Article
By Megan Allen, Ed.M.
Partner Success Manager @ Collage AI
Introduction
When effort isn’t the problem
Not all learning struggles come down to motivation or preparation. Sometimes the issue is simpler: a student’s working memory is being asked to hold more than it can manage at once. Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) offers a way to understand this, explaining why well-intentioned lesson design can still overwhelm learners, and why the sequencing of information matters as much as the information itself. For instructors building courses, and for platforms generating instructional content on their behalf, understanding CLT is the difference between material that helps students build lasting knowledge and material that leaves them stuck before they even begin.
The Theory
What is Cognitive Load Theory?
Cognitive Load Theory, first driven from John Sweller in Australia (Koenig-Workman, 2024), is based on the human process of interpreting information. It suggests that human working memory has a strictly limited capacity, chunking 5-9 pieces of information at a time. Our working memory either discards information it takes in or categorizes it to be stored in our long term memory. Once stored in long term memory, it is sorted into “schemas,” which are an organization structure of information based on how we use said information. The more we recall from schemas, the more developed they become.
“Cognitive load” is the amount of information our brains can process at any given moment. Cognitive Load Theory prevents overloading students’ working memory and allows them to store information into schemas to strengthen their recall.
Why is Cognitive Load Theory important? CLT is important because when learners are overloaded with information, the “problem space” is too big for them to store information long term. The problem space is the gap between the current state of learning and the desired goal.
In accordance with the Office of Educational Improvement at the Medical College of Wisconsin, there are three types of cognitive load, which are intrinsic, extraneous, and germane. Intrinsic load refers to the inherent difficulty of processing information, and stays constant regardless of extraneous and germane inputs. Extraneous load refers to the way information is presented. Germane load is how we process information into long term memory. Cognitive overload happens when the combination of intrinsic, extraneous, and germane loads are too much for a particular student.
In cognitive overload, students are not properly storing information in their long term memory and sorting it into schemas. They may not be able to complete tasks they otherwise would have given their knowledge and experience. Without factoring in CLT, students may not be succeeding for reasons other than what you may initially think.
In Practice
How Collage factors in CLT
Collage’s lesson generation is designed to reduce unnecessary cognitive burden while preserving the productive struggle that supports learning. In practice, this means the platform structures generated content so that new information is introduced in manageable increments rather than all at once, sequencing concepts so that foundational ideas are established before more complex or interdependent ones are layered on top.
Because instructors retain full control to edit and reorder any AI-generated content, this scaffolding functions as a starting structure rather than a fixed sequence, giving faculty the ability to adjust pacing or complexity based on their own knowledge of student readiness.
Conclusion
Cognitive Load Theory reframes a familiar classroom problem. When students struggle, the cause is not always a gap in effort or ability. Often, it is a mismatch between what working memory can hold and what a lesson asks it to process at once. Designing with intrinsic, extraneous, and germane load in mind gives instructors a framework for building courses that support schema development instead of working against it.
References
1
Koenig-Workman, I. (2024). Cognitive load theory. The Decision Lab. https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/psychology/cognitive-load-theory
2
Office of Educational Improvement, Medical College of Wisconsin. (2022, May). Cognitive load theory: A guide to applying cognitive load theory to your teaching. Medical College of Wisconsin.https://www.mcw.edu/-/media/MCW/Education/Academic-Affairs/OEI/Faculty-Quick- Guides/Cognitive-Load-Theory.pdf
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