Running Head: WHAT’S IN FOR ME?

What’s In For Me?

Author’s Name

Institutional Affiliation
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What’s in it For Me?

The business leader had previously created a training room with the latest technological

gadgets to help employees learn new ways to interact with information. However, the

performance of the employees seemingly did not improve after the training program. Following

this observation, Tim, having surveyed the trained employees, discovered that employees were

more interested in work-life balance rather than advancing their technological skills. The main

motivational factors for the employees included a feeling of recognition, learning opportunities,

good work-life balance, and the general feeling of feeling satisfied having made a difference

through their work. Thus, Tim, to ensure performance improvement, the first step Tim has to

take is to discuss the findings of the previous training with the business leader, explaining the

employees' desires. The second step for Tim would be to create a training program that would

meet the employees' expectations. This training program should be structured based on data

collected from the survey. When creating this new training program, Tim should apply the

different scholarly proven training concepts.

While creating the training program, Tim should apply the cognitive load theory. As Jong

(2010) reports, there cognitive load theory, postulated by John Sweller, tries to explain the

cognitive load and instructional methods that trainers, such as Tim, can apply to enhance

learning. The theory stipulates three types of memory, sensory memory, working memory, and

long-term memory. Long-term memory refers to the part of the memory. Large amounts of

information are stored semi-permanently, while short-term memory stores very little information

for an equally short period. Short-term memory is also referred to as working memory in recent

literature. As it follows, the working memory extends to two functions. First, the working

memory can process visual and auditory information but does so separately. The auditory
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information in the working memory does not compete with visual information, creating the

“modality effect.” For example, information of explanatory nature impacts the working memory

less when narrated than presented in a diagram. Second, the working memory treats an existing

schema as a single item while an automatic schema does not count in the working memory. This

means that learning that is based on existing knowledge will expand the capacity of the working

memory. This information is particularly important for Tim while creating the training program

as it highlights the importance of pretraining or offering prerequisite skills before introducing a

particular topic. Pretraining will enable the trainees to establish schemas that can be extended in

their working memory, translating to an easy understanding of complex information.

Another concept that Tim should pay particular attention to while designing the training

program under the cognitive load theory is the different types of cognitive loads. Ainsworth

(2006) reports that these include the intrinsic cognitive load, the extraneous cognitive load, and

the Germane cognitive load. The intrinsic cognitive load relates to the complexity of the subject

(Ainsworth, 2006). Specifically, the brain conceptualizes material with a large number of

interactive elements as complex as compared to that with a smaller number of interactive

elements. This concept is important in instructional design since Tim is a trainer, will make the

training more useful for the employees by simplifying the materials into a single simple element

and introduce them in a consequential manner. As Jong (2010) reports, highly interactive content

information consumes more cognitive resources than low interactive material.

The second paradigm of importance to Tim is the extraneous cognitive load under the

cognitive load theory. This is the cognitive load evoked by the instructional material, although it

does not directly contribute to the construction of schema as compared to intrinsic cognitive

load. This means that this cognitive load does not affect learning and can be modified through
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the implementation of different instructional interventions. As Jong (2010), reports extraneous

cognitive load can be sourced from four different factors. The first source is the “split attention”

effect, which occurs when the learner is presented with two different elements, forcing the

learner to store one domain element in the memory while simultaneously searching for another

element it can relate to the first. The effect is that the learner loses focus on the most important

aspects of instructional material or representation. This split attention can be avoided by creating

the instructional material in an integrated manner. The second source of extraneous cognitive

load is a lack of schema-based knowledge among the learners. This problem can be averted by

presenting the learner with “worked out problems” rather than traditional problems. The third is

occurs when the instructional design implements only one of the subsections of the working

memory. To make learning more effective, the instructor has to apply the modality principle,

where the material is presented in both visual and auditory materials that can be used by both

subsections of the working memory. The fourth source of extraneous cognitive load is the

redundancy principle, where the learners are presented with the same information. The instructor

has the responsibility of including only the necessary material in the presentation. The principle

of extraneous cognitive load is particularly important to Tim while drafting the instructional

material for the new training program. Specifically, Tim can enhance the training by creating an

integrated instructional design, using the “worked out problem “approach, including both visual

and auditory materials, and reducing redundancy.

The Germane cognitive load is the third concept under the cognitive load theory, which

Tim should be aware of when creating a training program for the employees. This load is

associated with the construction of schemas during learning. Processes under this load include

interpretation of information, exemplification, classification, inference, differentiation, and

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organization. Therefore, as Ainsworth (2006) suggest, the instructional design should focus on

guiding the learners to engage with the construction and automation of schemas. Ainsworth

(2006) suggests that the Germane cognitive load should be increased during learning by

presenting the concept under a high variability schedule compared to a low variability schedule.

This is a factor that Tim should consider when designing the new training program.

Yet another different paradigm that Tim should consider is a limitation of memory.

Endress & Szabó (2017). Stipulates that while the human cognitive function has a high capacity

of storing long-term information in large quantities, the amount of information that can be stored

in the short term is limited. The ability to process, manipulate and store information can limits

the learning process of the consumer. Therefore, with a proper application of the theories under

the cognitive load theory, Tim should be able to create a training program that maximizes the full

cognitive capacity of the trainees.

Once Tim has familiarized himself with the different cognitive theories to improve the

learning capacity of the trainees, he should then focus on preparing material that is aligned with

the learning objectives. To avoid intrinsic overload, Tim should ensure that the instructional

design balances between auditory and visual information in a fun manner. Visual information

would include point presentations, videos, images and charts. Auditory information would be

best presented by offering an oral explanation of the material at hand. The material should be

presented in simple elements rather than bombarding the trainers with complex information to

maximize learning. Once the instructional material has been prepared, Tim should then conduct a

pretraining session to help their learner and creating and automating schemas, enhancing the

Germane overload. During the actual session, Tim should focus on presenting the material in a

simplified manner and avoid redundancy to help the learner fully understands the important
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concepts. Tim should then conduct an evaluation with his learners to measure the effectiveness

of the training program. Finally, Tim should follow up with the business leader a few weeks after

the training program to evaluate the performance levels of the employees.

References
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Ainsworth, S. (2006). DeFT: A conceptual framework for considering learning with multiple

representations. Learning and Instruction, 16, 183–198.

De Jong, T. (2010). Cognitive load theory, educational research, and instructional design: Some

food for thought. Instructional science, 38(2), 105-134.

Endress, A. D., & Szabó, S. (2017). Interference and memory capacity limitations. Psychological

review, 124(5), 551.