Do

Students learn best when they learn by doing. Applied practice is critically important to making sure that learning is usable and not inert. But in order to do, students must also know. The principles in this dimension inform the design of the active, applied practice that should be central to all learning experiences, and the instructional content that must support it. They include principles that inform what the student should learn and how the student should learn it.

The Principles

• Instructional alignment: Students learn better when instructional strategies and assessments are aligned to clear learning objectives.

• Cognitive load: Students learn better when the burden placed on working memory in the process of learning is managed appropriately.

• Challenge and complexity: Students learn better when coursework progresses from simple to complex at an appropriate level of challenge.

• Prior knowledge: Students learn better when they can connect new knowledge to prior knowledge. Learners find it easier to understand and retain new knowledge when they integrate it with what they already know.

• Modality: Students learn better when practice and instructional content are delivered in a mode that is appropriate for their pedagogical needs. The right mode—used the right way—can help replicate authentic contexts and make concepts easy to understand, while the wrong mode can generate extraneous cognitive load.

• Practice in context: Students learn better when knowledge and skills are presented and practiced in context. It is particularly valuable when the context reflects settings and scenarios that are authentic to the work that students will engage in as practitioners and professionals in the field.

• Desirable difficulties: Students learn better when learning requires effort. Some learning tasks may feel hard for the learner but actually introduce difficulties that help promote long-term retention and transfer—and are thus “desirable.”

• Deliberate practice: Students learn from mindful, carefully planned practice with feedback—the opposite of mindless repetition.

• Stories and examples: Stories and examples help students learn and retain complex information. The human mind is naturally adept at remembering stories, while examples make abstract ideas concrete.

• Expert thinking: Students learn from exposure to how experts think about approaching problems and making decisions, not just to explanations or demonstrations. To achieve mastery, learners must also be exposed to the invisible thought processes of experts.

Application in Learning Design

• Establish clear, student-focused learning objectives that are driven by what the student will be able to do as a result of the learning experience. Where possible, focus learning objectives and assessments on the tasks and skills that will be expected of learners in their future careers.

• Consider a consistent learning sequence each week so students know what to expect from the format and can focus on the content.

• Break up complex activities into smaller pieces with opportunities for feedback.

• Teach new concepts in relation to situations or scenarios that students can personally relate to, or already understand, so that students can anchor new knowledge to knowledge they already have.

• When modeling skills or conducting demonstrations—whether in asynchronous videos, live sessions, or in-person learning experiences—consider thinking aloud and narrating your thought process along the way.