When Does Information Become Too Much for Your Students?

When Does Information Become Too Much for Your Students

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Have you ever had a time when your students experienced information overload? If you are facilitating an online class is it possible to recognize a time when students have received too much information? Throughout the course students are receiving and processing information. When students begin a class they are provided with course materials, resources and a syllabus, along with additional information provided by their instructor. As the course progresses they are likely to be given updates, announcements, and feedback, along with additional materials and supplemental resources. Students are also receiving information through their involvement with class discussions and interactions with other students and their instructor. Is it possible that students reach a point where they have been given too much information to process? Instructors can assist students by providing them with techniques that transforms selective information acquisition to active learning and reduces the possibility of being overwhelmed from too much information.

When students are reviewing the course materials and resources they are selectively reading the information and processing it from their individual perspective, which is influenced by their background, learning style, belief system, and prior academic experience. During class discussions students are listening to or reading what others have said or posted and they consider these perspectives based upon their own opinions, emotions, and perceptions. For class assignments students search for resources and often utilize a library to find articles. When presented with a list of possible resources to choose from students must make a choice based upon what they perceive to be the most relevant information. These ongoing approaches to thinking are often selective in nature and not always directed towards a specific learning goal or objective. Students will first choose what information they will accept based upon their perceived needs.

When students feel overwhelmed from the amount of information and materials that they are given, instructors are likely to notice diminished performance and reduced participation. Instructors may also conclude that students aren't reading the materials or feedback provided, when in fact students may have reached a point when they feel frustrated and they do not fully comprehend what is necessary for successful involvement in the class. Students may express their concerns if they have developed a strong working relationship with their instructor. Instructors can also take a proactive approach and provide students with strategies that engage them in the process of learning.

Instructors have several techniques available that can help students learn to acquire information and actively work with it in a way that focuses their thought process from selective to active learning. These formalized methods include SQ3R, critical thinking, and the Scientific Method of Problem Solving. An active reading and note-taking method is SQ3R, which has students survey, question, read, recite, and review information as a means of improving their reading comprehension. Critical thinking challenges students to approach reading through the use of logic and reasoning, while making a distinction between facts and opinions. The Scientific Method of Problem Solving takes students through several steps that allow them to reach a conclusion after careful analysis and testing. By helping students learn how to effectively acquire and interact with information they are likely to process it in a way that promotes learning, knowledge creation, and improved overall performance.

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