An Ultimate Guide to the Cognitive Load Theory

Struggling to learn a new skill or concept is something almost everyone has experienced. For some, this struggle is exacerbated, especially when information is presented in a way that overwhelms their minds. If that sounds like one of your students, you may need to look into the cognitive load theory (CLT).

CLT is a framework that explains how our minds process information and it has helpful tips on how we should design our learning plans. Once you understand how cognitive load impacts learning, you can make educational practices a lot more effective and efficient.

Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about the cognitive load theory.

What is Cognitive Load Theory?

Cognitive load theory (CLT) was developed in the late 1980s by Australian educational psychologist John Sweller. It builds on earlier research into cognitive architecture, stating that our working memory has limited capacity. In fact, it can only process 7–9 chunks of information at a time.

Long-term memory, on the other hand, has a vast capacity. It stores organized structures of information called schemas. The primary goal of CLT is to help design lessons that reduce the load on a student’s working memory so they can effectively transfer information to long-term memory and build schemas.

To understand CLT, we must first understand the information processing model, which describes how information flows through our cognitive system. This model has three main stages:

• Sensory Memory: Briefly holds 3–7 units of sensory information (like sights and sounds) before it's passed on.
• Working Memory: This is where conscious processing happens. New information temporarily stays here, and it's also where we retrieve relevant information from long-term memory to make sense of what we're learning.
• Long-Term Memory: This is our infinite and permanent storage system for knowledge, facts, and experiences.

Since our working memory can only handle a limited amount of information at a time, exceeding its capacity will lead to cognitive overload. As a result, students struggle with learning new skills or concepts.

This theory is based on three core principles of cognitive load: intrinsic load, extraneous load, and germane load.

According to CLT, teachers must optimize all three principles in their instructional design to achieve effective learning. The intrinsic load should match the learner's expertise, the extraneous load should be minimal, and the germane load should be maximized to promote schema construction and automation.

Components of Cognitive Load

Here are the three types of cognitive loads addressed in the cognitive load theory.

Intrinsic Cognitive Load

Intrinsic cognitive load is the complexity of the material being learned. It’s determined by the number of elements that the student must process at the same time to solve the problem, as well as the way these elements interact with each other. 

However, intrinsic load is unavoidable because it depends on the task itself. That’s why tasks with high intrinsic load should be broken down into smaller, manageable parts to match the learner's expertise level. 

For instance, solving a calculus problem may have a higher intrinsic load since it has complicated equations and multiple interacting variables. Meanwhile, solving a simple addition problem like 4+4 has a low intrinsic load because it has fewer elements. Any equation can be made simpler to match the intrinsic load to the student’s abilities. 

Extraneous Cognitive Load

This type of load is caused by poorly designed learning materials or distractions. It does not contribute to learning and can be avoided with better design. Learning materials should present information clearly, use visuals, and get rid of distractions. 

For instance, a student trying to learn geometry from text-heavy slides while dealing with background noise will face a high extraneous load. As a result, they won’t have enough memory capacity to handle intrinsic and germane loads.

Germane Cognitive Load

Germane load is the mental effort spent on building and automating schemas in long-term memory. This is the "productive" load that actually enhances learning.

A teacher can foster germane load by telling students to relate a new concept, such as photosynthesis, to prior knowledge about plant biology. Prompts like "How does this relate to what we studied last week?" allow learners to remember information more efficiently.

Unlike intrinsic and extraneous loads, the germane load does not have to be restricted. In fact, it should be maximized for more efficient schema building, especially while reducing extraneous distractions.

The Interaction Between Different Cognitive Loads

To correctly implement the cognitive load theory, you must understand how these three types of cognitive load interact with each other in our working memory. To put it simply, they are additive. This means that the total load on working memory at any given time is the sum of all three loads.

For your instructional design to be effective, you’ll need to balance these loads. Since intrinsic load depends on the complexity of the material, we can't change it directly. However, we can manage it by using the right instructional strategies (which we'll discuss later). 

