Description: A comprehensive review of all issues related to cognitive load theory, written by prolific researchers from around the world.
Brief description: Jan L. Plass is an Associate Professor of Educational Communication and Technology in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University, where he co-directs the NYU Games for Learning Institute. He is also the founding director of the Consortium for Research and Evaluation of Advanced Technology in Education (CREATE). His research is at the intersection of cognitive science, learning sciences, and design and seeks to enhance the educational effectiveness of visual environments. Dr Plass's current focus is on the cognitive and emotional aspects of information design and the interaction design of simulations and educational games for science education and second language acquisition. He has received funding for his research from the US Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and, most recently, from Microsoft Research and the Motorola Foundation.
Review Quotes: "Within the last two decades, CLT has become one of the most cited instructional design theories along with Richard E. Mayer's Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. The book provides a valuable and accessible resource for familiarizing students at the undergraduate and graduate level with CLT's basic theoretical assumptions as well as with the extensive empirical research that has been conducted against the theory's background. The chapters have been written by notable CLT researchers and nicely cover the state of the art achieved in cognitive load research. Whereas a book like this cannot possibly solve the theoretical and measurement challenges that have been uttered by researchers from different fields in the last years, it does a good job in openly discussing these issues."
- Friedrich W. Hesse, Knowledge Media Research Center, Tuebingen