In Academe, What Is Learned, and How Is It Learned?

Academic learning is different from much of the learning engaged in by humans functioning in the natural world. It differs in terms of the cognitive systems that have evolved to assimilate new information. Academic learning requires specific teaching and learning procedures that occur only occasionally outside of academic contexts. The manner in which humans process the categories of information used in academic learning mirrors the processes by which biological evolution processes genetic information. Based on knowledge of human cognition, cognitive load theory was devised to facilitate academic learning by developing appropriate instructional procedures.