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A Learning Strategy to Compensate for Cognitive Overload in Online Learning: Learner Use of Printed Online Materials

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between achievement and the quantity of online course materials that students printed and the frequency with which they reported using them. One hundred thirty-two graduate students from one of 11 hybrid or online classes voluntarily completed a self-report survey asking how much they printed (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%), how often they used printed materials (almost never, rarely, sometimes, often, almost always), and preference for either print, onscreen, or none. Neither quantity printed nor frequency used was related to achievement. But learner preference was associated with achievement; onscreen preference learners had higher mean rank scores than print and no preference learners. There were no achievement differences between the online and hybrid learner groups. Learners, who printed more, used more and preferred print online materials and experienced more onscreen reading difficulty than learners who printed less. Learners who used print materials more preferred reading printed materials, had difficulty reading onscreen, and were older. The convenience and accessibility of online courses attract educators and students; 90% of United States’ public universities offer online courses and half of them offer online degree programs; over 1.3 million students were enrolled in public university online courses by 20022003 (Allen & Seaman, 2003). Online learners conveniently study anytime and anywhere while accessing rich online resources through course website links. However, online learning inherently requires more cognitive resources than does face-to-face learning and places a cognitive load on online learners that may affect their learning achievement (Bruggen, Kirschner, & Jochems, 2002; Brunken, Plass, & Leutner, 2003; Gerjets & Scheiter, 2003). The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between online student use of printed online materials and their learning achievement. Educators suggest learners adopt appropriate online learning strategies that can compensate cognitive load in online learning and some suggest online courses should be grounded in cognitive load theory (CLT) (Bruggen et al., 2002; Gerjets & Scheiter, 2003; Shapiro & Niederhauser, 2004). A good selection of online learning strategies can minimize learning difficulties and maximize learning performance (Pressley & McCormick, 1995). However, which online learning strategies most effectively alleviate cognitive load and optimise learning are yet to be discovered although students may already be using strategies to compensate for the cognitive load associated with online learning. The majority of online learners print online course materials (Joinson, 1998). Learners have reported various reasons for printing online materials: convenience, ability to highlight and write comments on the materials, avoidance problems associated with onscreen reading, etc. (Hatch, 2002; Joinson, 1998; Martin & Platt, 2001). Learners in these studies may be