The Science of Learning Retention: How to Help Learners Remember

In this knowledge-flooded and tech-oriented world, a person has to keep learning and understanding lots of information and skillsets. Nowadays learners have to go through a lot of learning content which makes it difficult to remember everything they have learned for a longer period of time. And this is where learning retention techniques and strategies came into existence. 

Some studies like “Hermann Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve Study”, have opened boxes for strategies and techniques to reinforce the learning among the learners. Such studies reveal that humans forget a significant portion of new information in just a few hours or days. The science of learning retention delves into how memory works and what factors can influence it. 

What is Learning Retention?

Learning Retention is a term to define a process or measurement of how well and how long a learner can remember and apply the knowledge provided by a learning content. 

Learning Retention Process

For better learning retention, A technique is used to enhance how the brain processes, stores, and recalls information when needed.  Some research suggests about three key stages of memory. These stages can be influenced to improve the learning :

• Encoding: It is a process of memorizing new information.
• Storage: This is how the brain organizes and remembers the memorized information for future use. 
• Retrieval: Retrieval is a process of recalling the memorized information.

A Learning Retention doesn’t work properly if any of these stages is disrupted. If the learner won’t engage with the learning content then the stage of encoding won’t be done properly and it will result in poor learning retention. Storage of the information is supposed to be in a pattern or related with more terms and easy to remember visually. Such stored information could be easily recalled when needed. 

Learning Retention Obstacles

Some hindrances affect learners to understand and memorize the information from a learning content. Let’s take a look at them. 

• Non-Relevance: Learners who consume information that is not related to the lesson’s goal, they might be less likely to retain the information. 
• Non-Engagement: If lessons are not engaging and fail to keep the learner’s attention to the content till they finish it, then such lessons may not result in good learning retention.
• Cognitive Overload: Facing too much information at the same time can be very overwhelming for the learners. Lessons with too much information may confuse learners or drive them away from the objective of the lesson. 
• Absence of Reinforcement: A course or a training program will not be effective if it just has linear content (starting from basics and continuing to advanced topics without recalling basics). Learners will forget easily after learning from such courses due to a lack of periodic review or practice. 

Strategies to Boost Learning Retention

Now you know how learning retention works and the learning retention hindrances, you will understand how each of the strategies will work. These strategies are designed to overcome hindrances while ensuring the learner goes through every stage of learning retention. Let’s take a look at these strategies:

Microlearning

Microlearning is a technique in which learning content is delivered in bite-sized lessons where each lesson has just one small goal of making learners learn about one small concept or information. Microlearning reduces hindrances like non-relevant information and cognitive overload.

When you incorporate this strategy to create a bite-sized lesson, you include only the information required to understand the concept which is also the lesson’s objective. This ensures that the learners are not overwhelmed with too much information, and they are not confused or distracted. 

Interactive Learning

A lesson without any interaction can be very static and boring. This may result in the lessons being less interesting and engaging for the learners. Learners will pay selective attention to such content, they may fast forward a few pieces of information which may result in learners not understanding the concept deeply.

An Authoring Tool can be a life-savior in such a scenario, authoring tools allow you to create interactive eLearning content with the help of lots of interactive elements.

Adaptive Learning

Adaptive learning is a strategy to tailor learning content based on the individual learner’s understanding ability, and their prior knowledge. Adaptive learning works not only for prior knowledge it can also be used to dynamically change the content based on how learners have been performing in the course assessment. 

Adaptive Learning with other strategies like microlearning can be used to improve learning retention among learners by reinforcing. 

Gamification 

Gamification in eLearning is about bringing game-like elements into the eLearning content. Games are engaging, they drive players to continue playing them until they finish the game.  

To achieve that, games incorporate lots of strategies. Bringing these strategies into eLearning will allow quite similar results in learning too. 

Gamification elements like points, badges, and leaderboards can be used in an eLearning course or training to create motivation and a competitive environment among the learners to engage them and improve learning retention. Other gamification elements like creating an interactive 2D or 3D game-like environment, storytelling, and mission can also be used to make the learning more interactive

Tools for Learning Retention

Most of the eLearning tools aim to improve learning retention with some of their features. You can add them to your robust eLearning development ecosystem to create courses or training programs to enhance learners’ knowledge retention.

Learning Management System (LMS)

An LMS (Learning Management System) is software used to create and organize a course or training program, it is used to provide a learner with a set of tools to upload course media and structure them with sections, topics, and lessons. 

LMS is the basic tool that you need as an eLearning Professional to start creating courses. You can apply a basic level of strategy like Microlearning, periodic assessment, etc, but for advanced strategies like Adaptive Learning, Gamification, and Interactive Learning you have to go beyond LMS. 

Authoring Tools

Authoring Tools is a piece of software used for creating interactive eLearning content. You can incorporate other eLearning strategies like microlearning, and gamification and make an interactive training course that engages learners with the help of interactive elements. Authoring tools provide Interactive elements such as multiple choice, hotspot interaction, drag and drop, click to reveal, match items, rearrange items, branching scenarios, etc. 

Features like branching scenarios can even allow you to create somewhat of adaptive learning. In terms of gamification, Authoring tools allow you to create 2D games like animated interactions and elements like points, badges, and leaderboards. 

Learning Record Store (LRS)

Learning Record Store is used to store learner’s interaction data for deeper analytics and data-driven decisions. LRS like GrassBlade LRS provide triggers that can be used for Adaptive Learning or other data-bound dynamic eLearning features. With the help of an LRS, you can analyze how individual learners interact and perform with your course or training. And based on the analysis you can improve your learning content for better learning retention. 

WordPress LMS’s Add-On and WordPress plugins

If you are a WordPress LMS user, you can use some of the add-ons by your LMS provider to incorporate strategies like adaptive learning. LMSs like LearnDash LMS, Lifter LMS, WP Courseware, and Tutor LMS provide their conditional add-ons to integrate strategies for better learning retention.

In your WordPress LMS, you can use plugins like GamiPress to add gamification elements like points, badges, and leaderboards. 

Conclusion

Learning retention is the top priority for eLearning professionals. It doesn’t matter if you are creating a course to sell online or creating a training program for on-boarding new employees in your organization, in both conditions you target learning retention. A good learning retention results in new employees getting training quickly, or courses getting better reviews leading to its success in online markets. 

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