Cognitive load theory, instructional design, and educational technology

• In Event: ETR&D- Awards and Presentations (v)

Short Description

Cognitive load theory uses our knowledge of human cognitive architecture to devise instructional procedures. Based on evolutionary educational psychology, cognitive load theory assumes that most topics taught in educational and training institutions are ones that we have not specifically evolved to learn. Such topics require biologically secondary knowledge rather than the biologically primary knowledge that we have specifically evolved to acquire. These instructionally relevant topics frequently require learners to acquire domain-specific rather than generic-cognitive skills. There is a cognitive architecture consisting of biologically primary characteristics associated with the acquisition, processing, storage and use of domain-specific, biologically secondary knowledge. Novel information can be acquired either during problem solving using a generate and test procedure or obtained from other people. It is vastly more efficient to obtain information from others than to generate it oneself. While generic-cognitive, biologically primary knowledge does not require explicit instruction because we have evolved to acquire it, domain-specific, biologically secondary concepts and skills that provide the content of educational syllabi, do require explicit instruction. Once acquired, novel information must be processed by a limited capacity, limited duration working memory before being stored in an unlimited capacity, unlimited duration long-term memory for subsequent use. Faced with appropriate environmental signals, information can be transferred back from long-term memory to working memory in order to generate action. Working memory has no known limits when dealing with familiar information from long-term memory thus providing the transformative effects of education. These characteristics of human cognitive architecture need to be considered when devising educational technology applications. Cognitive load theory uses this architecture to generate a large range of instructional effects concerned with procedures for optimizing working memory load in order to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge in long-term memory. Most of those effects have implications for the use of educational technology.

Bio. John Sweller is an Emeritus Professor of Education Psychology at the University of New South Wales. His research is associated with cognitive load theory. The theory is a contributor to both research and debate on issues associated with human cognition, its links to evolution by natural selection, and the instructional design consequences that follow. Based on many hundreds of randomized, controlled studies carried out by many investigators from around the globe, the theory has generated a large range of novel instructional designs from our knowledge of human cognitive architecture. Some of those designs have critical consequences for the use of educational technology.

Author

• Presenter: John Sweller, University of New South Wales