I am seeking evidence regarding the length of time an e-learning course should take. I've been looking in the literature, but so far I have not found any studies to provide this information. Does anyone have suggestions for me?
Hi Amanda. This isn't a study, but here's an interview I did with Julie Dirksen, author of "Design for How People Learn" (an excellent book) where she talks about attention span and learning. I believe the consensus is that roughly 20-minutes is a good length, but as you'll see in the article, it really depends on factors like the learner's interest in the topic, how immediately useful the information is, and how important the information is perceived to be. I hope you'll find some ideas you can use here—or at least narrow your search a bit. Best wishes!
Maybe this can help, I recently watched a video in LinkedIn Learning called The Neuroscience of Learning. The instructor mentions information from this article - "The Science of Making Learning Stick: An Update to the AGES Model." You can also watch the specific part of the clip titled "The role of the hippocampus in learning" though the article definitely goes into more detail. I added it as an attachment.. hopefully it opens properly. If not, you can download it by doing a Google search for it.
Basically, it recommends designing learning in 20 minute chunks. I think courses/content can be longer than that, but it's good to break up the activities.
Here's an excerpt:
"After 15–20 minutes of sustained attention, a trainer can either provide downtime to let people mentally refresh, or introduce something novel or unexpected, such as a chance for learners to focus inward, be active, ask questions, change learning format, discuss, and so on."
I know this doesn't exactly define the total time of a course, but perhaps it can help a little. I'm curious to know the complete answer too.
3 Replies
Hi Amanda. This isn't a study, but here's an interview I did with Julie Dirksen, author of "Design for How People Learn" (an excellent book) where she talks about attention span and learning. I believe the consensus is that roughly 20-minutes is a good length, but as you'll see in the article, it really depends on factors like the learner's interest in the topic, how immediately useful the information is, and how important the information is perceived to be. I hope you'll find some ideas you can use here—or at least narrow your search a bit. Best wishes!
Maybe this can help, I recently watched a video in LinkedIn Learning called The Neuroscience of Learning. The instructor mentions information from this article - "The Science of Making Learning Stick: An Update to the AGES Model." You can also watch the specific part of the clip titled "The role of the hippocampus in learning" though the article definitely goes into more detail. I added it as an attachment.. hopefully it opens properly. If not, you can download it by doing a Google search for it.
Basically, it recommends designing learning in 20 minute chunks. I think courses/content can be longer than that, but it's good to break up the activities.
Here's an excerpt:
"After 15–20 minutes of sustained attention, a
trainer can either provide downtime to let people mentally
refresh, or introduce something novel or unexpected, such
as a chance for learners to focus inward, be active, ask
questions, change learning format, discuss, and so on."
I know this doesn't exactly define the total time of a course, but perhaps it can help a little. I'm curious to know the complete answer too.
Don’t forget about it
They also have many other great articles.
How We Learn - Benedict Carey
The Adult Learner - Malcolm Knowles
This discussion is closed. You can start a new discussion or contact Articulate Support.