Cognitive Load
Also known as العبء المعرفي
Definition
Cognitive load is the amount of working memory a learning task demands. Cognitive load theory distinguishes load intrinsic to the material's difficulty from extraneous load created by how it is presented — and holds that instruction should minimize the second so capacity remains available for the first.
Working memory is severely limited, and exceeding it stops learning rather than slowing it. Most extraneous load in corporate content comes from avoidable presentation choices: narration that reads on-screen text aloud, decorative animation competing with explanation, and information a learner needs held on a previous screen.
The design responses are well established — segment content into learner-controlled chunks, place explanations next to the visual they describe, remove decoration that carries no information, and provide worked examples before independent practice for novices. Experts benefit from the reverse, which is why one course rarely serves both well.