...
From an instructional perspective, cognitive load theory (Sweller 1988), students can pay attention and retain information effectively only if it is provided in a way that it doesn’t “overload” their mental capacity. Therefore, if cognitive overload takes place, then learners will be more likely to make errors, not fully engage with the subject materials, and provide poor effort overall. In other words, learners can only retain a certain amount of information if they “actively” process it and engage in activities. If the instructional/learning materials are delivered to students without giving processing time or opportunities of building connections with their prior knowledge, students will not actually learn what is being taught nor will they be able to apply or recall upon that information/knowledge for later use.
...