This a master’s project that uses Mayer’s multimedia principles to explore why smart people make poor decisions under pressure
For this master’s assignment, I needed to create a 6–8 minute lecture on an instructional topic. Instead of building a traditional slide-based lecture, I designed Decision Breakdown as an interactive multimedia lesson that uses real-world cases, visual storytelling, and learner reflection to teach decision-making under pressure. The project demonstrates Mayer’s multimedia principles through focused visuals, concise narration, signaling, and structured pacing.
To design this lesson, I conducted a task analysis of decision-making under pressure. Rather than presenting theory upfront, I broke the process down into the underlying cognitive steps learners actually perform when evaluating a situation.
I identified key points in the decision process—initial interpretation, commitment to a course of action, evaluation of new evidence, and response under time and social pressure. From there, I mapped where breakdowns typically occur, such as anchoring to early assumptions, filtering evidence through confirmation bias, and hesitating to challenge authority.
This analysis allowed me to translate abstract concepts like cognitive bias into observable decision behaviors. The result is a structured learning experience where learners can see how decisions unfold over time, diagnose where errors occur, and apply that understanding to their own professional contexts.
I approached this project as a departure from a traditional lecture. Instead of presenting concepts first, I designed the lesson around a performance problem—why intelligent professionals make flawed decisions under pressure.
Using Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction, I structured the experience so learners encounter real-world cases before being introduced to theory. Concepts like cognitive bias and system pressure are introduced at the moment learners need them, then immediately applied to reinterpret each scenario. The visual design reinforces this structure, using signaling and segmentation (Mayer) to guide attention and reduce cognitive load.
I approached this project as a departure from a traditional lecture. Instead of presenting concepts first, I designed the lesson around a performance problem—why intelligent professionals make flawed decisions under pressure.
Using Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction, I structured the experience so learners encounter real-world cases before being introduced to theory. Concepts like cognitive bias and system pressure are introduced at the moment learners need them, then immediately applied to reinterpret each scenario. The visual design reinforces this structure, using signaling and segmentation (Mayer) to guide attention and reduce cognitive load.
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