Multiple Intelligences Theory, N.D.). This is helpful in a number of fields, ranging from
geologist to botanist to chef (Multiple Intelligences Theory, N.D.). Potentially this
intelligence rose out of the historical need to learn about the earth, flora, and fauna.
Intrapersonal intelligence learners are realistic about their own abilities. These
individuals reflect inwards and learn best when motivated to inwardly reflect (Multiple
Intelligences Theory, N.D.). Posing challenging questions that cause the learner to
inwardly reflect can create a meaningful learning situation.
Interpersonal intelligence learners are outward driven. These are the individuals
who easily are able to understand others (Multiple Intelligences Theory, N.D.). Creating
a situation where the learner is working with other individuals or perhaps going out into

the community to observe people can create a learning opportunity that will help the
interpersonal learner engage and retain.
Schools that have used the Multiple Intelligences Theory have seen an increase in
test scores. Schools in Maryland saw an increase of 20% when using the Multiple
Intelligences Theory to teach their students (Gallagher, 2003). Any improvement is
important, and by using a combination of theories and developing better methods and
teacher training around the Multiple Intelligences Theory, potentially this will further
increase.
How Does This Website Support the Multiple Intelligences Theory
It is important that the website appeals to a variety of different learning styles.
Because of that, there are a number of different features included to engage specific
learning styles based on the Multiple Intelligences Theory. Some topics lend themselves
better to different styles of learning. Others may be able to include other styles, but it is a
learning process for the educator and web designer alike.
Some items may appeal to multiple learning styles. On this website, there is a
challenge to the user to practice their citations. Practice makes perfect! Why not pull
up a blank Word document or grab a pen and paper to practice writing some citations.
Take it to the writing center, ask for advice on what you did right and what areas you
might want to improve (Luke, 2014). This could appeal to both linguistic, kinesthetic
learners, intrapersonal, and interpersonal learners.
The linguistic learner could benefit by writing. Although they are not being
challenged to use language in this situation, the activity may be more meaningful to them
than simply reading about the citations. The kinesthetic learner needs to do in order to

learn. Writing is a physical activity that can help them learn and reinforce the lessons on
the website. Intrapersonal learners best learn by reflecting inwardly. Because of this, the
challenge to find their strengths and weaknesses with the help of the writing lab could
create a meaningful learning experience for the intrapersonal individual. The
interpersonal learner would benefit from the social interaction provided at the writing
center.
Spatial learners may benefit from the ThingLink that is presented on the first
page. ThingLink allows the image to become an interactive item where the space is
meaningful, instead of flat. For an individual who identifies information to a specific
point, this may help them retain the information.
Musical learners will benefit from the song on the page about what goes into a
typical paper. This song discusses the parts of a paper in a simple manner that will
provide information that the musical learner is easily able to recall. Some topics have
more musical potential than others, for example there seem to be no currently created
songs about the peer review process. It is also important to find materials that are
meaningful, not just that appeal to the specific learner type.
Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning
The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning states that humans can only
process a certain amount of information (Learning Theories, N.D.). After the individual
process too much information, they can become overwhelmed. This is not ideal in an
educational situation or with a website. Both the educator and the web designer want the
individual receiving the information to get the message, but not be so over stimulated that
the message is lost.

Because individuals can only process so much information, it is important that the
extra information that is not directly related to the lesson is removed. If there is sound
playing that does not contribute to the lesson, it can likely be removed. If there is a
number of images that are similar or images that do not add to the lesson, these would
likely be better reduced or removed. Even if something does add to the lesson, there
might be a point where there is so much content, it is better to simplify and reduce where
possible information (Learning Theories, N.D.).
To reduce the amount of stimulation in this website, a clean and simple frame
chosen to boarder a simple white background. In addition, the content was kept simple
and purposefully non repetitive. This is important because if the learner listens to the
same message too many times in a multitude of ways, it can overwhelm the individual.
On this website, there is text that is simple and straightforward. Where applicable, the
text leads to a video that offers new information that was not previously included on the
page such as on Truncation in search terms. Truncation is briefly mentioned as a lead in
to get the learner interested, but it is not discussed to avoid redundancy.
Cognitive Load Theory
Cognitive Load Theory, which comes out of psychology, states that it can be
stressful to tax the working memory too much. Providing associations instead of forcing
the learner to search for them reduces the strain on the working memory (Instructional
Design, N.D.). Because of this, it is important to limit the amount of information that is
potentially bombarding the learner in any given moment. Ensuring that the content has
meaning and is necessary helps reduce the cognitive load. If the content is not

