Why content density kills retention—and how to space your screens for learning, not overload

Ever crammed three days’ worth of groceries into one small tote bag?

It feels efficient—until the bag breaks. Eggs crack. Chips crush. And somewhere between the fridge and the pantry, you forget half of what you bought. (We’re all sighing together over here).

That’s what it’s like when you cram five paragraphs, two PDFs, a video, and three quiz questions onto one Edovo screen.

Sure, it fits. But the brain can’t carry that load—not without losing something along the way.

And when a learner is navigating a noisy dayroom, “meh” quality headphones, and a screen the size of a paperback book, they need space. Not stuff.

The jargon you actually need to know

Term: Spacing (also called distributed practice)
What it is: Spacing is a learning design strategy that spreads content out over time—or across screens—to help learners absorb and remember it better. It’s not about giving less content. It’s about pacing it in a way that feels manageable and actually sticks.

Instead of cramming everything into one long stretch, spacing breaks things up into smaller, more frequent moments. That gives the brain time to process, revisit, and lock in what’s being learned. It helps reduce overwhelm and makes long-term memory stronger—one step at a time.

What the science says:
Cognitive research shows that we remember more when learning is spaced rather than stacked (Ebbinghaus, 1885; Cepeda et al., 2006). Our working memory—what we use to make sense of new information—is limited, especially under stress or distraction. Most adult learners can focus deeply for about 10 minutes at a time before attention starts to fade (Bransford et al., 2000; Mayer, 2009). 

Try to juggle too much at once, and the brain doesn’t just get tired—it starts to triage, dropping anything that doesn’t feel immediately urgent.  And when you’re learning on a tablet in prison, surrounded by noise, stress, and constant interruption? Guess what gets dropped first: the lesson. Not because they don’t care—but because the brain is prioritizing survival. 

Spacing gives that lesson a chance to stick. Spacing isn’t optional—it’s how memory works.

Adults also learn best when they feel progress. Each time a learner clicks “Continue” after a focused screen, they get a dopamine reward—a sense of momentum, accomplishment, and confidence. That reward reinforces attention and keeps them engaged (Immordino-Yang, 2015; Bransford et al., 2000).

Bottom line: overpacked screens feel productive to the designer. But to the learner? It’s just another bag that breaks.

So... how much is too much?

Let’s be clear: we’re not saying your content isn’t important or that there should be less content in a course. We’re saying the delivery matters as much as the message. Below is a science-aligned breakdown of how much content to include on a single page or screen in Edovo.

Recommended content limits per screen

These are research-backed guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules. If there’s a strong, learner-centered reason to stretch a screen, like modeling a full conversation or showing a complete visual process, that’s okay. But in general, these limits exist for a reason: they align with how the brain learns best, especially in high-stress, self-paced environments like Edovo.

(Still skeptical? Check the References section, we didn’t make this stuff up.)

Gasp. We know. The moment you saw that 150-word limit, eyes widened. Maybe someone clutched their pearls. “How on earth is that possible?!”

• Under 75 words: Great for focus, fast recall, and pacing. Encourages bite-sized learning.
  
  

• 75–150 words: Ideal for a full thought, short explanation, or setup + example.
  
  

• Over 150 words: Acceptable only when the added text serves a clear purpose—like telling a story, modeling a process, or showing multiple perspectives.
  
  

If you go longer:

• Break up text into short paragraphs (2–4 lines max)
  
  

• Use bolded headers to chunk ideas
  
  

• Avoid mixing long text with media or multiple tasks
  
  

• Follow with a screen that lets the brain breathe (reflection, recap, or simple question)
  
  

Bottom line: You can exceed the word count. Just don’t exceed the learner’s bandwidth. If in doubt, break it up.

Sample pacing map: Conflict resolution course (10-minute lesson)

Course goal: Introduce the “pause before reacting” strategy and apply it to a real-world situation.

Total lesson time: 10 minutes

Target screen count: 8–10
Core media types used: Short video, multiple choice, open response, survey

Bonus design tip:

If your course has more than one video, use this sequence every time:

• Screen 1: Set up the video
  
  

• Screen 2: Play the video
  
  

• Screen 3: Ask a question about it
  
  

This creates rhythm, builds retention, and gives the learner breathing room.

Common mistakes (and how to fix them)

Oops: Uploading multiple videos and PDFs onto one screen
Fix: Break them into separate screens, each with a guiding question or context
Try: “Watch this clip. What emotion do you notice most?” → then → “Now, check out this checklist to try it yourself”
Why it matters: Screens overloaded with files lead to passive scrolling—not active learning.

Oops: Dropping 5 quiz questions in a row after a wall of text
Fix: Space questions out between short content screens
Try: Text → 1 quiz question → new content → 1 follow-up question
Why it matters: Spacing reinforces memory and builds confidence in small steps.

Oops: Text-heavy screens with no breaks or emphasis
Fix: Use bolded headers, spacing, and formatting to highlight key ideas
Try: 1 core idea per paragraph. Bold what matters. Then let them click “Continue.”
Why it matters: Dense text overwhelms the eye and shuts down retention.

TL;DR: Less packed = more impact

• Spacing isn’t about doing less—it’s about designing smarter
  
  

• Short, focused screens reduce overload and improve memory
  
  

• One idea, one media item, one task per screen
  
  

• Clicking “Continue” reinforces momentum, confidence, and reward
  
  

• Your Learner isn’t scrolling a blog. They’re building brain muscle. Let them breathe.
  

References

• Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. National Academies Press.
  
  

• Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T., & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 354–380.
  
  

• Clark, J. M., & Paivio, A. (1991). Dual coding theory and education. Educational Psychology Review, 3(3), 149–210.
  
  

• Ebbinghaus, H. (1885). Memory: A contribution to experimental psychology.
  
  

• Guo, P. J., Kim, J., & Rubin, R. (2014). How video production affects student engagement: An empirical study of MOOC videos. Proceedings of the First ACM Conference on Learning at Scale, 41–50.
  
  

• Immordino-Yang, M. H. (2015). Emotions, learning, and the brain. W. W. Norton & Company.
  
  

• Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., & Swanson, R. A. (2015). The adult learner (8th ed.). Routledge.
  
  

• Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  
  

• Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12(2), 257–285.