###### Abstract  
The design of multimedia teaching materials and the principles of their presentation to students strongly influence distance learning efficiency. The appropriate design of online educational multimedia content became especially important during the period of the COVID-19 crisis. This study presents a methodology for improving the efficiency of multimedia-based distance learning by reducing the cognitive load. Combining the segmentation principle with pauses and testing questions in the design of multimedia teaching materials has a positive influence on reducing the cognitive load in distance learning. Practice as an instructional element was more efficient if it was used between the multimedia educational segments than after the presentation of complete multimedia material. The obtained experimental results show an improvement in distance learning efficiency and an increase in the students' quality of experience. The improvement of learning outcomes using the proposed methodology of multimedia segmentation combined with pauses and testing questions can be especially important for distance education in situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. multimedia learning; quality of experience; learning effectiveness; working memory; cognitive load 20202017 January 202017 January  
The effectiveness of the methodology for the design and presentation of multimedia learning material can be analyzed with two learning outcomes: the level of acquired knowledge of learning objectives and the level of students' experience with the learning materials and teaching process. To ensure that students achieve learning objectives effectively and to measure the effectiveness of the learning experience the quality of experience (QoE) concept is mostly used. Adequate QoE metrics are often used to analyze the retention of knowledge, students' engagement, and motivation for learning. The assessment of the students' QoE with the presented multimedia content was usually conducted immediately after the viewing. This QoE assessment, together with the knowledge test results, is used for the assessment of the proposed learning method efficiency [3]. It is possible to use many different objective and subjective input variables for QoE assessment that illustrate the complexity of this research question. Online teaching needs to be analyzed by relying on the appropriate usage of multimedia teaching resources, emphasizing the information processing theory. The educational video design became an important research topic that was emphasized especially during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. The appropriate use of multimedia and different teaching methods provides an effective self-learning process, which was especially important during the period of the COVID-19 crisis [4]. Many approaches can improve the use of instructional design. Some of them are segmenting strategy, different video length usage, pairing multimedia content with user activity, using various quizzes as additional content, etc. [5]. Previous research studies showed the positive influence of the segmentation of instructional videos on the cognitive load, satisfaction, and efficiency of learning. The authors of [6] confirmed with experimental results the positive effects of segmentation as a principle of designing teaching materials. In [7], authors showed that using the videos divided into smaller units provides less cognitive load, as well as increasing user satisfaction and academic achievement. Recent research also presented that the high segmentation of multimedia education material has a significant impact on cognitive load [8]. An important research question represents the effect of combining the different principles and practices of instructional video design. Segmenting strategy can be paired with the other principles of design. The authors of [9] showed that the positive effect of segmenting strategy in instructional video design can be improved if active pauses are used between segments.