The Segmenting Principle

The segmenting principle recommends dividing complex content into smaller segments.

All learning requires cognitive effort. While simple concepts may require very little effort, other concepts are more complex and can be difficult to learn.

Consider the recipe card for how to boil eggs below.

Do you remember what we learned about working memory? It can hold 5-9 “chunks” of information at a time. So, learning the six steps it takes to boil an egg is relatively easy.

Compare that to learning to make crème br?lée.

If you try to simplify a complex concept, you will sacrifice accuracy. For example, if you try to remove some of the steps to making crème br?lée, the result will not be successful. However, you can make a complex concept easier to understand through segmenting.

Segmenting, or chunking, involves separating complex content, like an entire crème br?lée recipe, into smaller segments.

For example, you might segment the crème br?lée recipe in the following way:

Instead of expecting the learner to hold all the information about how to make crème br?lée in their working memory as they bake, getting lost as they follow 14 steps at once, they can learn 3-5 steps at a time, which helps to manage the intrinsic load.

To make sure the learner remembers the information from each segment at the end of the learning experience, rather than moving on and forgetting, they must have ample opportunities to practice and show mastery throughout each segment before moving on.

It can be helpful to review information from the previous segment(s) or provide reminders of key terms or concepts as the learner moves on to the next lesson.

When segmenting content, it is also important for the learner to have control over how quickly they proceed through the lesson. If the pacing is controlled by the system, the learner may not have enough time to process information.

Instead, provide a “continue” button, or something similar, so that the learner can choose when to move on so that they are not overloaded by moving through information too quickly.

This concept applies to longer videos as well.

If the user has a “pause” button, they are unlikely to use it. Instead, break up the video into segments and provide stopping points where the user is required to press “continue” to move on. This will give them the time and space to make sense of the information in the video before continuing.

ASK YOURSELF

• Is complex information (including video) broken up into smaller segments?
• Can the learner practice each segment before moving on?
• Are “continue” buttons provided for self-paced navigation?