The use of instructional strategies is an effective way to manage learner cognitive overload. You will have heard of most of these strategies mentioned below, perhaps even used a few of them. This is not by any means a comprehensive list of instructional strategies, but it is a good start.

Here are a few instructional strategies that will effectively manage cogntive load:

Define Job-Essential Knowledge and Skills
Leave out the nice-to-know information and focus the training on the need-to-know information. There is usually not enough time to squeeze it all in, by leaving out non-relevant information there will be more time for hands-on activities.

Practice, practice, practice
Frequent practice, and mere repetion, helps to transfer the information from the working memory to the long-term memory. This will clear up the working memory to process new information.

Reference-Based Training
This type of training allows the learner to focus on the tasks and not large amounts of materials. Reference-based training uses either a reference manual or online Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS) and eliminates the need for the learners to memorize large amounts of information prior to learning the tasks specific to their job.

Provide Student Notes
If the leanerns are provided with 80% or more of the content, less time is spent on taking notes and more time can be spent on practice and hands-on activities. Less lecture and more doing.

Chunk the Instruction
"Chunk" the content into 5-7 pieces, this is the amout of information that the working memory can remember and process at the same time without becoming overloaded. Keeping the lessons shorter will also help the learners stay focused on the training, making sure to insert frequent practice in the content as well.

Provide Job Aids
Job aids are helpful for the learner with remembering important tasks and procedures. Job aids also cut down the amount of time spent on note taking and ensure that the tasks or procedures are copied down correctly.

(Clark, 1997)

One of the most imortant strategies that you can use when designing online instruction is the KIS principle, "Keep It Simple". The following are some strategies that you can use for online instruction:

• Design consistent user interfaces
• Design simple user interfaces
• Use plenty of white space
• Design easy to use, consistent navigation
• Limit the amount of material on the screen
• Provide electronic job aids (i.e. help function or EPSS)
• Integrate graphics and audio

(Clark, 1997)

The idea behind these instructional strategies is to clear the working memory by transferring the new informaiton to the long-term memory. Information is transferred to the long-term memory by frequent practice and repetion, so it is important to have as many hands-on activities as possible. Once the information has been transferred to the long-term memory, the working memory is free to process and learn more information.

Remember that cognitive overload occurs in when the working memory cannot process information at the speed or in the quantity at which it is being presented! Slow down and and use smaller chunks of information!

Time for a little hands-on application! Take this muiltiple choice quiz and see if you can identify instructional strategies that will reduce cognitive overload for various instructional situations.

• To navigate through the quiz, please use the arrows on your browser.
• To avoid technical difficulties, please bookmark this page and make it available to you off-line. You may also print out the quiz and check your answers at a later date.
• Feel free to take this quiz as many times as you wish. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Herrod.

Take me to the quiz.

Now that you have some background information on cognitive overload and some strategies for managing cognitive load, take a look at the Case Study and apply your instructional design expertise.