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Module
Module 3 of 7Lesson 1 of 4~16 min

What research knows about learning

Some learning methods have proven their worth, while others rest on stubborn myths. This lesson presents four principles firmly established by research and shows you how to apply them to one lesson of your course. You also learn to spot the myths that still circulate.

Take this lesson: your first course is freeSee the full syllabus

Lesson objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to apply four research-backed principles (retrieval practice, spacing, worked examples, feedback) to a lesson in your course and spot the common beliefs that contradict them.

Topics covered

  • learning science
  • retrieval practice
  • spaced repetition
  • neuromyths

Where it fits

Design a course that makes people learn

How should lessons, content and assessments be organized so that learning lasts?

Lessons in this module

  1. What research knows about learning (this lesson)
  2. Build the plan of your module
  3. Choose and produce the content
  4. Write questions that make people learn

What you will learn in the course

This lesson is part of the course Design and launch an effective online course

  • Write the promise of a course (precise audience, problem, observable transformation, format) and decide whether an online format suits the subject.
  • Write 3 to 5 observable objectives, place them in the revised Bloom's taxonomy and align each one with an assessment and an activity (constructive alignment).
  • Design the plan of a module that applies research-backed principles (retrieval practice, spacing, worked examples, feedback), with justified formats, durations and checkpoints.
  • Write formative assessment questions at the apply, analyze or evaluate level, with distractors drawn from real mistakes and explanatory feedback.
  • Produce course content with an AI assistant using the 4Ds (delegation, description, discernment, diligence), with fact-checking and transparency towards learners.
  • Choose a platform against explicit criteria and identify the legal obligations and funding conditions (Qualiopi, CPF, withdrawal right, cookies) that apply to your project, then run a pilot test and the launch.
  • Diagnose, from learning data and feedback, which part of the course to improve first and choose a fix.

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