Using Cognitive Load Theory to Improve Teaching in the Clinical Workplace

Introduction Cognitive load theory (CLT) views working memory as the primary bottleneck for learning, as it is limited in both capacity and retention. CLT delineates three types of activities that impose on working memory: intrinsic load, germane load, and extraneous load. These three constructs hav...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Manu V. Venkat, Patricia S. O'Sullivan, John Q. Young, Justin L. Sewell
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: Association of American Medical Colleges 2020
Materias:
L
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/a180cc5c45514bec8719ab428b5555da
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
id oai:doaj.org-article:a180cc5c45514bec8719ab428b5555da
record_format dspace
spelling oai:doaj.org-article:a180cc5c45514bec8719ab428b5555da2021-11-19T14:48:09ZUsing Cognitive Load Theory to Improve Teaching in the Clinical Workplace10.15766/mep_2374-8265.109832374-8265https://doaj.org/article/a180cc5c45514bec8719ab428b5555da2020-10-01T00:00:00Zhttp://www.mededportal.org/doi/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.10983https://doaj.org/toc/2374-8265Introduction Cognitive load theory (CLT) views working memory as the primary bottleneck for learning, as it is limited in both capacity and retention. CLT delineates three types of activities that impose on working memory: intrinsic load, germane load, and extraneous load. These three constructs have practical ramifications for direct teaching, learning environments, and curricular design. CLT could help educators across health professions improve quality of teaching, especially in demanding and unpredictable workplace environments. However, few educational resources exist to familiarize clinical workplace educators with CLT. Methods We developed a 2-hour workshop focused on CLT's core concepts and practical applications, targeted at health professions' workplace educators. It featured large-group, small-group, and individual reflective activities. An end-of-workshop survey was administered, and a follow-up survey was sent to participants 2 months after the workshop. Results A total of 134 educators attended the first two offerings of the workshop in two different states. Participants considered CLT as relevant to a variety of workplace teaching settings and activities. Participants' self-assessed familiarity with CLT on a 0–100 scale increased from a mean of 36 (SD = 26) before the workshop to 59 (SD = 17) after the workshop. At follow-up, participants scored an average of 85% on content knowledge questions. Approximately half of respondents to the follow-up survey stated they had made or planned to make specific changes to their workplace teaching leveraging tenets of CLT. Discussion The workshop conveyed CLT concepts and primed participants to independently craft CLT-based interventions for their own teaching practices.Manu V. VenkatPatricia S. O'SullivanJohn Q. YoungJustin L. SewellAssociation of American Medical CollegesarticleCognitive Load TheoryWorkplace TeachingInternal MedicineClinical Teaching/Bedside TeachingMedicine (General)R5-920EducationLENMedEdPORTAL, Vol 16 (2020)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic Cognitive Load Theory
Workplace Teaching
Internal Medicine
Clinical Teaching/Bedside Teaching
Medicine (General)
R5-920
Education
L
spellingShingle Cognitive Load Theory
Workplace Teaching
Internal Medicine
Clinical Teaching/Bedside Teaching
Medicine (General)
R5-920
Education
L
Manu V. Venkat
Patricia S. O'Sullivan
John Q. Young
Justin L. Sewell
Using Cognitive Load Theory to Improve Teaching in the Clinical Workplace
description Introduction Cognitive load theory (CLT) views working memory as the primary bottleneck for learning, as it is limited in both capacity and retention. CLT delineates three types of activities that impose on working memory: intrinsic load, germane load, and extraneous load. These three constructs have practical ramifications for direct teaching, learning environments, and curricular design. CLT could help educators across health professions improve quality of teaching, especially in demanding and unpredictable workplace environments. However, few educational resources exist to familiarize clinical workplace educators with CLT. Methods We developed a 2-hour workshop focused on CLT's core concepts and practical applications, targeted at health professions' workplace educators. It featured large-group, small-group, and individual reflective activities. An end-of-workshop survey was administered, and a follow-up survey was sent to participants 2 months after the workshop. Results A total of 134 educators attended the first two offerings of the workshop in two different states. Participants considered CLT as relevant to a variety of workplace teaching settings and activities. Participants' self-assessed familiarity with CLT on a 0–100 scale increased from a mean of 36 (SD = 26) before the workshop to 59 (SD = 17) after the workshop. At follow-up, participants scored an average of 85% on content knowledge questions. Approximately half of respondents to the follow-up survey stated they had made or planned to make specific changes to their workplace teaching leveraging tenets of CLT. Discussion The workshop conveyed CLT concepts and primed participants to independently craft CLT-based interventions for their own teaching practices.
format article
author Manu V. Venkat
Patricia S. O'Sullivan
John Q. Young
Justin L. Sewell
author_facet Manu V. Venkat
Patricia S. O'Sullivan
John Q. Young
Justin L. Sewell
author_sort Manu V. Venkat
title Using Cognitive Load Theory to Improve Teaching in the Clinical Workplace
title_short Using Cognitive Load Theory to Improve Teaching in the Clinical Workplace
title_full Using Cognitive Load Theory to Improve Teaching in the Clinical Workplace
title_fullStr Using Cognitive Load Theory to Improve Teaching in the Clinical Workplace
title_full_unstemmed Using Cognitive Load Theory to Improve Teaching in the Clinical Workplace
title_sort using cognitive load theory to improve teaching in the clinical workplace
publisher Association of American Medical Colleges
publishDate 2020
url https://doaj.org/article/a180cc5c45514bec8719ab428b5555da
work_keys_str_mv AT manuvvenkat usingcognitiveloadtheorytoimproveteachingintheclinicalworkplace
AT patriciasosullivan usingcognitiveloadtheorytoimproveteachingintheclinicalworkplace
AT johnqyoung usingcognitiveloadtheorytoimproveteachingintheclinicalworkplace
AT justinlsewell usingcognitiveloadtheorytoimproveteachingintheclinicalworkplace
_version_ 1718420030588190720