Use of Cognitive Load Theory to Deploy Instructional Technology for Undergraduate Medical Education: a Scoping Review

Although new instructional technologies have been widely adopted, cognitive load theory (CLT) is rarely used to inform deployment of those technologies. This scoping review of published literature examined CLT use in the design of teaching technologies for medical students. Three databases were quer...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMedical science educator Vol. 32; no. 2; pp. 553 - 559
Main Authors Hochstrasser, Kevin, Stoddard, Hugh A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York Springer US 01.04.2022
Subjects
Education
Medical Education
Review
Medical students
Scoping review
Cognitive load
Instructional technology
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Summary:Although new instructional technologies have been widely adopted, cognitive load theory (CLT) is rarely used to inform deployment of those technologies. This scoping review of published literature examined CLT use in the design of teaching technologies for medical students. Three databases were queried, and thematic characteristics were extracted. Fourteen articles met the inclusion criteria. Themes extracted were: Subjects that are inherently visual were contexts for innovations, more than half of the interventions used the CLT modality principle, and CLT-based interventions had mostly positive outcomes. CLT is advantageous for medical education, but its full scope is rarely applied. A broader range of subject areas may benefit from CLT-based teaching.
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ISSN:2156-8650
2156-8650
DOI:10.1007/s40670-021-01499-1