Struggling to make your lessons more engaging? Lesson planning for Multimedia Learning can help. When done intentionally, static lectures become dynamic, interactive experiences that boost learning. But here’s the thing—just adding a video or animation won’t cut it. The real impact comes from intentional lesson planning that ensures Multimedia enhances comprehension rather than overwhelming students.

Read on for 5 practical Multimedia Learning lesson planning steps and find a template lesson plan at the end. Or, check out myViewBoard and ViewBoard interactive displays if you’re ready to start creating Multimedia Learning content!

We’ve all seen how multimedia can grab students’ attention, but does it actually improve learning? Research says yes—when used the right way. Studies show that adding relevant pictures to problem-solving tasks boosts accuracy and confidence, while instructional videos enhance motivation, practical skills, and overall effectiveness across subjects and grade levels. And here’s the kicker—students with two years of exposure to interactive whiteboards have been found to make up to 7.5 months of additional learning progress compared to those without access.

But when multimedia is used poorly, it can backfire, leading to cognitive overload and potentially lowering retention rates. So, how do you plan for Multimedia Learning? Before diving into specific steps, let’s break down what Multimedia Learning is, why it works, and what makes it so effective.

What Is Multimedia Learning?

Think about the last time you explained a concept to your students. Did you just talk at them, or did you use visuals, gestures, or maybe a short video to drive the point home? If you did, you weren’t just making your lesson more engaging—you were actually helping their brains learn better.

How the Brain Processes Information

According to Allan Paivio’s Dual Coding Theory, the brain processes information through two channels at the same time:

• Verbal (spoken words, narration, sound effects).
• Non-verbal (images, diagrams, animations).

When students see and hear information together, they understand it better and remember it longer. Think about language learning—if a student hears the word “apple” while seeing a picture of an apple, their brain stores it in both verbal and visual memory, making recall much easier. Without that image? That word is far more likely to slip away.

The Importance of Proper Multimedia Design

Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning builds on Paivio’s work, proving that students learn best when both verbal and visual channels work together—but only when designed properly to avoid cognitive overload.

Overall, our analysis shows that cognitive load is a central consideration in the design of multimedia instruction.

Richard E. Mayer & Roxana Moreno, 2010

What’s cognitive overload? Ever seen students completely zone out during a text-heavy slideshow? That’s it in action. John Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory explains that our brains can only handle so much at once. Too much text, too many visuals, or overly complex explanations overwhelm us, making it harder to absorb information.

The good news is, Mayer’s research outlines 12 principles that ensure multimedia actually enhances learning, keeping students focused, boosting comprehension, and Improving retention. But knowing the principles is one thing—actually designing a lesson around them is another. That’s where a clear planning process comes in.

Lesson Planning for Multimedia Learning: Your Go-To Steps

To help you bring these Multimedia Learning principles into your classroom in practical, realistic ways, we’ve pulled together five research-backed planning steps. They’ll help you make smart choices about what to include, how to present it, and when to build in interaction—so your lessons feel engaging without becoming overwhelming.

Step 1: Set Learning Goals That Build on What Students Know

A strong lesson isn’t built around multimedia first—it’s built around clear learning objectives. Before diving into flashy videos or interactive slides, ask yourself:

• What should students understand by the end of the lesson?
• What skill or process should they be able to apply?
• What misconceptions might need to be addressed?

Once your goals are set, plan how to connect new learning to what students already know. Mayer’s Pre-Training Principle shows that students grasp ideas more easily when they have background knowledge to build on.

People learn more deeply from a multimedia message when they know the names and characteristics of the main concepts.

Richard Mayer, 2009

Instead of diving straight into new material, set the stage first—start with a quick discussion or a real-world example to activate prior knowledge, and introduce key terms upfront to help make students feel more prepared.

By setting clear goals and helping students make connections from the start, multimedia becomes more than just engaging—it becomes meaningful.

Step 2: Choose the Right Multimedia Tools

Next up, you need to plan what multimedia tools to use in your lesson. The best tools don’t just present information, but guide students through it in manageable chunks (hello, Cognitive Load Theory), helping them connect new concepts to what they already know.

Start by choosing tools that get students actively involved rather than just passively watching. Here are some great options:

• Interactive displays: Tools like ViewBoards let students engage directly with lesson content.
• Digital whiteboards: Platforms like myViewBoard or TeamOne make brainstorming and visual explanations more dynamic.
• Interactive learning platforms: ClassSwift lets students participate in real-time, student-driven activities.
• Simulations and virtual labs: PhET, Gizmos, or Labster bring hands-on experimentation into the digital space.
• Gamified learning tools: ClassSwift and Blooket add a fun, competitive element to reinforce key concepts.
• Video annotation tools: PlayPosit lets you embed questions and discussions directly into videos.

