e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning

11.1. What Is Practice in e-Learning?

Effective e-learning engages learners with the instructional environment in ways that foster the selection, organization, integration, and retrieval of new knowledge. First, attention must be drawn to the important information in the training. Then the instructional words and visuals must be integrated with each other and with prior knowledge. Finally, the new knowledge and skills that are built in long-term memory must be retrieved from long-term memory after the training when needed on the job. Effective practice exercises support all of these psychological processes. In this chapter we will review research and guidelines for optimizing learning from online practice.

11.1.1. Practice Formats in e-Learning ...