The subject of knowledge retention has been subject to extensive research. E-learning providers are constantly endeavouring to bring out new methods to make learning adhere to the memory of learners.
By investing in e-learning, you do not get rid of all your responsibilities. E-learners can easily forget information that is previously acquired. Hence, you must apply techniques which improve retention of knowledge and which can overcome the forgetting curve.
Myths about Knowledge Retention
- Failure of memory causes forgetting
It does not hold true. According to neuroscientists, forgetting is adaptive. Our world is fast paced and busy, feeding us constantly with new information. We are surrounded by Ads, media, news, television, every minute, daily. As such, the brain filters information no longer in use and not important anymore. Thus forgetting is not a failure of memory. Instead, it is a basic part of the memory system. It is an active and normal component, which helps us in e-learning of facts that matter and forgetting of those that don’t.
- You will remember information which is relevant
In e learning development for education in school, we often adhere to the tenet that reading information again and again will help us retain more. But research has belied this fact and considers such type of rote learning to be ineffective.
Facts about Learning Retention
Online learning courses may adhere to following principles:
- Objectives of training program
It is a fact that we have been spending healthy amount of money and time on training. Over 70% of content of formal training programs is forgotten within one day. Today’s employees have short attention spans and are easily distracted.
- The curve of forgetting
That was 1885 when Herman Ebbinghaus developed the concept of ‘forgetting curve.” According to this concept, information gets lost after a period of time, and users fail to retrieve it. In sum, ‘use it or you run the risk of losing it.’ The brain uses this simple algorithm to determine what information to retain and what to discard.
- Use of science to retain facts
A number of employees tend forget the bulk of training. But the good news is that by using science, you can reverse the process.
- How learning takes place
When information comes, we process it via an encoding process in our short term memory, which has limited capacity. The next process is consolidation. Here, the brain looks for connections with existing information. By consolidation, we retain more of the important stuff, which is closely related to other important information in our memory.
E-learning companies India design content based on these facts and myths.