Have you ever sat through training that felt overwhelming — where slides floated by, instructions piled up, and by the end you weren’t sure what to remember or apply? What you experienced is a classic case of cognitive load — the mental effort required to process new information.
According to Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), first introduced by John Sweller in the late 1980s, our working memory has limited capacity when processing novel material. When that capacity is exceeded, learning stalls. CLT identifies three types of cognitive load:
- Intrinsic load: the inherent difficulty of the content itself.
- Extraneous load: the load imposed by poorly designed instructional materials.
- Germane load: the desirable load that supports schema building and meaningful learning.
In workplace learning, the goal is clear: reduce extraneous load, manage intrinsic load, and encourage germane load. Here’s how:
- Chunk content into digestible segments: Instead of overwhelming learners with a monolithic module, break topics into smaller units aligned with natural working-memory limits (often 5-9 chunks).
- Use clean, supportive visuals: A diagram that aligns with accompanying text reduces split-attention and extraneous load.
- Keep the interface simple and uncluttered: Remove distractions or irrelevant elements that siphon cognitive resources.
When we lighten the mental burden, participants can focus on the fundamental objective: understanding and applying new skills in their roles. Instead of wrestling with format, navigation or overloaded slides, their mental capacity is freed to engage, reflect and act.
For instructional designers, this means less is often more. By embracing CLT-informed practices, you set the stage for training that truly sticks and supports performance. After all, the best training isn’t the one that throws everything at people — it’s the one that delivers just enough, in just the right way.
Sources & Studies Cited:
- Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive Load During Problem Solving: Effects on Learning
- Paas, F., Renkl, A., & Sweller, J. (2003). Cognitive Load Theory and Instructional Design: Recent Developments
- NCBI (2017) – Optimizing Learning Using Cognitive Load Theory
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