Learning Research

eLearning Research and Best-Practice Summary

The following is a list of research findings that we at Saturn follow in our online curriculum development.

  1. Write and speak in the same plain English regardless of audience. Forget grade level and age level for language.
  2. Build in student participation and change media often.
  3. Serve information to learners in chunks, using a combination of text, narration, graphics, video, exercises, and exams.
  4. Blended learning, combining eLearning, classroom, lab, and field training is highly effective, efficient, and economical.
  5.  Field training, without prior knowledge training, can overload working memory with unfamiliar content and actions.
  6.  Illustrated slides perform more effectively than animations for most content except for explanations of moving machinary.
  7. The combination of a graphic and text describing the graphic is a highly effective teaching method.
  8. Slides with graphics plus narration are a highly effective teaching method.
  9. Avoid using tangential graphics and stories because they distract students and create unproductive memory load.
  10.  Use outlines and emphasis to organize content, announce transitions, and highlight main ideas.
  11. Break down complex tasks into smaller units for practice exercises.
  12.  Practice exercises produce diminishing returns with each successive exercise unit.