RESUMO
Purpose Due to the lack of standard and research-based frameworks in evaluating the content designed in electronic courses, there appears a need to examine some existing theoretical models like the cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) developed by Richard Mayer on real occasions. To confirm the effectiveness of the seven principles of the model driven from this theory in different educational settings, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the present study was conducted in the contexts of two universities in Iran for comparison purposes. Design/methodology/approach The present research is a descriptive one for which a survey method was considered to collect data. A measurement instrument was developed based on the seven principles mentioned in the last edition of the book written by Clark and Mayer (2016) as well as an extensive review of the related literature. The data gathered from 524 online questionnaires returned by students of a public university Shahid Beheshti University (SBU) and a private one Ruzbahan University (RU) were then analyzed through partial least squares using SmartPLS 3.0. Findings The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that convergent and discriminant validities, as well as model fit indices, had the reliability of the theoretical model at the 99% confidence level. Based on the path coefficients found for testing hypotheses, modality and coherence principles were the first and last priorities, respectively. Moreover, the comparative study showed that t-statistics values for multimedia, contiguity, modality, redundancy and personalization but not for coherence, and segmenting and pretraining principles are significantly different between the two universities. Originality/value This study can be considered a pioneering research in Iran so as to increase the quality of multimedia design, instruction and learning at university levels in future research while emphasizing the importance of Mayer's principles in the design of electronic content.