Eye Movement Modeling Examples (EMME) as an instructional tool for multimedia learning¶
Design · All designs
Evidence · 2 claims (1 for, 1 against) · 1 study (1 causal),q1· 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study
Description¶
EMME are recordings of a model's eye movements performed during a task, overlaid onto the task material so that learners can see where, how long, and in what order the model looks. In this study the EMME were short videos in which "A white spotlight on the otherwise grey shaded page represented a gaze fixation", with spotlight size varying with fixation duration, and no verbal instruction. They were shown on the first four pages of an illustrated text on mitosis to demonstrate effective multimedia processing strategies such as inspecting the picture before reading and looking at corresponding picture elements during text-reading.
Design Implications¶
Context¶
Requirements¶
- Learners must be informed in an introductory text that the abstract gaze cue (spotlight) represents human eye movements and that spotlight size illustrates fixation time.
Constraints¶
- In this study EMME-guidance was presented only on the first four pages of the learning material, and posttest items referred only to Part 2 to avoid direct influence of the external guidance.
Target Learners¶
- University students learning biology (mitosis) from illustrated texts
Learning Goals¶
- Applying effective multimedia processing strategies (selecting, organizing and integrating text and picture information)
- Understanding the biological processes of mitosis
Claims¶
- For recall performance, the study found no significant three-way interaction between modeling condition, prior knowledge activation and domain knowledge, so the model-observer similarity hypotheses were not supported. [-W]
- The exploratory analyses provided first evidence that social comparison orientation interacts with (alleged) model competence regarding EMME effectiveness. [+W]
Related Designs¶
- Emme Three Perspectives Effectiveness
Examples¶
- Frame abstract gaze cues as human eye movements in the introductory text so learners perceive EMME as a social learning situation: telling learners the abstract cue is a person's gaze, so EMME are read as a social learning situation
Key Sources¶
- Krebs, M.-C., Schüler, A., & Scheiter, K. (2021). Do prior knowledge, model-observer similarity and social comparison influence the effectiveness of eye movement modeling examples for supporting multimedia learning? Instructional Science, 49, 607–635. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-021-09552-7
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
design |
id |
emme-eye-movement-modeling-examples |
title |
Eye Movement Modeling Examples (EMME) as an instructional tool for multimedia learning |
description |
EMME are recordings of a model's eye movements performed during a task, overlaid onto the task material so that learners can see where, how long, and in what order the model looks. |
status |
review |
generated |
by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-18 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — krebs-2021 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.