The affordances of computer-based learning environments make them powerful tools for conveying information in higher education. However, to most effectively use these environments, students must be adept at self-regulating their learning. This self-regulation is effortful, including a myriad of processes, including defining tasks, making plans,…

Cognitive load theory has been a major influence for the field of educational psychology. One of the main guidelines of the theory is that extraneous cognitive load should be reduced to leave sufficient cognitive resources for the actual learning to take place. In recent years, research regarding various design factors, in particular from the…

As most of the life-threatening events, such as heart failure and trauma, occur out-of-hospital, first aid is considered crucial for a victim's survival chances. Unfortunately, a substantial part of these psychomotor or consciously brain-controlled motor skills are executed poorly or incorrectly due to the inexperience of first aid attendants or…

In 2020, King's College London introduced HyFlex teaching as a means to supplement online and face-to-face teaching and to respond to COVID-19 restrictions. This enabled teaching to a mixed cohort of students (both online and on campus). This article provides an outline of how such an approach was conceptualized and implemented in a…

This article proposes a novel conceptual framework that integrates Artificial Intelligence (AI) with Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) to enhance Open Distance eLearning (ODeL) systems. By bridging the gap between traditional cognitive theories and cutting-edge AI technologies, this framework…

Helping students to understand complex processes is one of the core challenges in teaching biology courses. Concept mapping is a flexible pedagogical method that enables students to learn the complexities of a given subject while at the same time being versatile enough that instructors can easily pivot between instructional modalities and/or…

Chew and Cerbin (2021) offer a fruitful way of thinking deeply about teaching economics. In this article, the author offers several ideas on how to offload parts of three of the cognitive challenges they identify to an online module that any instructor could assign to their students. Ideally, this module would be described in an economics…

The rise of online courses has created an ongoing demand for instructional designers in higher education. Collaboration between faculty and instructional designers in developing online engineering courses has therefore increased. Potential challenges during the collaboration can be addressed when faculty and instructional designers have a mutual…

This article outlines the design of a module introducing Developmental Psychology to distance learners undertaking a two-year part-time BPS accredited MSc Psychology (Conversion) degree. The module was redesigned to accommodate increased student numbers. Online learners differ significantly from those in face-to-face learning environments, in…

If the goal of library instructional guidance is to provide students with the knowledge needed to acquire new skills in order to accomplish their learning objectives, then it is prudent to consider factors that impact learning. Cognitive load theory addresses several of these factors and is applicable to a wide-range of instructional devices used…

There are increasing pressures within the higher education sector to incorporate digital pedagogies into teaching and learning, a trend amplified by recent extensive recourse to online delivery within the sector. This trend carries with it both opportunities and challenges in effectively fostering those graduate competences that a converging…

In massive online communities of creators (OCOCs), one of the core challenges is to encourage users to learn to create original contents using basic components. Recommending the right learning components at the right time is critical for improving user engagement and has not been fully studied due to the unstructured nature of online communities.…

History departments in universities across the country are facing acute pressure to increase enrollments. In this article, the author describes an effort to boost history enrollments that they have spearheaded over the past couple of years: teaching the history of engineering online. In particular, the author would strongly encourage history…

This design case details the critical design decisions used in the development of an e-learning module library for North Carolina local government officials focused on land use regulations. These modules cover topics from an introduction to land use regulations, to evidentiary hearing conduct guidelines, defining vested rights, and explaining how…

Online learning is becoming more and more pervasive in higher education institutions. According to the Sloan-C report (All & Seaman, 2006) more than 3.5 million students are enrolled in online courses in the United States. That number represents a 9.7 % increase over the previous year, which far exceeds the 1.5 % growth rate for higher…