We all live in the information age and are inundated with countless pieces of information daily, especially in the workplace. And then there’s the annual training to consider. To ensure that your learners are not overwhelmed by too many impressions, there are several things you should pay attention to.

Who doesn't know it: In the stressful workday, there often isn't enough time for important tasks, and then there's also a training measure to consider. If this is dictated by the employer, it can lead to displeasure among some employees and adds additional stress. A good way to integrate training into everyday life is through digital offerings like e-learning. In this context, it is particularly important to keep the burden and cognitive load during training as low as possible.

First things first: What does cognitive load even mean?

Cognitive load refers to the psychological term regarding the learning process and the processing of learning content. More precisely, the Cognitive Load Theory describes the amount of mental resources needed for a learning process. But don't worry, it won’t get too scientific here!

We all have limited capacities, no matter what the topic is. When our resources are depleted, we can no longer work and think productively – this also applies to the learning process. Three types of load interact that can influence learning success: intrinsic load, extrinsic load, and germane load.

Intrinsic Load

As the term intrinsic suggests, intrinsic load pertains to the burden that arises from within. This type of load concerns the learning material and the individual elements of your training course. The intrinsic load depends on the preferred learning style and the prior knowledge of the learners. In general, the higher the subject-specific prior knowledge, the lower the intrinsic load. This form of load can hinder learning among learners.

Example: Your learning content itself is already very complex because it deals with data protection. Your participants must engage with this topic, but they have had little prior exposure. 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 first explain all relevant terms. Subsequently, your learners can recognize larger contexts and delve further into the topic.

Extrinsic Load

Extrinsic load, or irrelevant cognitive load, primarily refers to the presentation and depiction of learning content – in other words: How is your e-learning or training structured? This type of load primarily concerns external framework conditions and less about the content itself. Depending on the form of presentation, a piece of learning content can be easier or harder to understand. This is especially true if specific prior knowledge is already present. Conversely, certain elements in a course can cause confusion or distraction. This type of load is also hindering to learning.

Example: For your learners to focus on the topic of data protection, the conditions must also be right. Minimize unnecessary distractions that only serve to make your course look nicer and concentrate entirely on the content. Structure your content as clearly as possible and avoid unnecessary elements and repetitions.

Germane Load

The last type of load relates to the learners themselves and describes the actual understanding of the learning content. Germane load is conducive to learning and should therefore be enhanced. The greater the germane load, the better the actual learning performance will be. This learning-related burden describes, among other things, the effort the learner must expend to understand learning content, relationships, and processes. Learners actively engage with your content, independently establish connections, and solve problems they encounter in the learning process.

Example: In the context of data protection, this could be a fictional scenario where learners must decide what to do. This way, they apply the theoretical content in a complex situation.

So what can we learn from this? Package learning content in such a way that minimal distractions occur and cognitive load is lowered. Supportive elements such as graphics or videos should align with the learning content so that the relevant cognitive load is increased, enabling learners to actively apply your learning materials.

Cognitive Load in E-Learning: What HR Professionals Should Consider

In order for your learners to fully concentrate on your training, you should take the following aspects into account to keep cognitive load low.

1. Pay attention to the processing capacity of the learners

To keep intrinsic load as low as possible, you should focus on small learning units in the style of microlearning:

• Create one learning content per topic, and prefer to divide it more rather than less.

• Add a summary or review at the end of each learning unit.

• Ideally, you should relate these to the overall context so that learners can make connections between pieces of information themselves.

• Ensure that your learners can easily access your learning materials to minimize potential hurdles.

2. Consider the prior knowledge of your participants

To promote the germane load of the learners, consider their experience level and prior knowledge in your planning:

• Ask about the knowledge level of the participants 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. Tailor your learning content to your target audience

Learners should be at the center of planning trainings, which applies to more than just the selection of topics:

• Ensure a consistent structure in your training so that your learners can navigate through your course.

• To help recognize relationships between complex content faster, related learning content should be placed as closely together as possible.

• To maintain motivation and attention, you should choose varied methods and alternate between images, text, and video.

4. Reduce learning content without recognizable added value

When designing training, extrinsic load is often neglected, as responsible parties want to make their courses as appealing as possible – this can be distracting:

• Get straight to the point with your learning content and use clear language with short sentences.

• Avoid unnecessary duplications and omit optical frills that serve only to enhance the appearance of your course.

You can see that there are various ways to minimize the cognitive load on learners. In summary, consider the capacity of learners, design your learning content according to their needs, take their prior knowledge into account, and eliminate any content without added value.