Anyone who has been around the fields of education and training for a while (as I have) knows that our field is prone to fads and herd mentality, seizing on the next bright shiny object -- whatever it may be. And now, the use of virtual reality (VR) is being strongly promoted by a number … Continue reading Is Virtual Reality Effective as a Training Methodology?
Personalized learning is the holy grail of education. Imagine if each learner had an educational plan customized exactly to his/her strengths and weaknesses? Back in 1984, Benjamin Bloom (yes, the same one from Bloom’s Taxonomy) published a research paper that showed the benefits of one-on-one tutoring. Bloom demonstrated that one-on-one tutoring can have a huge … Continue reading The Promise of Personalized Learning
In this blog we write a lot about using microlearning to ensure long-term retention. Combining the spacing effect with the testing effect results in Retrieval Practice, which is the key to long term retention. But there’s a second way to use microlearning that is at least as important. Let’s think about some of the attributes … Continue reading Improving Job Performance with Microlearning
How often have you heard someone say: “I’m a left-brained person.”? By which, they presumably mean, “I’m logical and analytical.” The notion of “brainedness” (analogous to “handedness”) is pretty prevalent in our culture. Some companies have even claimed to develop training materials that are optimized for either left-brained or right-brained thinkers. But what does the … Continue reading Learning Myth #8: People Are Either Left-Brained or Right-Brained
Large numbers of studies have demonstrated the benefits of repeated testing. Requiring learners to retrieve and process previously learned information reinforces what they know and strengthens the neural connections, leading to long term retention. Most of these studies use classic experimental design. They split a learning group in two: One group studies in the normal … Continue reading The Benefits of No Stakes Quizzing
This wasn’t on my original list of learning myths but it caught my eye when I saw it on a vendor’s web site: Compared to traditional courses, microlearning videos cost 50% less and take 300% less time to produce. First, this raises red flag #1: If the numbers are nice and round they are, at … Continue reading Learning Myth 7 ½: The Cost of Microlearning
By now most of us have bought into the idea that learning needs to be a process, not an event. Without a continuous learning process we get the dreaded post-learning event forgetting effect: But, if we want our learners to be able to apply what they have learned one month, three months or six months … Continue reading Moving the Measurement Goal Posts
For as long as I can remember I’ve heard this as a fact. I think this myth persists because it allows people to think: “If I’m only using 10% of my brain, imagine how smart I’d be if I could use the other 90%!” And, like many learning myths, it is part of popular culture … Continue reading Learning Myth #7: We Use Only 10% of Our Brains
It is common for people to describe themselves, or someone they know or work with, as an accomplished multitasker. And while it is certainly possible to walk down the street and chew gum at the same time, cognitive multitasking is not possible. Indeed, even the attempt to do so is detrimental, especially for learners. We … Continue reading Learning Myth #6: So, You Think You Can Multitask?
If you have been following our series on learning myths you know that some “myths” are not really myths but are exaggerations or vendor hype grounded on some level of evidence. When I first saw this claim a few years ago the dial on my myth detector flew off the scale. Surely no one actually … Continue reading Learning Myth #5: People Process Visual Information 60,000 Times Faster Than Text
