Event 9: Enhance Retention and Transfer

The Point of It All

This final event addresses the ultimate purpose of instruction: ensuring that what is learned persists over time and transfers to real-world application.

A learner who performs well on an assessment but cannot apply the learning three weeks later in their actual work has not truly learned. An employee who excels in training scenarios but reverts to old behaviors on the job has not achieved the goal of instruction.

The cognitive processes being supported are generalization and long-term retention. Generalization is the ability to apply learned knowledge and skills to new situations—contexts different from those in which learning occurred. Retention is the ability to recall and use learning after time has passed.

Without deliberate attention to this event, much learning simply fades. The forgetting curve is real—learners can lose 50-80% of newly acquired information within days if nothing is done to reinforce it.

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Why Learning Fades (and What to Do About It)

The Forgetting Curve

Hermann Ebbinghaus's research demonstrated that memory decays rapidly without reinforcement. The steepest decline occurs in the first hours and days after learning.

But the curve can be flattened through:

• Active retrieval: Each time learners recall information, retention strengthens
• Spaced practice: Multiple exposures over time are more effective than one long exposure
• Application: Using knowledge in meaningful contexts creates stronger memory traces
• Connection: Learning linked to existing knowledge persists better than isolated facts

Transfer Failure

Even when retention is strong, transfer can fail. Learners may:

• Not recognize when prior learning applies to a new situation
• Be unable to adapt specific procedures to varied contexts
• Revert to old habits under stress

Transfer requires not just remembering but flexible understanding.

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Strategies for Retention

Spaced Repetition

Distribute exposure to key concepts over time rather than massing it in one session.

• Follow-up emails with key concept reminders
• Scheduled review quizzes in the weeks after training
• Microlearning "booster" sessions
• Calendar-based retrieval prompts

The spacing effect is one of the most robust findings in learning science. A 60-minute training plus three 10-minute boosters over subsequent weeks produces more durable learning than 90 continuous minutes.

Retrieval Practice

Actively recalling information strengthens memory more than re-reading or re-watching. Build in opportunities for learners to retrieve:

• Weekly quiz questions on key concepts
• Reflection prompts asking learners to summarize from memory
• "Brain dump" exercises where learners write everything they remember
• Teaching opportunities where learners explain to others

Job Aids and Reference Materials

Provide concise, accessible resources learners can reference when applying learning:

• Quick-reference cards summarizing key steps or concepts
• Searchable databases for just-in-time information
• Checklists for complex procedures
• Decision trees for judgment calls

Job aids don't replace learning—they support application and provide retrieval cues that strengthen memory through use.

Reflection Activities

Asking learners to consciously consider how they will apply learning increases likelihood of transfer:

• "Write down one specific situation in the next week where you will use this technique."
• "Identify a current project where this approach could improve your work."
• "What obstacles might prevent you from applying this, and how will you address them?"

Reflection creates implementation intentions—specific plans that link learning to future action.

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Strategies for Transfer

Varied Practice

If all practice uses the same problem type or context, learners may not recognize when learning applies to different situations. Vary:

• Problem structures
• Surface features
• Contexts and scenarios
• Complexity levels

Example: If teaching customer complaint handling, practice with different complaint types, different customer personalities, different products, different channels (phone, email, in-person).

Novel Application Tasks

After initial learning and assessment, present entirely new situations requiring application:

• "You learned this technique for X. Now apply it to Y, which is different in these ways..."
• "Here's a case from a different industry. What would you recommend?"
• "The principles were developed for situation A. How would you adapt them for situation B?"

Teach Others

One of the most powerful transfer activities is teaching. When learners must explain concepts to others, they must:

• Deeply understand the material
• Organize it for communication
• Anticipate questions and confusion
• Adapt to their audience

"Explain this to a colleague who missed the training" is a powerful transfer exercise.

Real-World Application with Follow-Up

The ultimate transfer activity is actual application:

• Assign learners to apply new skills to real work tasks
• Collect data on application success and challenges
• Provide coaching and support during initial application
• Debrief to identify what worked and what didn't transfer

This requires extending instruction beyond the classroom or module into the performance environment.

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Context-Specific Examples

Corporate Training (Software)

After completing a CRM training:

• Laminated quick-reference card with key shortcuts and common workflows
• System includes a search function for just-in-time support
• Automated email series over 4 weeks with "Tip of the Week"
• 30-day post-training check-in to troubleshoot application challenges
• Optional "power user" advanced sessions after initial mastery

K-12 Education (2nd Grade)

After learning about sharing equally (division):

• Homework: "Find something at home you can share fairly with your family (crackers, toys). Draw a picture and write a sentence about how you shared."
• Extension: Students who master concept create simple sharing problems for classmates
• Math journal reflection: "When else might you need to share things fairly?"

eLearning (Communication Skills)

At module conclusion:

• Downloadable PDF job aid summarizing key techniques
• Final reflection prompt: "Describe one specific conversation in the next week where you will practice active listening."
• Calendar reminder sent 7 days later: "How did your active listening practice go?"
• Follow-up microlearning module available 30 days later

Higher Education (Nursing)

After classroom instruction on a clinical topic:

• Clinical rotation where students apply concepts with real patients
• Reflective journal connecting classroom learning to clinical observations
• Small group debrief sessions analyzing how theory played out in practice
• Collaborative group exam where students discuss and defend answers together

Professional Development (Teachers)

After a workshop on differentiation strategies:

• Peer coaching pairs who observe each other implementing strategies
• Online community for sharing successes and troubleshooting challenges
• 30-60-90 day check-ins to assess implementation progress
• Follow-up session addressing common implementation barriers

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The Extended View of Instruction

Event 9 extends instruction beyond the training session or module. The instructional designer's responsibility doesn't end when the formal learning experience concludes.

Consider:

• What happens in the first week after training?
• How will learners be supported during initial application?
• What will prompt retrieval over time?
• Who will coach learners when they struggle to apply learning?
• How will we know if transfer actually occurred?

These questions move instruction from a discrete event to an ongoing performance support system.

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Measuring Transfer

Transfer is harder to measure than immediate learning, but it's what matters most. Consider:

• Delayed assessment: Testing the same objectives weeks or months later
• Application tracking: Observing or self-reporting actual use of new skills
• Performance metrics: Business outcomes that should improve if transfer occurs
• Supervisor observation: Managers rating application of learned behaviors
• Self-assessment: Learners reflecting on their own transfer success and challenges

If formal transfer measurement isn't possible, at minimum build in reflection opportunities that prompt learners to consider their application.

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Key Takeaways

• Transfer and retention are the ultimate goals of instruction—what remains and applies after the learning experience ends.
• The cognitive processes are generalization (applying to new situations) and long-term storage.
• The forgetting curve is real. Without reinforcement, much learning fades quickly.
• Spaced repetition and retrieval practice are powerful retention strategies.
• Varied practice and novel application tasks promote transfer.
• Job aids support application and provide retrieval cues.
• Extend instructional thinking beyond the session: What happens after the training ends?
• Teaching others is one of the most powerful transfer activities.
• Consider how you'll know whether transfer actually occurred.