This paper presents a general view of the modern-day cognitive learning process. A wide range of research and study is available with information that anchors the application of specified instructions set to bolster the proposed techniques. College students are more affected by any factor relating to cognitive learning processes. The information contained in this work is acquired through an instructive and oral presentation and further information based on general knowledge. It is worth noting that related psychological studies in the past one and half decades have outlined several rules for designing instructions that enhance cognitive learning processes. These basic rules include paying critical attention in class, controlling mental burden, continuously practicing on the functional memory, and the process of retrieving the information stored in the long-term memory. There is sufficient scientific evidence in support of the available instructional procedures. Scholars can integrate this evidence into lesson design to enhance the learning process by regulating the cognitive burden in the functional memory, facilitating the translation process into the long-term memory, and facilitating learning-transfer. There is a motivation for learning through well-organized instructions set, and there is a simplified model of transfer of knowledge.
Keywords : Transfer of knowledge, cognitive burden, design of instructions that enhance the cognitive learning process.
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Introduction
Studying is a skill that is not consistent among all students in a given class. This skill differentiates more successful learners from average students. Success in a classroom is dependent on one's studying skills and the mastery of this art. Acquisition of study skills involves learning the skill, continuous or consistent practicing of the learned skills, and developing the resultant learning habits. More often than not, most of us acquired the studying habits during our elementary and secondary school times are not applicable at the college level. There could be a different approach as our brain progresses to the next level. Students could record their notes using different colors or fonts. The learning process involves applying both the visual and auditory techniques at a more advanced level drawing the line between low level and advanced level education. Proper studying and learning habits incorporate good time management, attention to detail, self-control and discipline, good memorization, and an organized approach towards the learning process. Great efforts are requisite in working towards a successful end. This project work puts into application course learning materials about cognition and memory in designing a program to aid students' successful study habits at their college level.
Fundamental Issues in Cognition and Memory
Cognitive psychology and the learning process tend to follow a parallel path instead of an overlapping one as it should be the norm. Based on the fact that both depict significant interests in the learning process, there should be a reasonably common ground in their application. As mentioned in the introduction part, teaching and consistency in training enhance cognitive abilities and study habits in the long run. This section covers the critical issues related to cognition and memory.
Cognitive and memory issues start developing gradually and record a significant progression to the point that they hamper the victim's quality of life. There is a wide range of cognition and memory issues with varied causes, symptoms, and effects. Issues related to one's cognitive abilities and memory hinder their cognitive faculties as far as necessitating medical attention. The most common cognitive and memory issues are:
Amnesia
Cognitive disorders as a result of substance and drug abuse
Dementia
Motor skills incapacity
Developmental disorder
There are various causes of these issues, and they vary from one individual to the other. The leading causes are genetic predisposition, hormonal imbalances, especially for expectant mothers, and environmental and climatic conditions. Primary environmental factors that affect one's cognitive abilities are improper nutrition and unpleasant interactions, especially during infancy, a stage that is the most vulnerable to cognitive growth. Substance abuse and related physical or mental injury/harm are also notable causes of cognitive problems. Uncontrolled substance and drug intake have a considerable effect on the functional part of the brain. Physical injury or harm that causes trauma to result in cognitive and memory dysfunction. Signs of cognitive and memory issues include loss of short-term and long-term memory, confusion, impaired judgment, failure to identify one's surroundings, and poor coordination.
Course Goals
The project aims to introduce the concept of memory organization and cognitive abilities to college students and other higher learning institutions. Through the research project, students will identify their cognitive strengths and weaknesses as they are influential in their studying habits. The project design will additionally offer a reliable learning model, provide ideas on studying organization, and at the same time, enhance students' memorization. Besides applying in students' academic life, the design is also applicable in any activity that requires brain activity in processing information, scheduling, and self-control, such as in the workplace and career field.
Design of A Cognitive Learning Scheme
Modern-day cognitive development theories are founded on the memory system, problem-solving skills, and language skills.
Memory System
The memory system is divided into three distinctive parts; functional or short-term memory, long-term memory, sensory, auditory, and visual memories. Information processing follows a systematic flow through the three systems of the memory. In the beginning, data or any form of information is captured through the eyes or the ears, where it is preserved in the sensory, auditory, and visual memories. From the initial preservation, the information proceeds to the functional memory or short-term memory. The functional memory has a limited storage capacity, and its processor includes distinct storage sections for both the audio and the visual information and or data. Miller's famous classic paper is the most significant step towards the growth and progression of cognitive psychology. Miller (1995) defined the functional memory's capacity as minus or plus.
