What does cognitive science bring to LMS?
At first glance, cognitive science may seem like a field reserved for researchers, an obscure discipline, or simple educational jargon. However, these sciences are at the origin of extremely practical recommendations for corporate training. They shed light on how we learn, remember, and understand information.
Cognitive sciences thus offer solid principles for optimizing skills development: from relevant feedback to the intelligent spacing of sessions, through the avoidance of the illusion of control. No magic here, just well-applied science.
So do you have to be a researcher or educational engineer to take advantage of it? No, and that's where LMS (Learning Management Systems) have a role to play. By integrating these principles into their operation, they thus allow companies and their designers, even without pedagogical prerequisites, to benefit from the undeniable contributions of cognitive sciences. Because an LMS that just offers pretty and interactive training courses, without scientific expertise, will never boost the skills of your teams.
Managers, HR decision-makers or training managers, this article is for you. We will now go through the most important key principles, showing you how they can be embodied in an LMS.
Feedback is one of the fundamental pillars of cognitive science applied to learning. The idea is simple: to learn effectively, it is crucial to receive quick and relevant feedback on its performance. This not only makes it possible to correct errors but also to reinforce best practices. Effective feedback should be specific, detailed, and provided immediately after the learning activity to maximize its impact.
Receiving immediate feedback allows learners to correct their mistakes in real time and reinforce their best practices. This favors deeper and more accurate learning. For the company, this means a rapid improvement in the skills of employees.
In the Didask LMS, each training module is designed to offer immediate and detailed feedback, personalized according to their answers. Users not only receive binary answers but comprehensive explanations that allow them to understand their mistakes and improve their understanding. To go further on the importance of feedback, I recommend our article Unleash the potential of feedback.
The test effect is another essential principle in cognitive science. It's about strengthening memory and learning by testing yourself regularlyt. Rather than simply rereading or revising information, Testing yourself helps to consolidate knowledge and to improve long-term retention. Frequent testing encourages active retrieval of information, which strengthens understanding and prevents forgetting. And yes, a test is not only for evaluating, it is a fully-fledged learning tool !
Regular testing allows learners to remember information better and to apply what they have learned more effectively. For the company, this means employees who are better trained and better able to use their new skills in the workplace, which is more important in a professional context.
The Didask LMS integrates regular tests and interactive quizzes into its training courses, and which can take a lot of different formats, from simple MCQ to a very elaborate practical case. As you can see, these tests are not just evaluations, but essential teaching tools that reinforce learning and the transfer of skills. To learn more about this principle (the test effect), read our article quickly. Testing Effect: learning sustainably.
The spacing effect is based on the idea that learning is more effective when it is spread over longer periods of time rather than concentrated in a single session. By spacing out learning sessions, you improve information retention and reduce cognitive overload. The spacing of sessions allows learners to consolidate their knowledge with each revision and to better integrate information over the long term. The “cramming” methods that many of us used when we were younger, while they can potentially help with an exam the next day (and again), are not effective for sustainable skills development.
Spacing up learning sessions makes it possible to better anchor information in long-term memory. Your employees are thus able to retain and apply knowledge much more effectively, even though it might seem counterintuitive. For the company, this means a more sustainable increase in skills and a reduction in oversights.
Thanks to his granular structure, the Didask LMS allows learning sessions to be spaced out, using reminders and reviews to maximize retention. Its micro-learning format favors practice in small, regular sessions, which is also very practical for fitting into the often busy schedules of your employees. We detail the spacing effect in our article Spacing effect: sustainable learning if you want to deepen this principle.
Cognitive load refers to the amount of mental effort required to process information. Cognitive overload can interfere with learning, which is why it is important to structure information in such a way as not to overload your employees when they're using your LMS. This includes a clear organization of content (a work in particular of UX), the use of appropriate visuals and the segmentation of information into small digestible units (the famous granularization).
Minimizing cognitive load allows learners to focus on the essentials, to assimilate information more easily and to reduce stress. This leads to better understanding and retention of knowledge. For the company, this means more effective training and employees better equipped to handle complex tasks.
Our LMS organizes its content to minimize cognitive load by using an intuitive interface and by segmenting information. No bling bling or flashy visual effects which, even though pretty, would disturb the attention. The format of our modules is designed to guide your employees through progressive steps, allowing easy and effective assimilation. Learn more about our approaches to limiting cognitive overload in our article Mental overload, the enemy of learning.
The illusion of mastery occurs when a learner Think you have mastered a subject when you don't. In fact, maybe it brings back memories of school in you. This may be due to passive revisions or an overestimation of one's skills. Employees often feel they understand a topic after reading or exposing it repeatedly, but that doesn't mean they can apply it or recall it in a real life situation. Conversely, the most effective methods are sometimes the ones that seem the most counterintuitive at first glance.
Combating the illusion of mastery allows learners to truly understand and apply what they have learned. They are better prepared to use their skills in a practical and effective manner. For the company, this means more accurate and competent use of skills, which in turn improves overall performance.
Didask fights against the illusion of mastery by integrating continuous assessments and interactive activities that require learners to prove their real understanding of the subject. Learners are confronted with practical situations and realistic scenarios that test their ability to apply what they have learned. If you want more details, read our article The illusion of mastery: danger for learning.
Today, many LMSs incorporate artificial intelligence (AI). But not all AIs are created equal. To train well, what counts is to have a truly educational AI. And that's where cognitive science comes in.
An educational AI uses knowledge from cognitive science to help designers, who do not necessarily master these principles, to quickly create effective modules. It personalizes learning in an effective way, in particular by providing ever more personalized feedback. By combining these principles with the power of AI, we get an ROI catalyst for the LMS, speeding up administrative tasks while guaranteeing pedagogical effectiveness.
That is exactly what Didask does. A pioneer in this field, Didask developed the first educational AI thanks to the joint work of its developers and researchers in cognitive sciences. This AI, integrated into our LMS, is designed to maximize the effectiveness of online learning, ensuring that each learner receives a training path adapted to their specific needs.
To learn more about the use of educational AI and how the Didask LMS goes beyond the simple capabilities of generic AIs like ChatGPT, I invite you to read our article Beyond ChatGPT: generative AI at the service of pedagogy.
Choosing an LMS that integrates the principles of cognitive science is essential to ensure effective training that is adapted to the needs of learners. By applying techniques like immediate feedback, testing, spacing, and cognitive load management, you can transform online learning and truly boost the skills of your teams.
The Didask LMS is designed precisely to meet these requirements. Based on solid scientific foundations, Didask offers a comprehensive solution that optimizes every aspect of learning. To find out how Didask can transform your training programs, visit our page LMS Didask.
Managers, HR decision-makers, your employees deserve better than training courses that are simply beautiful and interactive. They deserve science-based training that guarantees concrete and lasting results. Adopt an LMS that puts cognitive science at the heart of learning and see the difference. Because yes, well-designed learning can work wonders, and that's exactly what Didask offers.
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Cognitive sciences & pedagogy
Cognitive sciences & pedagogy
Cognitive sciences & pedagogy
