Subsumption Theory and eLearning

Ever heard of Subsumption Theory referenced in an eLearning context? Essentially, it’s a theory that refers to the way learners absorb new information. David Ausubel, an educational Psychologist, introduced this theory in the 1960s—which pivots on the thought that learners can learn more effectively if new information is tied in with their current knowledge base….

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Path-Goal Theory: How to Use it in eLearning Courses

In 1971, Robert J. House shared his Path-Goal Theory. Basically, it means that in order for leaders to be effective, they need to encourage and support their students so that they feel comfortable in the learning environment. The very technical definition is here. This theory is valuable for eLearning designers because it identifies four leadership…

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How Flow Theory Impacts eLearning

Flow theory impacts eLearning in a big way. The name hints at why. The theory, created by Mihaly Csikzentmihaly (say that five times fast), focuses on the mental state of learners during education and the state in which intrinsic motivation occurs. Flow happens when the learner is actively engaged and learning is happening in a…

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Adult Learning Theory in eLearning

Malcolm Knowles released his book The Modern Practice of Adult Education in 1970—but the lessons we can learn from there are still as relevant as ever. In this post, we’ll look at how we can leverage adult learning theory to create eLearning courses that are designed specifically for the mind of an adult trainee. Andragogy…

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How to Leverage Gestalt Theory in eLearning

It’s important to remember that great eLearning is a product of much more than graphics and content from SMEs or clients—it requires knowledge of how the adult mind learns and interprets information. Psychology plays a major role in learning theory, and more specifically, Gestalt Theory is one pertinent topic that relates to eLearning. Let’s look…

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eLearning and Cognitive Load Theory

When building an eLearning course, it can be tempting to do a full-on information dump and completely overload your learners with too much information. After all, have you ever heard a SME admit that any related content wasn’t critically important? However, as you probably guessed, this isn’t an effective approach to education. This brings us…

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How to Humanize Your eLearning Course

For a lot of reasons, eLearning is an amazing way to train people. It helps you deliver a consistent message to your trainees. It’s almost infinitely scalable, with virtually no incremental delivery costs. And it allows you to set up situations that would be difficult (or impossible) to safely arrange in a real environment. That…

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You Need To Be Learning From Your Training Analytics

You know your learners are learning something from your courses. After all, that’s what you created them for in the first place. But the real question is: are YOU learning anything from them? Your training analytics can tell you a lot about your courses. You can determine how well or *dare we say* poorly they…

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Save Time and Money with eLearning Pre-Tests

Let’s face it, not everyone is super stoked about taking your latest eLearning course. Whether they’re busy, lazy, feel they already know the information, or are unabashedly anti-learning, sometimes streamlining the path through a course is the best option. In our last article, we talked about failure driving your course content. In this article, we’ll…

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Tim Buteyn

Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions, has been in the training and instructional design field for almost 20 years. He founded the company because of his passion for creating engaging learning experiences. Adult learning theory, instructional design, innovative instructional strategies, and accelerated learning concepts have driven him to create ThinkingKap Learning Solutions. One of…

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