Although short-term memory has a limited capacity, it is the core of any thinking and learning process. For learning to occur, new sensory data from the auditory and visual systems have to be included in this functional memory to develop a logical concept. The developed concept is then practiced in the short-term memory to incorporate fresh ideas into the existing ones in the long-term memory, referred to as schemas. Incorporating the new data into the available schemas describes what is referred to as the encoding process. Nonetheless, the encoding process in long-term memory is not enough. As mentioned before, data and information processing takes place in the short term memory. Therefore, the long-term memory's freshly encoded information must be accessible and transferable into the short-term memory to process and execute specified tasks. The very last phase in this section is the basis for cognition to enhance the transfer of learning. Long-term memory performs both the storage and information retrieval processes, and its damage results in poor memorization, improper information retrieval that results in misinformed conclusions. The impact of all these is poor performance for the student or person in question.
Problem-solving
In the problem-solving case, knowledge transfer involves applying the acquired knowledge and skills in addressing the problem at hand. A specific concept towards this approach is the near-and-fear-transfer assignments that offer a platform for skills and knowledge application as acquired from the instructions set. Problem-solving in the context of cognitive abilities requires problem analysis and content evaluation to supplement each other. A cognitive approach towards problem-solving begins by identifying and describing the problem's functionality at hand and then divides the primary function into subsets and the subsets into doable tasks. Additionally, a cognitive approach finds an authentic atmosphere for the application of acquired skills and knowledge.
Design Proposals and Recommendations
Training sessions and practice assignments might be too lengthy to be comprehended by the learners. One way of addressing this problem is by avoiding or reduce the burden by adjusting the lengths of the lessons and practice duration to be consistent with the learners' cognitive faculties and the lesson's technical requirements. Furthermore, sufficient study shows that intervals between learning and training sessions give better results than completing the entire session at once. Referring to cognitive loading theory, it is more likely that having breaks in training or practice eliminates the limited storage capacity of short-term memory more often, creating space for more data and information.
There is a need to develop practices that enhance new data and information segregation when putting into practice the ideas generated at the application level. Instead of describing ideas or concepts, the student should point out an incidence that has not been identified before. The instruction set should have a problem that the student is supposed to apply problem-solving skills or come up with an assumption by referring to the functionality of the process or lack of it to put a process into practice (MacKay, 2002). For example, suppose a teacher is taking the students through the temperature changes phases in a human being's body. In that case, the student should be able to describe the functioning of the body under normal circumstances.
Additional input into improving a learner's cognitive abilities and enhancing their memorization should be clear access to data that offers facts about the task at hand. Factual data goes a long way in providing concrete evidence in any form of discourse. A perfect approach towards preparing students for such abilities is through scheduled drills and surprises. This kind of activities keeps the students prepared and enhances their long term memories. Any skill or technique put into action for an extended period becomes automated within the long-term memory confines (Clark & Mayer, 2008). Once this has been achieved, there will be no or little need for processing in short-term memory. For students and learners, automation in the long-term memory occurs during revisions and practices done on the course work.
In most cases, swift automation happens naturally during working or undertaking a task. However, instructions are more efficient since nature calls for fast and accurate reactions. Consistent practicing for the students can eliminate the learning help since whatever they come across during their revisions becomes encoded in the long term memory by virtue of repetition.
Finally, I propose that expert instructions such as special tutors should be instructional based on enhancing human beings' learning process. This approach should include emphasizing attention, regulation or control of the cognitive load, repeated practices in the short-term memory, and accessibility and retrieval of new information or stored data from long-term memory. The project's main goal was not to offer an exhaustive explanation of the many different learning approaches related to the cognitive processes or the content-performance array; instead, it provides a general overview of these approaches and references for the interested parties.
References
Clark, R., & Mayer, R. (2008). Learning by viewing versus learning by doing: Evidence-based guidelines for principled learning environments. Performance Improvement, 47(9), 5-13. https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.20028
MacKay, T. (2002). The Future of Educational Psychology. Educational Psychology In Practice, 18(3), 245-253. https://doi.org/10.1080/0266736022000010276.
Miller, A.G. (1995). The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information. American Psychological Association. Vol. 101, No.2, pp.343-352.
