Expertise Reversal Principle

Overview

The expertise reversal principle is an instructional design principle that states that the effectiveness of multimedia learning environments depends on the prior knowledge of the learner. For example, principles that help low-knowledge learners may not be as helpful or even be a hindrance to high-knowledge learners. However, it is important to note that experts usually still outperform novices, regardless of the instructional format used. The difference is that experts' performance is worse in comparison to other experts who learn the same material using a different format. It suggests instructional guidance beneficial for novice learners can become redundant for more knowledgeable learners. It recognizes that providing too much direction can be detrimental to the learner experience of expert learners.

Expertise Reversal Effect

The expertise reversal effect is a phenomenon where instructional design principles that are effective for low-knowledge learners (novices) may not be effective for high-knowledge learners (experts).

Evidence

Most of the studies in instructional