It happens to the best of us. We forget what we learn much sooner than we think. This happens despite of our best efforts to consciously remember what we learned. Retaining newly acquired information is tricky, and we end up forgetting things, sometimes within minutes!
It’s a real challenge to design training in such a way that learners retain what’s learned! But there is a way to make information ‘stick in their memory’ making recall possible. And that’s by taking the help of Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve that gives us a framework on how memory works.
At a Glance
- Forgetting matters: Employees tend to forget training content within days if it is not reinforced.
- Learning must be repeated at the right (optimum) intervals for reliable memory recall.
- When learning content is given in small portions, retention improves drastically.
- 2 concepts strengthen long-term memory: 1) Spaced Repetition (periodic reiterations just before people forget), 2) Retrieval Practice (asking questions; learner recalls answers from own memory).
- MaxLearn’s microlearning LMS integrates them. This makes microlearning adaptive (tailored to individual learning goals/gaps).
- Result: Stronger retention, better recall, improved complianc, and consistently higher workplace performance.
Why ‘Forgetting Curve’ is Relevant for Workplace Learning
Delivering a training program is easy, but making employees remember what’s learned when it’s needed the most is the real challenge.
Blindly securing attendance is useless. What matters is whether or not employees are able to recall critical concepts/information when it is needed on the job.
If recall fails, training fails.
Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve tells us why and how quickly people forget what’s learned.
More importantly, it gives us the solution to improve long-term memory using ‘spaced repetition’ and ‘retrieval practice’.
This is why, this concept forms the backbone of a robust microlearning platform. Clearly, one-time training events are a thing of the past. A strong microlearning platform serves as a fail-safe assistant for each employee in different risk- and role-specific workplace demands.
What is Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve?
Ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve represents the process of forgetting. The curve shows how information is lost over time, especially when we do not make a conscious effort to retain that information.
What is the relevance of the Forgetting Curve?
Ebbinghaus saw that the forgetting curve tends to be very steep initially, and the amount of information lost is the highest soon after we acquire new information.
As is evident from the graph above, most of what we learn is forgotten within one hour! And, within 2 days of learning something, we forget almost 75% of what we learned.
What does that mean to you as training manager or L&D professional?
What it means is that your employees forget most of what they learned in training within one week. Hard to believe but true!
The good news is that long-term memory sets in after a day. We can see from the graph that the rate of forgetting tapers into a plateau after 1 day, and then levels-off.
This is what greatly interests trainers and instructional designers.
What are the factors that influence long-term memory?
According to Ebbinghaus, the ‘forgetting rate’ can be affected by a few factors that include:
Prior knowledge of content and its relevance
Long-term memory gets better if a learner can connect the new learning to information that is already part of their long-term memory. Previous knowledge on a particular topic makes the present training more meaningful. And that kicks in the long-term memory.
Even without prior exposure, if a learner finds the information meaningful, it tends to stick in their long-term memory. That’s because, if your brain believes something is important, it automatically focuses on it. And that helps in remembering.
Complexity of information
Working memory is all about information we are currently dealing with or are ‘working with’. With constant use or application, this ‘working memory’ can turn into ‘short-term’ or even ‘long-term’ memory. So, our existing ‘working memory’ is just a prelude to our short or long-term memory. The information in our ‘working memory’ is eventually discarded by the brain as it has limited capacity to deal with ‘working memory’.
That’s why remembering complex information or content is more difficult. Complex information tends to get lost when the brain is ‘not able to connect it to’ or ‘unable to focus on it for a longer duration’.
So, what can you do? Simple! Break down complex material into manageable pieces so the brain can deal with it effectively and remember it efficiently.
Presentation
Information, when presented in an interesting way, tends to stick in the learner’s brain. Of course, as we already saw, a lot depends on the complexity of information and how meaningful or memorable it is for the learner.
So, what can help?
- Repeating the information
- Presenting it in the form of a story to engage and connect with your learner
- Presenting the information clearly and confidently
- Using different formats to cater to different learning styles
How can we beat the forgetting curve?
