Short and Sweet: Reducing Extrinsic Cognitive Load When Authoring Self-Study Materials for Medical Students

Our medical school institution underwent a preclinical curriculum redesign which placed a strong emphasis on faculty-created self-learning guides (SLGs) as an alternative content delivery mechanism to traditional lectures. Comprised of self-paced videos and accompanying text and images, SLGs aim to prepare students for active classroom engagement involving case and team-based learning application and discussion. Understanding extrinsic cognitive load theory is pivotal for instructional design, prompting instructors to carefully consider the presentation and preparation of multimedia educational materials. The aim of this study was to understand students' engagement with and preferences for content presentation in a faculty created SLG.

In 2023, a 40-question Likert survey via Qualtrics was sent to all faculty who had created SLGs and M2 class students who had interacted with SLGs. There were separate surveys for faculty and students with parallel questioning, which included questions in the following areas: Student and faculty preferences around SLG format and how they engage with the SLG content. Additionally, a subset of students participated in a qualitative focus group, with data analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis.

Faculty members (n=18/58) and students (n=72/158) completed the survey. Data from the survey and focus groups revealed a notable disjunction: While 76% of students prefer text, images, and diagrams that summarize the main points of videos instead of content that goes into more detail or adds new information, only 50% of faculty utilize this practice. Additionally, focus group data illustrated that students rely on succinct post-video summaries that utilize bulleting and bolding of key terms for self-assessment and for revisiting material in second-pass study.

As faculty create SLGs for students, the use of text, video, and images should be considered carefully and purposefully to minimize extrinsic load and maximize efficiency toward meeting intended learning outcomes. Faculty development that emphasizes cognitive load theory principles pertinent to content creation would greatly enhance the learning experience.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-025-02564-9.