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Content Chunking for Distance Learning

Chunking a Distance Learning Course

Chunking for Recall	Chunking for Focus
Chunking for Comprehension	Chunked Lesson Plan

Chunking for Recall

When developing a course for distance delivery, many people prefer setting it up in modules or "chunks." Research suggests that most people can understand and remember no more than seven (plus or minus two) items of information at a time (see the Rule of 7). This phenomenon is called the "chunking limit." As the complexity of the information increases, the items of information we can recall decreases.

		Simple	Complex
	Try it yourself -- study the list of simple colors for ten seconds and write down all the colors you remembered. Do the same for the complex list - how did you do?	White Orange Pink Green Black Red Blue Yellow	Crimson Magenta Lilac Puce Maize Plum Cerise Citrine

Chunking for Comprehension

Breaking down course content into easily digestible units improves the student's comprehension and ability to access and retrieve the information. You aren't watering down the course or cutting out important content; you're restructuring the way the content is presented. For a concrete example of chunked content, take a look at the difference between the two lists below:

This list has too many items of information presented at once:

NETnet System

The missions, features, capabilities and functions of the system
Major system components and interactions
Operational environment including manual procedures required
Operational modes such as local, student, and instructor
Interfaces with other non-NETnet systems
Required performance characteristics such as response time, throughput and data volumes
Quality attributes such as availability, reliability and usability
Other considerations such as network security, safety and failure modes in emergency situations
Delivery considerations such as acquisition and scheduling of courses to run over the system
The types of users who will interact with the system
Requirements for support of the system such as maintenance organization and help desk

Reference

Here's the same list, chunked into digestible units:

NETnet System

Functional Requirements

The missions, features, capabilities and functions of the system
Major system components and interactions
Operational environment including manual procedures required
Operational modes such as local, student, and instructor
Interfaces with other non-NETnet systems

Non-functional Requirements

Required performance characteristics such as response time, throughput and data volumes
Quality attributes such as availability, reliability and usability
Other considerations such as network security, safety and failure modes in emergency situations

Delivery and Operational Requirements

Delivery considerations such as acquisition and scheduling of courses to run over the system
The types of users who will interact with the system
Requirements for support of the system such as maintenance organization and help desk

Chunking for Focus

Chunking your course helps you focus, making it easier to prioritize and organize the content. Remember: plan far in advance and the more planning, the better! If you create an organizational chart mapping out the breakdown of each module or chunk, it becomes much easier to see what content is needed to meet your instructional goals for the class, what kind of interactive strategies will work best, what forms of technology will enhance the content (streaming media, PowerPoint, videotape, and so on) and what content can be eliminated.

So what does a chunked course look like? Look at a diagram of a chunked module.

Chunked Lesson Plan

Now you're ready to chunk one of your own lessons.

Before you begin to chunk your lesson, quickly review the Course Design tips. Remember that each lesson should:

Immediately capture the student’s attention
Explain its own relevance by answering the student’s question, "What's in it for me?"
Present specific and measurable learning objectives
Present engaging content through design and media
Offer the student an opportunity for practice and recall
Include a final post-test or other device to indicate mastery

Apply what you've learned so far -- chunk one of your own lessons according to the guidelines listed above. How will you achieve each of these objectives? Click on the compass, print and fill out this worksheet in PDF format.

Download a free copy of Acrobat Reader to view PDF files

As you can see from the worksheet activity above, chunking begins as a fill-in-the-blank exercise. Click on the compass to download this handy NETnet Course Chunking Workbook in PDF format to help get you started.

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