Ebbinghaus proposed two methods to fight the forgetting curve – Mnemonics and Spaced Repetition
Mnemonics
Mnemonic techniques help ‘repackage’ information in an ‘interesting and easy to remember’ way, so information can be retrieved effortlessly when needed. Here’s an example of a mnemonic used by students to remember the names of planets in our solar system.
My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles
Repetition & Spaced Learning
Ebbinghaus laid emphasis on the effect of repeating and reviewing acquired knowledge so that it gets embedded in long-term memory.
According to him, repeating the information within the first day of learning leads to better memory retention.
Reviewing what we’ve learned helps to retain information for much longer. Each revisit of the content leads to retention of larger chunks of information. This helps flatten the forgetting curve. A minimum of three reviews is needed for effective long-term memory retention.
Ebbinghaus suggested that with every repetition, the time needed before the next repetition also goes up.
This is known as ‘spaced learning’.
According to Ebbinghaus, overcoming the forgetting curve needs much more than simply repeating a lesson incessantly. The spacing of these repetitions is also critical for maximum impact. Repeating new information several times within a short time (e.g., 1 hour) will not help.
Why is that?
Because we need to give memory a chance to start decaying before repeating the information. That is when repetition is the most effective. That is why learning has to be repeated at the right intervals.
The question is, ‘what is the right frequency?’.
As seen here, these repetitions must be spaced across multiple learning sessions. This allows our brain to recover between repetitions, and consolidate what’s being learned.
A repetition or a review of information can address the same concept in a slightly different form or format like an interactive exercise, a video, or a quiz. These different formats also help strengthen memory very effectively!
What can we learn from Ebbinghaus’ theory?
Ebbinghaus’ theory addresses the biggest challenge of corporate trainers – the ‘retention and recall’ of employees after training. We can apply this theory to help increase long-term memory retention by:
- Breaking down complex information into ‘easy to grasp’ and simple parts
- Making learning a ‘multi-sensory experience’ through different formats
- Using mnemonics and spaced repetition
- Make training interesting, engaging, and fun
How MaxLearn Operationalises It
| Ebbinghaus Tells Us | How MaxLearn Applies It |
|---|---|
| People tend to forget newly acquired knowledge quickly. | MaxLearn’s microlearning LMS offers learning in bite-sized Learning Cards and Key Learning Points (KLPs). Reinforces them through Challenges, Goal Assignments, and Learning Paths before people forget them. |
| Memory improves dramatically when learners retrieve information from their memory over and over again. | Retrieval practice is embedded in the platform’s options/features like Team Challenges, Goal-driven Targeted Learning, Certifications, quizzes, and assessments. It strengthens recall each time a learner interacts with the content. |
| Reinforcement spaced over time works best for a strong memory. | MaxLearn's Adaptive Learning Algorithms give you spaced repetition of critical concepts automatically. It reviews concepts at scientifically timed intervals for each learner. This makes content relevant, and not boring. Content is not repeated senselessly and continuously. |
| Every learner has a different type and pace of forgetting. | Adaptive delivery personalises this. Esp. level of difficulty of content/questions, reinforcement schedules, and learning pathways. Each learner's performance, knowledge gaps, job role-, and risk-specific needs are catered to by the platform. |
| Trainers need proof of learning being retained. | MaxLearn gives you Goal-driven Targeted Learning, Knowledge Gap Analysis, Learning Growth reports, Engagement Analytics, Dashboards, and Real-time Verification. This enables trainers and top management to measure retention resulting in strong and sustainable training ROI. |
| Memory retention needs to improve workplace performance. | This is done with scenario-based learning, risk- and role- specific assignments, AI-powered Authoring tool, Learning Paths, and Active Learning Feedback. Capability growth gets measured on an ongoing basis to know the extent to which knowledge/skill/capabilities are actually applied on the job. |
To conclude, MaxLearn uses the power of proven learning theories, and learning best practices to create an AI-powered microlearning LMS. The aim is to create engaging learning experiences that people enjoy, remember, recall, and apply at work confidently. With MaxLearn, learning outcomes and stronger workplace performance become easier, more scalable and sustainable.
Let me end the article with a quote from Will Thalheimer, who highlights the importance of retrieval practice:
“Spaced Retrieval is like the aspirin of instructional design. It has multiple benefits and very few side effects.”
