A Proposed Multimedia Cone of Abstraction: Updating a Classic Instructional Design Theory

Advanced multimedia techniques offer significant learning potential for students. Dale (1946, 1954, 1969) developed a Cone of Experience (CoE) which is a hierarchy of learning experiences ranging from direct participation to abstract symbolic expression. This paper updates the CoE for today's technology and learning context, specifically focused on the use of multimedia in education. The new hierarchy, called the Multimedia Cone of Abstraction (MCoA), has fewer primary levels than the CoE but many more total levels because of multiple potential sublevels. The purpose of the MCoA is to help instructional designers of educational content to select appropriate multimedia for each learning context.