Of course: The brain plays the main role in learning. From the question of how our upper room works exactly, the science of neurodidactics has developed. In this article, we will discuss how you can utilize the insights of neurodidactics when creating clever online courses.
Something Completely New
Neurodidactics is a relatively young field of research that operates at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and pedagogy. Its goal is to design learning processes to optimally correspond to the natural functioning of our brains. This is a great thing, because when you, as a course creator or author, know these processes, you can use them when designing your courses and learning content, thus sustainably increasing the learning success of your participants.
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This is how learning works in the brain
Learning is a highly complex process that is deeply anchored in the structures of our brains. Of course, the whole thing is terribly complicated, and you surely don't have time to study neurology for five years, but it is very helpful to understand the basic biochemical processes in the brain, as they determine how we perceive, process, store, and retrieve information. Let's go through this quickly:
The neural basis of learning: synapses and neuroplasticity
At the center of learning are neurons, that is, the nerve cells of the brain. The human brain consists of about 86 billion neurons that are connected to each other through a dense network of synapses. Synapses are the contact points between neurons, where information is transmitted in the form of electrical signals and chemical messengers (neurotransmitters). “The synapses fire” - you have certainly heard this formulation before.
Neuroplasticity describes the brain's ability to change its structure and function over the course of life. When we learn something new, new synaptic connections are formed or existing connections are strengthened. Repeated practice or intensive learning leads to certain synaptic connections becoming stronger and more stable, making retrieval of the information easier.
Let's take learning a musical instrument as an example: At first, it is difficult to hit the right keys on a piano, but over time and with regular practice, playing becomes smoother. This is simply because the corresponding neural connections in the brain have been strengthened through constant repetition.
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Storing information: short-term and long-term memory
Storing information in the brain occurs in different phases, which can roughly be divided into short-term memory and long-term memory:
Information that we have just acquired is initially stored in short-term memory. However, this storage is limited, both in its capacity and in how long the information can be held there (typically a few seconds to minutes). Without repetition or deeper processing, this information is quickly forgotten.
To retain information permanently, it must be transferred to long-term memory. This occurs through consolidation, in which the neural connections associated with a particular piece of information are strengthened and stabilized. Consolidation primarily takes place during sleep, which is why sufficient sleep is essential for effective learning.
The 4 neurodidactic principles in the learning process
1. Attention: The bouncer in learning
Attention plays a central role in the learning process. The brain is constantly confronted with a flood of information that is processed through the senses. To avoid being overwhelmed, the prefrontal cortex of our brain filters this information and decides which of it is important enough to be consciously perceived and processed. What remains in the filter as “relevant and interesting” takes precedence over the unnecessary stuff and is forwarded for processing to other parts of the brain.
Attention is limited: Distractions, stress, or fatigue affect our attention and make learning difficult. Therefore, for example, online courses should be designed in a way that specifically directs the attention of learners and avoids distractions.
2. Emotions: The influence of our mood
Emotions, or our emotional state while learning, play an active role in how well and how long information is stored in memory. Two parts of our brains work together here, one (the limbic cortex) is responsible for the emotional processing of what is learned, and the other (the hippocampus) regulates whether what is learned lands in long-term memory:
Positive emotions, such as joy or interest, favor the learning process. They ensure that information is processed more deeply and better anchored in memory. This explains why we remember experiences associated with strong positive emotions particularly well, such as the first day of school or the completion of an important exam.
Negative emotions, such as stress or anxiety, can block the learning process. In stressful situations, the body releases the hormone cortisol, which complicates the formation of long-term memories.
The processes of our brain clearly show: Learning works best in a positively emotional environment that fosters motivation and interest.
3. Memory: Being able to recall what was learned
Memory, or the retrieval of information, is the process by which stored information is brought back into consciousness. What is crucial here are the strength and number of neural connections associated with the information: The more often information is repeated or applied, the easier and faster it can be retrieved.
