Optimising Instructional Design Strategies to Mitigate Cognitive Overload

A lack of unified instructional design strategies to mitigate cognitive overload in higher education necessitated this study to explore how instructional design could mitigate cognitive overload in first-year commerce students. Grounded in the Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), which posits that excessive information impedes conducive student learning experiences and metacognition. The research is situated within a South African private higher education institution (PHEI) and explores a qualitative analysis using a three-pronged approach. Firstly, a literature review on CLT and its application in instructional design impacting students' learning experiences was conducted. Secondly, the researchers evaluated the institution’s 2023 instructional design of modules and their presentation through the learning management system (LMS) using multimedia learning. The purposive sample consisted of eight first-year modules within the Bachelor of Commerce degree program to assess the learning design elements against the principles of CLT. The researchers, being three instructional designers used secondary data and peer-reviewed the module evaluations to validate the findings and verify the impact of CLT on students' learning based on the institution's existing instructional design strategy. By evaluating the PHEI’s current instructional design practices against CLT principles, this study aimed to identify effective strategies to manage cognitive load and enhance the student learning experience within the higher education context. The research findings of this study indicated that the integration of CLT into instructional design could mitigate cognitive overload, thereby improving the student learning experience, and metacognition and providing guidelines for the refinement of instructional design strategies. The value of the research outcomes was anticipated to contribute to the development of improved instructional design strategies using multi-media learning to address cognitive load. The value of the research outcomes was anticipated to contribute to the development of improved instructional design frameworks and strategies that addressed cognitive load, enabling effective and conducive learning environments in higher education. These insights aimed to guide future research in curriculum design and teaching and learning practices in higher education and to recommend instructional design strategies to manage cognitive load thus mitigating the challenges of cognitive overload experienced by students and enhancing the student learning experience.