This paper gives four principles for preparing multimedia instructional sequences and experimental methods for applying the principles. It also describes the empirical experiments on which the principles are based. Principle 1 is a criterion for good terminology for unfamiliar objects, actions, and situations, with methods for deriving such terminology. Principle 2 tells how to overlap visual and spoken elements in time (as in a movie or a lecture with slides) to form good associations. Principle 3 states that division of instructions into conceptual units should agree with people's natural conceptualization. A method is presented for finding the natural conceptualization. Principle 4 treats mixing audiovisual instruction with hands-on practice in learning a procedure.