Sofema Aviation Services (SAS) considers the potential value of some repetition within the Course Training Material.
A short period after training, retention is typically only about 20%. This steep drop-off is precisely what the Forgetting Curve describes: individuals rapidly forget newly acquired information if it is not reinforced.
• Studies often suggest that up to 70% to 90% of new knowledge can be lost within a week of a single, one-off training session (known as "massed practice" or "cramming").
• The core benefit of embedding repetition is that it provides the necessary intervention to stabilise memory and prevent this catastrophic knowledge loss.
The most effective form of repetition is Spaced Repetition (or Distributed Practice), where key concepts are revisited at increasing time intervals. This strategy delivers three significant benefits to your online training:
Repetition signals to the brain that the information is important and needs to be consolidated. Every time a learner is exposed to a concept, their brain reinforces the neural connection associated with that memory.
When you repeat a concept after a time gap, the brain is forced to recall the information actively. This effortful retrieval process is critical; it is the mental "workout" that strengthens the memory trace, moving the data from easily forgotten short-term storage into durable long-term memory.
Each time a concept is successfully revisited and recalled through a well-timed repetition, the Forgetting Curve is effectively reset. Crucially, the subsequent rate of forgetting becomes shallower.
By strategically scheduling repetition- for instance, a quick quiz 24 hours after a module, followed by a deeper scenario question a week later- you are interrupting the decay process. This maximises the overall retention period and significantly increases the total amount of knowledge the learner retains for months or years.
Simple, identical repetition leads to rote memorisation, which is brittle and non-transferable. When your material incorporates varied repetition presenting the same principle through different formats (e.g., text, diagram, video, and a case study)-it forces the learner to retrieve the knowledge in new and varied contexts.
This approach builds multiple retrieval cues and promotes the transfer of learning, meaning the learner is not just memorising a fact, but they understand how to access and apply that knowledge to new situations and problems on the job. This application of learning is the ultimate measure of successful professional training.
Sofema Aviation Services & Sofema Online Provide Classroom, Webinar & Online EASA Compliant Regulatory Training. Please see the websites or email team@sassofia.com