Take the engagement further by combining tools. Pairing a digital whiteboard with an interactive display lets students annotate, embed multimedia, and manipulate on-screen elements—turning passive viewing into active participation.

To make sure you’re choosing the right tools, ask yourself:

• Does this tool directly support my learning objective, or is it just adding excitement?
• Will it help students engage in meaningful ways?
• Is it appropriate for my students’ age and skill level?
• Does it offer accessibility features like captions, transcripts, or adjustable pacing?

Finally, consider whether students know how to use the tools effectively—a key part of the Pre-Training Principle. A quick walkthrough or demo can prevent tech confusion from overshadowing the actual lesson.

With the right tools in place, the next step is structuring your content in a way that keeps students engaged—without overwhelming them.

Step 3: Structure Multimedia Content for Clarity & Engagement

At this stage, focus on how you design and present multimedia content, as this can make or break comprehension. Done well, it guides students through new ideas in a way that’s easy to follow. Done poorly, it creates cognitive overload, making it harder for them to retain anything at all.

Let’s break down how to design content based on Mayer’s Multimedia Learning Principles, with a water cycle diagram as an example.

Break Content into Manageable Chunks (Segmenting Principle)

Dumping too much information on students at once can backfire. So, instead of showing the entire water cycle in one go, design your multimedia to introduce one stage at a time:

• Start with evaporation – Let students focus on how water turns into vapor before adding more details.
• Move to condensation – Connect it to evaporation so they see how the cycle builds.
• Introduce precipitation – Finally, bring it all together to show the full cycle.

If students are working independently, in groups, or using their own devices, design your Multimedia Learning content so that they can navigate it at their own pace—pausing, skipping ahead, or revisiting sections as needed.

This step-by-step approach works even if students are working independently, in groups, or on their own devices—so design your multimedia content to let them navigate at their own pace, pausing, skipping ahead, or revisiting sections as needed.

Keep Visuals Clear & Remove Distractions (Coherence Principle)

More visuals don’t always mean better learning. Extra graphics, flashy animations, or cluttered layouts can actually make it harder for students to focus. Keep it simple:

• Remove unnecessary graphics that don’t directly explain the process.
• Use clean, focused visuals that clearly illustrate each stage.
• Keep on-screen text minimal so it doesn’t compete with the visuals.

Use Visual Cues to Direct Attention (Signaling Principle)

Even a well-organized diagram can be confusing if it doesn’t direct students’ attention to the right details. The Signaling Principle helps students zero in on key information through visual and auditory cues.

For the water cycle diagram, this might mean:

• Color coding each stage (e.g., blue for evaporation, white for condensation, dark gray for precipitation).
• Placing labels right next to the relevant parts of the diagram instead of making students search for them in a separate key.
• Using arrows to show movement, making it clear how water transitions through each stage.

These small tweaks help students process information faster and retain it longer.

Present Text, Visuals & Narration in Sync (Modality, Contiguity, & Voice Principles)

How information is presented matters just as much as what is presented. Aligning visuals, narration, and text ensures students don’t waste mental energy figuring out how they connect.

• Pair spoken explanations with visuals instead of large blocks of text (Modality Principle), and use a friendly, natural-sounding voice for narration (Voice Principle).
• Sync narration with visuals so that when condensation is discussed, that part of the diagram is highlighted (Temporal Contiguity Principle).
• Place text next to relevant visuals rather than in a separate key (Spatial Contiguity Principle).

Prepare Multiple Content Formats (Redundancy Principle)

The Redundancy Principle is all about clarity—too much repetition can overwhelm rather than help. If on-screen text matches the narration, it’s more distracting than useful. The fix? Provide optional captions or transcripts for accessibility, but hide them for those who don’t need them.

Once your multimedia materials are structured effectively, the next step is planning how students will actively engage with them.

Step 4: Plan Student Interaction with Multimedia Content

Creating multimedia is just the start—the real impact comes from active learning. Watching a video or looking at a diagram may grab students’ attention, but they learn best when they actively engage with the lesson rather than passively observing it.

So, instead of just displaying your water cycle diagram, build activities into your lesson plan that get students interacting with it:

• Drag-and-drop labeling: Have students label key parts of the cycle, reinforcing concepts like evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
• Digital quizzes with real-time feedback: Use Google Forms or ClassSwift for comprehension check activities where students predict what happens when conditions change.
• Gamified challenges: Add points, badges, or interactive tasks where students compete to complete stages of the cycle.