In the brain, it works this way: Every time we remember something, this information flows through the neural network again and strengthens the connections. You can imagine this process like a path in the woods: The more often someone walks along this path, the more solid, wider, and straighter it becomes (and eventually, it could become a road). Regular retrieval and repetition of information (or knowledge) lead to it being anchored in long-term memory.
4. Prior knowledge: The direct connection for new information
Our fabulous brain not only stores individual, isolated pieces of information, but organizes them into complex networks that are interconnected. These networks are based on prior knowledge, that is, information and experiences we have already collected and stored. New knowledge is often linked to this prior knowledge, which facilitates learning.
For example: If you already know how a verb is conjugated in English, it becomes easier for you to learn new verbs, because you can fit them into an already established knowledge network. Without this prior knowledge, you start learning the verb from scratch and probably take significantly longer to store it.
This is how to apply the 4 principles in course creation
1. Control attention
Attention is crucial for successful learning and must be kept under control, especially when a deluge of distractions rains down on us in a digital environment. Therefore, the rule is: Design your online course learning content to be clearly structured and visually appealing. By providing crisp, short learning units, you help your course participants block out cognitive overload and maintain focus on the learning topic:
Multimedia elements like videos and interactive tasks increase interest, but must be used thoughtfully to avoid overload.
Quizzes and knowledge checks at strategic points in the course encourage learners to stay actively engaged.
Personalized content tailored to the interests and knowledge level of learners increases their willingness to concentrate on the learning material.
Through these measures, attention is effectively directed towards essential content, making learning more sustainable, and your participants stay engaged.
2. Promote positive emotions
Emotions play a central role in the learning process because they greatly influence motivation and memory retention. Positive feelings such as joy and interest enhance the acquisition and storage of information. Utilize this by creating comfort moments for your course participants:
Include engaging stories and real examples in your learning content, which most people associate with positive emotions.
Address your course participants personally, and refer to their background (as much as you know).
Entertain course participants with quizzes and motivate them with rewards to continue. Using appealing images or pleasant background music in your videos intensifies the emotional experience.
Humor is always a good way to positively bond your learners to you as a course leader, to the course content, and to the learning process itself. Joy and laughter hold attention!
Avoid stress-inducing elements in your learning content, as negative emotions, like those that can arise from certain photos, block the willingness to learn.
By consciously addressing positive feelings, learning becomes not only more effective but also more enjoyable and sustainable.
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3. Anchor the learned material in memory
Repetition is essential for long-term retention of knowledge. Regular repetition strengthens the neural connections in the brain and facilitates the retrieval of information:
Target repetitions through quizzes, summaries, or practice tasks specifically in your courses to reinforce what has been learned.
Spaced Repetition, that is, the spaced repetition of content, has proven to be particularly effective. Here, content is repeated at increasingly larger intervals to anchor it in long-term memory.
Through these methods, not only is understanding promoted, but long-term retention performance is significantly improved.
4. Support connections with prior knowledge
Connecting to existing knowledge greatly facilitates learning because the brain stores new information better when it is linked to already known concepts:
Begin your e-learning lessons with activation questions or introductory tasks that retrieve the prior knowledge of learners and integrate it into the new learning context.
Examples and scenarios that connect to the real experiences of your learners make the new material more tangible.
By consciously supporting these connections, the learning material is not only understood more easily but is also remembered longer.
A young science with great potential
Despite the promising approaches, neurodidactics faces several challenges: The individual differences in the information processing of people are great, and what works for one learner does not necessarily apply to another. Moreover, research in this field is still young, and many neurodidactic concepts have not yet been sufficiently empirically substantiated.
Nevertheless, the insights from neurodidactics offer immense potential to make e-learnings more effective and engaging. Especially at a time when digital learning is gaining increasing importance, neurodidactic principles can help develop learning offerings that not only impart knowledge but also optimally support the brain.
Neurodidactics in e-learning explains to us how we can design learning processes in a brain-friendly and thus more effective way. By consciously controlling the attention of your participants, addressing them emotionally, enforcing repetitions, and linking your learning content with their prior knowledge, you significantly improve your digital learning offerings. Your learners participate enthusiastically in your courses and come back again and again.
