We all live in the information age and are inundated with countless pieces of information daily, especially in our everyday work. And then there is the annual professional training. To ensure your learners are not overwhelmed by too many impressions, you should pay attention to a few things.
Who doesn't know it: in the stressful everyday work, there is often not enough time for important tasks, and then a training measure is also scheduled. If this is mandated by the employer, it meets with resentment from one or two employees and causes additional stress. A good way to integrate continuing education into everyday life is through digital offerings such as e-learning. It is particularly important to keep the stress and cognitive load during training as low as possible.
First things first: What does cognitive load actually mean?
Cognitive load is a term from psychology that refers to the learning process and the processing of learning content. More precisely, the Cognitive Load Theory describes the amount of mental resources required for a learning process. But don't worry, we won't get too scientific here!
We all have limited capacity, no matter the topic. When our resources are depleted, we can no longer work and think productively – and the same goes for the learning process. Here, three types of load play together that can influence learning success: intrinsic load, extraneous load, and germane load.
Intrinsic Load
As the term intrinsic already suggests, intrinsic load is about the load that comes from within. This type of load concerns the learning material and the individual elements of your training course. How high the intrinsic load is depends on the preferred form of learning and the learners' prior knowledge. In general, the higher the domain-specific prior knowledge, the lower the intrinsic load. This form of load has a learning-inhibiting effect on learners.
Example: Your learning content itself is already very complex because it is about data protection. Your participants have to deal with the topic but have had little exposure to it so far. Their prior knowledge is therefore rather low, and the amount of information is large. There is a risk of information overload. To keep the intrinsic load as low as possible, you should explain all relevant terms in the first step. Afterwards, your learners can recognize larger connections and delve deeper into the topic.
Extraneous Load
Extraneous load, or learning-irrelevant cognitive load, primarily refers to the representation and presentation of learning content – in other words: How is your e-learning or training structured? This form of load is primarily about external general conditions and less about the content itself. Depending on the form of representation, learning content can be easier or more difficult to understand. This is especially true if certain prior knowledge is already present. Or conversely, if certain elements in a course cause confusion or distraction. This type of load is also learning-inhibiting.
Example: To enable your learners to concentrate on the topic of data protection, the general conditions must also be right. Minimize unnecessary distraction, which, for example, only serves to make your course look prettier, and focus solely on the content. Make your content as clear as possible and avoid superfluous elements and repetitions.
Germane Load
The last type of load refers to the learner themselves and describes the actual understanding of the learning content. Germane load is learning-promoting and should therefore be reinforced. The greater the germane load, the better the actual learning performance. This learning-related load describes, among other things, the effort the learner must make to understand learning content, connections, and processes. Learners work actively with your content, establish connections independently, and solve problems they encounter in the learning process.
Example: For data protection, this could be a fictional scene where learners have to decide for themselves what to do. Through this, they apply the theoretical content and must implement it in a complex situation.
So what do we learn from this? Package learning content in a way that minimizes distraction and reduces cognitive load. Supporting elements such as graphics or videos should match the learning content so that the relevant cognitive load is increased and learners can actively apply your learning content.
Cognitive Load in E-Learning: What HR Managers Should Pay Attention To
To ensure your learners can fully concentrate on your training, you can consider the following things to keep the cognitive load low.
1. Pay attention to the processing capacity of learners
To keep the intrinsic load as low as possible, you should rely on small learning units in the style of microlearning:
Create one learning content per topic, rather split it up once too many than too little.
Add a summary or repetition at the end of each learning unit.
At best, place this in the overall context so that learners can establish connections between information themselves.
Ensure that your learners can easily access your learning content to keep potential barriers low.
2. Consider the prior knowledge of your participants
To promote the germane load of learners, you should include their experience level and prior knowledge in the planning:
Ask about the participants' level of knowledge before starting your training and adjust the learning content accordingly.
If you are sure that the participants have the prior knowledge, you should omit repetitions of basics.
3. Design your learning content to match your target audience
Learners should be at the center when planning training, which applies to more than just the selection of topics:
Ensure a consistent structure in your training so that your learners can find their way around your course.
To recognize connections of complex content faster, consecutive learning content should be placed as close to each other as possible.
To keep motivation and attention high, you should choose a variety of methods and vary between image, text, and video.
4. Reduce learning content without recognizable added value
When designing training, extraneous load is often neglected; after all, those responsible want to make their courses as appealing as possible – however, this can be distracting:
Get straight to the point with your learning content and use clear language with short sentences.
Avoid unnecessary duplicates and omit visual gimmicks that only serve the layout of your course.
As you can see, there are various ways to minimize learners' cognitive load. In summary, it can be stated: Consider the absorption capacity of the learners, design your learning content to fit their requirements, consider their prior knowledge, and cut all content without added value.
Conclusion
Cognitive load in e-learning is effectively reduced when content is clearly structured, built up in a didactically sensible way, and consistently aligned with the absorption capacity of the learners.
Digital training is allowed to challenge, but it should not overwhelm. Anyone who structures learning content into manageable units, avoids unnecessary distractions, and considers the target group's prior knowledge creates the foundation for sustainable learning success.
The decisive factor is not the amount of information, but its preparation. A clear structure, understandable language, and well-thought-out learning paths help participants focus on the essentials and actively process content. This creates a learning process that motivates, anchors knowledge in the long term, and actually shows impact in everyday work.
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
What does Cognitive Load mean in connection with e-learning?
Cognitive load describes the mental load that occurs during learning. In e-learning, things like the complexity of the content, the design of the course, and the prior knowledge of the participants influence how easily or difficulty information can be processed.
Why can too many design elements worsen learning success?
Superfluous animations, repetitions, or visual effects distract from the actual learning content. This increases learning-irrelevant cognitive load, and participants are less able to concentrate on the essential information.
How does microlearning help reduce cognitive load?
Small, clearly defined learning units relieve the working memory and facilitate the processing of new information. Participants can absorb content step-by-step, repeat it, and better integrate it into existing knowledge.
Why should prior knowledge be considered when planning digital training?
If learning content does not match the participants' level of knowledge, they can quickly become overwhelmed or underwhelmed. Considering prior knowledge helps to build learning content more understandably and avoid unnecessary cognitive load.
