The best instructional design consultants understand how
to make their programs more effective by taking into account how the brain
works. They think about how difficult it can be to maintain the attention of program
participants.
Have you ever tried to focus in on one single thought for
more than 10 seconds without being distracted? Unless you have had special
training, it is near impossible to keep other thoughts from intruding.
Researchers have found that your neurons quickly exhaust their source of energy
and look elsewhere for fuel. If they don’t find it, they tire and other more
energetic neurons command your attention.
Physiologically, we all suffer from a certain degree of
attention deficit.
So how does this affect instructional design? Designers
need to recognize that program participants’ attention will wander. They need
to change the pace, shift the tasks and provide breaks. These are the ways to
combat mental fatigue and keep participants learning.
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