Extraneous load, on the other hand, can and should be reduced as much as possible. That’s because it gets in the way of effective learning.  

Finally, we want to maximize the germane load — this is the load that actually contributes to learning and the development of expertise.

Implications for Learning and Instructional Design

By understanding how our minds handle different kinds of cognitive loads, teachers and designers can use certain techniques to make learning more efficient. Here’s how you can factor the cognitive load theory into your learning and instructional design. 

Managing Intrinsic Load

Here are some core principles to keep in mind when adapting intrinsic load to a student’s ability.

• Worked Example Effect: Providing step-by-step solutions to problems helps learners understand how to solve similar problems on their own. 
• Completion Problem Effect: Teachers can also improve a student’s problem-solving skills with a gradual approach. Start with problems where some steps have already been solved and let the student fill in the gaps. Then, remove more steps as the student becomes more competent.
• Segmenting: Break down complex information into smaller, manageable parts to reduce cognitive overload and make it easier to understand.
• Pre-training: Make sure your students have basic knowledge of a certain topic before introducing complex material.

Reducing Extraneous Load

Here are some core principles to keep in mind when reducing extraneous load. 

• Split-Attention Effect: This effect occurs when learners must divide their attention between multiple sources of information (e.g., a diagram and separate explanatory text). It’s better to integrate text into diagrams rather than presenting them separately.
• Redundancy Effect: Unnecessarily repeating information, such as identical text and narration, can overload the student’s working memory without adding value.
• Coherence Principle: You can make your lesson more coherent by getting rid of irrelevant images, sounds, or details that distract from the core topic.
• Signaling Principle: Use visual or auditory signals (bold text, arrows, or highlights) to bring your student’s attention to key points. Recent studies have shown that signaling can drastically improve student comprehension. 
• Spatial and Temporal Contiguity Principles: According to these principles, related information should be presented close together in space and time.
• Modality Principle: Using both visual and auditory channels (dual-modality) can reduce cognitive load compared to relying on one channel alone.

Increasing Germane Load

Here are some tips to keep in mind when maximizing germane load.

• Self-Explanation: Encourage learners to summarize what they’ve learned in their own words. You can also use prompts that ask learners to explain how different pieces of information relate.
• Active Recall and Retrieval: Active recall and retrieval means actively remembering information from memory rather than simply re-reading it. You can encourage this with quizzes and spaced repetition. A recent meta-analysis found that retrieval practice improved learning outcomes by an average effect size of 0.70.
• Questioning Techniques: You can encourage learners to think critically about the material by asking open-ended questions and encouraging peer discussions.

Integrating Coursebox with CLT

The real question is, how can we actually use cognitive load theory in real-world teaching scenarios? With tools like Coursebox, you can easily apply CLT in different learning environments.

First and foremost, Coursebox can effectively streamline content delivery to reduce extraneous load. Since it has a user-friendly interface, there are minimal distractions. That means learners can focus on the study material rather than navigating complex layouts. 

Plus, Coursebox allows teachers to create structured and segmented courses. It allows instructors to break down complex topics into smaller, manageable chunks — a CLT method that improves comprehension and retention. 

Coursebox supports multimedia integration. That means teachers can follow the modality principle by integrating visuals and narration to use the student’s working memory more efficiently. 

Lastly, Coursebox has many interactive elements, such as quizzes, discussion boards, and gamified activities. Instructors can use this to promote germane load and encourage learners to actively engage with the material.

Conclusion

If there’s anything we can learn from the cognitive load theory, it’s this: our brains have limited bandwidth when it comes to learning new skills and concepts. That's why smart instructional design is so crucial for effective learning.  

For those looking to apply these principles and create effective learning experiences, Coursebox has a complete suite of tools to streamline the process. With features designed to reduce extraneous load, manage intrinsic load, and maximize germane load, Coursebox can help you create engaging, brain-friendly courses. Start now!