Dynamics of cognitive load theory: A model-based approach

Since its conception nearly two decades ago, cognitive load theory (CLT) has been a fertile ground for both empirical and theoretical investigations. The research accumulated over the years has contributed not only to the theory’s validation, but also generated new insights. These new insights helped to refine CLT, making it more precise, but also more complex. A formal (mathematical) simulation model is proposed as a new analytical tool for investigating CLT’s increasingly intricate postulates and their dynamic implications. This paper describes how the theoretical relationships between certain features of instruction and the cognitive capacities of learners can be expressed formally, and how the resulting model can help gain insights into the learning dynamics that arise from these relationships, providing a new aid for research, teaching and practice in the field of instructional design.