Difference between revisions of "Cognitive Load"

Difference between revisions of "Cognitive Load"

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The cognitive load is a very important aspect to be considered while designing a learning process. The information provided to learners must be carefully selected and filtered so as they are confronted only with what is essential. Information that exceeds learners' working memory capacity overwhelms it, compromising the retention of essential elements. A rule of thumb to follow is to identify the difference between what is necessary to know in order to meet the [[Learning Objectives|learning objectives]], and what is nice to know. Information that is nice to know could refer to additional material related to the topic which is not essential to meet the learning objectives. What is necessary to know should be included in the compulsory readings, in order to stress the importance for learners to remember it. What is nice to know should be included in the optional readings, as it is not mandatory for learners to retain that information. <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_load Wikipedia] (1 March 2010), [http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Cognitive_load edutechwiki] (2 March 2010), [http://edtechdev.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/cognitive-load-theory-failure/ edtechdev.wordpress.com] (2 March 2010), [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/173635 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov] (18 March 2010), Cliff Atkinson, “The science of Making Your PowerPoint Memorable: Q&A with Nelson Cowan”, [http://www.beyondbulletpoints.com www.beyondbulletpoints.com] (June 2004), George A. Miller, The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information”, Psychological Review 63, 81-97 (1956) </ref>}}
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The cognitive load is a very important aspect to be considered while designing a learning process. The information provided to learners must be carefully selected and filtered so as they are confronted only with what is essential. Information that exceeds learners' working memory capacity overwhelms it, compromising the retention of essential elements. A major rule to follow is to clearly identify what is mandatory for the learners to know in order to meet the [[Learning Objectives|learning objectives]], differentiating it from complementary information. Information that is nice to know could refer to additional material related to the topic which is not essential to meet the learning objectives. What is necessary to know should be included in the compulsory readings, in order to stress the importance for learners to remember it. What is nice to know should be included in the optional readings, as it is not mandatory for learners to retain that information. <ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_load Wikipedia] (1 March 2010), [http://edutechwiki.unige.ch/en/Cognitive_load edutechwiki] (2 March 2010), [http://edtechdev.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/cognitive-load-theory-failure/ edtechdev.wordpress.com] (2 March 2010), [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/173635 www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov] (18 March 2010), Cliff Atkinson, “The science of Making Your PowerPoint Memorable: Q&A with Nelson Cowan”, [http://www.beyondbulletpoints.com www.beyondbulletpoints.com] (June 2004), George A. Miller, The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information”, Psychological Review 63, 81-97 (1956) </ref>}}
  
  

Revision as of 09:37, 13 April 2010

Term2.png COGNITIVE LOAD
The amount of information that loads the working memory in a learning process. The working memory is the part of the brain that provides temporary storage for new information. It is responsible for processing the information and then integrating it in the long-term memory. The working memory has limited capacity. It can only process and select little information to be integrated in the long-term memory. It is impossible to control what information is selected for processing and long-term storage.


The cognitive load is a very important aspect to be considered while designing a learning process. The information provided to learners must be carefully selected and filtered so as they are confronted only with what is essential. Information that exceeds learners' working memory capacity overwhelms it, compromising the retention of essential elements. A major rule to follow is to clearly identify what is mandatory for the learners to know in order to meet the learning objectives, differentiating it from complementary information. Information that is nice to know could refer to additional material related to the topic which is not essential to meet the learning objectives. What is necessary to know should be included in the compulsory readings, in order to stress the importance for learners to remember it. What is nice to know should be included in the optional readings, as it is not mandatory for learners to retain that information. [1]


Toolkit.png Considering the cognitive load while designing a course

General Guidelines

  1. Keep in mind that:
    • The working memory is limited
    • It is impossible to control which information will be registered in the long term memory
  2. Select carefully the information you give learners:
    • Avoid providing learners with too much information, otherwise they might be overwhelmed and not even retain the essential one
  3. Identify:
    • What is necessary to know (information needed in order to meet the learning objectives)
    • What is nice to know (additional information related to the topic but not indispensable in order to meet the learning objectives)
  4. Include what is necessary to know in the compulsory readings
  5. Include what is nice to know in the optional readings
  6. For each lesson of your course make sure that:
    • The amount of slides is reasonable
    • The text included in each slide is not too long [2]


Job Aid

Pdf.png Considering the cognitive load while designing a course


References

  1. ↑ Wikipedia (1 March 2010), edutechwiki (2 March 2010), edtechdev.wordpress.com (2 March 2010), www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (18 March 2010), Cliff Atkinson, “The science of Making Your PowerPoint Memorable: Q&A with Nelson Cowan”, www.beyondbulletpoints.com (June 2004), George A. Miller, The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information”, Psychological Review 63, 81-97 (1956)
  2. ↑ Cliff Atkinson, “The science of Making Your PowerPoint Memorable: Q&A with Nelson Cowan”, www.beyondbulletpoints.com (June 2004), George A. Miller, The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information”, Psychological Review 63, 81-97 (1956)
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