2019 - 10 - 10 - Operant Conditioning And Spaced Repetition

Two of the more practical learning theories are Operant Conditioning and Spaced Repetition. And when they are combined you can use what they teach us as a solid strategy for boosting learner engagement and retention in your instructional design work. The lesson from Spaced Repetition is that in order to retain information we need to review it periodically. When we learn something new we don't hold onto it forever instead we begin to slide down the "forgetting curve" and reviewing what we've learned before we lose too much can reduce the effects of that forgetting curve. One of the lessons from Operant Conditioning is that rewards work and that rewards at unpredictable intervals work wonders. This can offer instructional designers a useful strategy. Return to important information regularly but not too regularly so that the interval is a bit unpredictable and offer a reward when the information is remembered. In animal studies food was most often used so while a cookie is always an option human beings are a bit more flexible, positive feedback, encouragement, and recognition can also work wonders.