Now, how do you know it’s working? Time to assess and reinforce learning.

Step 5: Assess Understanding & Reinforce Learning

Don’t wait until the last five minutes to find out what stuck—bake comprehension checks right into your lesson plan. This keeps students engaged, helps them process information, and stops misconceptions before they snowball.

For our water cycle lesson, this can involve:

• Using ClassSwift for quick check-ins: Send out questions to students’ devices. Try something like, “What if condensation didn’t occur?” to spark critical thinking.
• Pausing interactive videos in PlayPosit: Ask students to reflect, predict, or explain before moving on, keeping them actively engaged.
• Running live polls with myViewBoard: Spot misconceptions fast and adjust your teaching on the fly.

Instant feedback like this makes learning stick—it helps students catch mistakes early, rethink their answers, and stay on track. But why stop there? Plan for them to apply what they’ve learned in creative ways:

• Annotate diagrams in myViewBoard: Go beyond dragging and dropping pre-made labels and shake things up—encourage students to add their own explanations from time to time.
• Experiment with virtual simulations: Use tools like Gizmos or PhET to tweak variables like temperature and humidity, then explain the effects.
• Design an infographic in Canva: Let them create a visual summary of the water cycle to reinforce their understanding.

By blending real-time assessment with hands-on application, you help students move from memorization to true understanding.

Final Thoughts

By now, you’ve seen how applying the Multimedia Learning Principles to your lesson planning can help students process, understand, and retain information more effectively. From choosing the right technology to structuring lessons in a way that avoids cognitive overload, lesson planning for Multimedia Learning ensures that every tool serves a clear purpose and delivers meaningful results.

But you don’t have to overhaul your entire approach overnight. Start small. Try adding just one new multimedia strategy to your next lesson—maybe an interactive video, a science simulation, or a narrated visual explanation. Even small tweaks can have a big impact on student engagement and comprehension.

As you dive in, keep these three golden rules in mind:

• Be intentional – Every multimedia tool should have a clear role in supporting learning.
• Keep it simple – Too much text, cluttered slides, or flashy effects can be more distracting than helpful.
• Make it accessible – Captions, transcripts, and high-contrast visuals ensure all students can engage.

Ready to Get Started?

Check out the example lesson plan below and download the editable template from the ViewSonic Educator Community. Then, bring your lessons to life with tools like myViewBoard for intuitive digital whiteboarding and ClassSwift to add interactive elements to static content!

Download the free Multimedia Learning lesson plan template here!

Sources

• Ajogbeje, O.J. (2023) ‘Enhancing classroom learning outcomes: The power of immediate feedback strategy‘, International Journal of Disabilities Sports and Health Sciences, 6(3), pp. 453–465.​
• Dipon, C.H. and Dio, R.V. (2024) ‘A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of video-based instruction on students’ academic performance in science and mathematics‘, International Journal on Studies in Education (IJonSE), 6(4).​
• Freeman, S., Eddy, S.L., McDonough, M., Smith, M.K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H. and Wenderoth, M.P. (2014) ‘Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics‘, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), pp. 8410–8415.​
• Hu, L., Chen, G., Li, P. and Huang, J. (2021) ‘Multimedia effect in problem solving: A meta-analysis‘, Educational Psychology Review, pp. 1–31.​
• Mayer, R.E. and Moreno, R. (2003) ‘Nine ways to reduce cognitive load in multimedia learning‘, Educational Psychologist, 38(1), pp. 43–52.​
• Mayer, R.E. (2005) ‘Cognitive theory of multimedia learning‘, in The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning. 1st edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 31–48.​
• Mayer, R.E. (2009) ‘Pre-training principle‘, in Multimedia Learning. 2nd edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 189–199.​
• Paivio, A. (1990) Mental representations: A dual coding approach. Oxford: Oxford University Press.​
• Pink, A. and Newton, P.M. (2020) ‘Decorative animations impair recall and are a source of extraneous cognitive load’, Advances in Physiology Education.​
• Somekh, B., Haldane, M., Jones, K., Lewin, C., Steadman, S., Scrimshaw, P., Sing, S., Bird, K., Cummings, J., Downing, B. and Harber Stuart, T. (2007) Evaluation of the primary schools whiteboard expansion project.​
• Sweller, J. (1988) ‘Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning‘, Cognitive Science, 12(2), pp. 257–285.

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