meaningful, it can command too much of your users attention and detract attention
from the main content of your page (Lynch and Horton A, N.D.).
The items chosen are meaningful. The images relate to the topic and there is
often only one image per page. There is no audio playing without the learner clicking on
a video to start sound. The page design is purposefully simple so that the content is the
star and not the website itself. People do, however, learn better when there are images
included, so although these are limited, they are directly related to the page. By
minimally, but purposefully, using the images the learner is engaged (University of
Hartford, N.D.).
Incorporation of Web Design Principles into Website
The Multiple Intelligences Theory and other educational theories are applicable to
both in person (traditional) and online (web based) education. Regardless of where the
learning is taking place, individuals have a variety of learning styles. What is important
is that the method of providing learning materials to the individual is different. Online
education or a website with an educational purpose also needs to be driven by theories of
web design.
When designing a website, regardless of purpose, there are a number of style
choices that should be considered. The website needs to be clear, easy to use, easy to
navigate, and easy to read. The website should not do specific actions that might drive
users away, such as sound that was not triggered by the user.
When designing this website, a variety of factors were considered to make the
website clear and informative. We seek clarity, order, and trustworthiness in
information sources, whether traditional paper documents or web pages (Lynch and

Horton B, N.D.). There are images to keep the reader engaged so that the pages have
visual impact (Lynch and Horton B, N.D.). There is text hierarchy to provide simple
headings and text body (Lynch and Horton C, N.D.).
Usability
Usability is important to consider when making a website. Usability is a
measure of effectiveness (Dillon A, N.D.). The goal is to create a website that is usable
by a wide variety of individuals. This way, regardless of who is using the website, the
content is accessible to them. Ideally, a website will allow for a variety of different user
controls, such as changing the text to high-contrast (Dillon B, N.D.). One factor to
consider is that many website creators that use templates do not provide the ability to
allow options such as this. Because this is not an option on many sites, it is important to
consider where the website is created. Certain usability may also be more important,
depending on the intended audience. If the intended audience of the website is likely to
benefit from a features such as high-contrast text, it would be advisable to incorporate
this into the design.
Readability
Readability is another factor to consider. What is important is to know the
intended audience. The intended audience of this website is college students, likely
undergraduates. Because of that, most should have a higher level of readability. If this
was a different topic, the readability would need to reflect the audience. No matter what,
it is best to keep it simple. Do not be needlessly wordy and do not use complicated
terms. Avoid phrases that may cause confusion. Keeping the wording simple can help to
keep the readability simple and reduce the overall load placed in the learner.

Conclusion
Educational theory acts as a guide, informing on what is important and can help
improve learning. Web design principles help create clear and effective websites that are
easy to navigate and read. Combining the educational theory with web design provides a
web based learning experience that appeals to a variety of learning types, while being
easy to navigate and simple enough to get the message across. Reducing the cognitive
load by only having what is needed against a well designed website will help to ensure
that learners are receiving the message.

Works Cited:
Dillon, A. (N.D.). 2 Universal Usability. Web Style Guide 3rd Edition.
http://www.webstyleguide.com/wsg3/2-universal-usability/index.html
Dillon, A. (N.D.). 2 Universal Usability, Sidebar: Universal Design Principles. Web Style
Guide 3rd Edition. http://www.webstyleguide.com/wsg3/2-universal-usability/3universal-design.html
Gardner, H. (1985). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. Basic Books:
University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, Mi.
Gallagher, B. J. (2003). Multiple Intelligences and Online Instruction.
Instructional Design. (N.D.). Cognitive Load Theory (John Sweller). Instructional
Design. http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/cognitive-load.html
Learning Theories. (N.D.). Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (Mayer). LearningTheories.com: Knowledge base and webliography. http://www.learningtheories.com/cognitive-theory-of-multimedia-learning-mayer.html
Luke, J. (2014). Citations. Academic Writing and Citations.
http://academicwriting2.webnode.com/citations/
Lynch, P. J. and Hotron, S. A. (N.D.). Considerations for Multimedia. Web Style Guide:
3rd Edition. http://www.webstyleguide.com/wsg3/12-multimedia/1considerations.html
Lynch, P. J. and Hotron, S. B. (N.D.). Page Design. Web Style Guide: 3rd Edition.
http://www.webstyleguide.com/wsg3/7-page-design/index.html
Lynch, P. J. and Hotron, S. B. (N.D.). Typography. Web Style Guide: 3rd Edition.
http://www.webstyleguide.com/wsg3/8-typography/index.html

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Miller, L. (2013). Baby, You're an Arthropod! Songs about insects, crustaceans,

arachnids & More. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFe3cZLuhUs
Multiple Intelligences Theory. (N. D.) Multiple Intelligences Theory Handout.
http://etpt5210fall.pbworks.com/w/file/83743216/Multiple%20Intelligences%20T
heory.docx
University of Hartford. (N.D.). 12 Principles of Multimedia Learning. University of
Hartford Faculty Learning Center.
http://etpt5210fall.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/83245672/2001_12_principles_multi
media.pdf

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