When designing our content for education and workplace learning, we often invest enormous effort into the delivery aspect. This might be a lecture, an online module, a workshop or tutorial, or the beloved slide deck. These delivery mechanisms expose our audiences (students, learners) to our content – the information we want them to know, remember, and understand.
Exposure is important, but it’s the weakest part of the learning process.
If we want to design learning that leads to meaningful outcomes for students, we need to consider where learning actually occurs. Learning is not a single event, but something that unfolds across three interconnected stages: Encoding, Retrieval, and Application. Given the convenient acronym let’s call them ‘ERAs’ – each one contributing something different and requiring intentional design decisions.
The Encoding ERA: the starting point, not the finish line
Encoding happens when learners first encounter new information. It’s essential, but fragile; beautifully designed content doesn’t equal retention. We can spend a lot of time curating relevant case studies, pretty summary tables, amusing anecdotes and the perfect YouTube clip to hook the audience in. However, even if it looks ‘finished’, that’s only the beginning. Encoding lays the groundwork for deeper learning processes to take hold.
The ways in which learners process information is important here. Deep, elaborative encoding such as making connections, generating examples, and linking to prior knowledge all create stronger initial memory traces than passive exposure alone.
This is where cognitive load is also critical. If learners are overwhelmed by extraneous detail or unclear structure, they simply can’t encode effectively. Reducing unnecessary load and supporting meaningful processing ensures encoding sets the stage for deeper learning.
You can support the encoding process by including questions such as:
- “Turn to your partner and tell them two things that surprised you about this section.”
- “How does this piece of information link to what we talked about last week”
- “In pairs, explain what we’ve just covered to your partner” (then swap for the next section)
These sorts of questions and activities enforce what’s meaningful to the individual, kick starting retrieval, and creating new connections.
The Retrieval Era: the engine of durable learning
Retrieval practice is one of the most important aspects of learning. When learners attempt to recall information, they strengthen neural pathways and improve long‑term retention. Importantly, effort is the signal that tells the brain the knowledge matters. Retrieval is not just a way to check learning, but to also produce it.
Spacing matters here too. Spacing retrieval over time rather than cramming it into a single session dramatically improves retention. This is one reason “one‑and‑done” workshops rarely lead to behaviour change.
For learning designers, lecturers and other presenters, retrieval activities often come in the form of ‘low stakes testing’. These activities can include things like:
- Pop quizzes or polling tools like Mentimeter
- Discussion boards or reflection prompts
- Branching scenarios or flip cards
These are much more like learning tools rather than assessment, because the learner must reconstruct the knowledge as they recall it.
The Application Era: where knowledge becomes capability
Application is the ability to use knowledge beyond the original learning environment, and requires learners to retrieve what they know, interpret it in context, adapt it, and act on it. Learners may feel like they understand something during a lesson or module, especially if it’s well explained; but understanding is a momentary state, not a measure of learning. Without retrieval and application, that understanding can quickly fade.
Application is where authentic assessment comes into its own. If we want to know whether learners can perform in the real world, our assessments must mirror real‑world tasks. Case studies, simulations, role‑plays, and project‑based tasks provide richer evidence of capability than traditional tests.
Application only leads to growth, however, when paired with feedback – otherwise, learners may simply reinforce misconceptions. With timely, specific feedback, application becomes a cycle of refinement and improvement.
Remember that application is where learners use knowledge in context, including:
- Making decisions, solving authentic problems and producing results
- Practising skills and engaging in simulations
- Teaching others
It’s easy to read, watch, or listen to something and feel engaged with it. But until it’s applied, we don’t know for sure if it’s been learnt, or whether it was just ‘interesting content’.
Metacognition: the lesser-known transformer
Throughout the learning process, we can also help learners recognise what they know, what they don’t, and what they need to practise. This is metacognition: the ability to monitor and regulate one’s own learning.
You can support metacognitive engagement with simple prompts like:
- “What will you need to remember later?”
- “How would you explain this to someone else?”
- “What questions do you still have about this?”
Prompts like these can dramatically improve learning outcomes, especially with ongoing reinforcement through a subject or course.
Learning professionals often face practical constraints: there’s never enough time; learners tend to prefer passive consumption; stakeholders want content delivered quickly. The good news is that these strategies don’t require more time; they require different time. Micro‑retrieval, short scenarios, quick reflection prompts, and lightweight simulations can all fit within existing structures. If we want learning that leads to capability, we must design for encoding, retrieval, and application – not just exposure. We need to be in our learning design era.
If we’re trying to transfer knowledge as lecturers, presenters or learning designers, our role isn’t just to deliver nicely packaged content, but to create enduring experiences that support learners to understand, remember, and apply knowledge in relevant contexts. In that way, learning becomes a natural consequence of our session.