Learning and development professionals are under enormous pressure to show company leaders the ROI of their training and upskilling programmes. One marker of success is the degree to which learners have actually learned information from their training and whether they can apply what they learned.
This presents a challenge to L&D managers: What’s the point of investing time and money in training if learners are unlikely to retain the information?
The best way to ensure knowledge is retained is by using training and learning methods that actively work against the “forgetting curve” – a mathematical formula developed by 19th-century German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus. His research explains why, how, and how quickly we forget what we’ve learned, and provides valuable solutions for beating the forgetting curve to ensure better learning outcomes.
Understanding the Forgetting Curve
Studies by cognitive science expert Art Kohn support Ebbinghaus’ findings. Kohn suggests that humans forget approximately 50% of new information within an hour of learning it. That goes up to an average of 70% within 24 hours, and after a week, that average goes up to 90%.
How quickly we forget things depends on several factors, including how meaningful the material is, the difficulty of the topic, how the material was learned, whether it was frequently learned or remembered, and physiological factors, such as sleep and stress.
The only way to combat the forgetfulness curve, according to Ebbinghaus, is to repeatedly review what we have learned. The more we review something, the stronger its memory becomes and the longer we can remember it. The thinking is that when we’re exposed to the same material repeatedly at spaced intervals (see below), it takes less time to pull the information from our long-term memory.
Beating the Forgetting Curve
The lightning speed at which technology is being used to augment teaching is creating myriad opportunities to reinforce learning and increase knowledge retention. The secret sauce, however, is combining the best of tech with human touchpoints at every stage of the journey. This combination, along with what Kohn describes as “booster events” that reset the learning curve, is what enables students to remember what they learned and immediately practise it in a real-world context.
Here are four ways to gain knowledge (and keep it).
1. Human-centric learning
When the human connection is at the heart of your training programmes, courses go far beyond information and knowledge-gaining. A human-centric approach means there is ongoing support and timely feedback from learner success coaches, and coordinators who help learners work through learning material, quizzes, live sessions and assignment submissions.
It also includes social or peer learning, where learners collaborate and connect, engage with industry experts, and share their experiences and real-world challenges. In peer learning, students learn from each other, which means everyone is both a teacher and a learner. There is no better way to spot your own knowledge gaps than trying to explain a new concept to someone else. When learners share and discuss diverse perspectives, it leads to better understanding and knowledge retention.
2. Introduce practical application
Good course material translates theory into action and gives learners a toolkit to apply to the working world. Unlike traditional learning institutions, which primarily teach the theory (the what) of a subject, modern teaching methodologies focus on the practical (the how).
For example, when students learn something new, they should be given the opportunity to apply it in their work environment within a week. This way, they layer their skills, their understanding deepens, and they can connect existing knowledge to new skills.
Practical learning opportunities where learners can apply what they have learned online include breakout sessions to solve a problem, live collaborative sessions, hands-on activities, workshops, and practical simulations.
3. Spaced learning
According to Ebbinghaus, we can maximise learning retention with spaced repetition. This involves repeating instructions at regular intervals to store the information in our long-term memory (learning is retained only when it is transferred to long-term memory). When learners acquire knowledge in intervals and immediately apply their new skills before learning something new, they build upon their existing skills.
Learning material can be repeated or reviewed at set intervals, or offered in short and frequent modules instead of single, longer ones. New modules can be started by recapping older modules, and lecturers can introduce new concepts by relating them to older concepts.
Research has also shown that information is better remembered if a course is spaced out over time. Known as the Spatial Memory Effect, it proves that when learning is distributed over time – as opposed to presented in a single session – learners absorb and comprehend information much better.
4. Embrace the best of tech
Modern learning management systems (LMSs) allow course creators and instructors to create compelling and interactive online materials that integrate multimedia components like audio, videos, and simulations. These not only cater to different learning styles but, considering that 83% of the information that our brains process is visual data, using visuals is a no-brainer.
Quizzes and multiple-choice questionnaires can work as “booster events” that force the learner to recall the information and reset the learner’s forgetting curve in the process.
Tech also allows you to create bite-size or micro-learning content. Studies have shown that microlearning is closer to the way our brains process information, providing learners with just enough knowledge to achieve a specific goal or learn a new skill and immediately apply it.
Last thoughts
Now that you’re armed with some practical tips for combatting the forgetting curve, it’s time to put your learning and training into action. If you have any questions about our courses or the MasterStart methodology, contact us. We’ll be happy to show you how our learning solutions have resulted in a 90% learner satisfaction rating and are 100% geared toward learner success.
