Applying Cognitive Load Theory to Improve Instructional Efficiency and Learner Experience in Current Good Manufacturing Practices Training for Pharmacists.

Abstract

Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) training is federally mandated for pharmaceutical manufacturing personnel and plays a critical role in ensuring product quality and patient safety. Despite extensive evidence supporting Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and Mayer's Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML), their application to cGMP training has not been evaluated. This study examined whether a CLT/CTML-informed cGMP video training strategy could improve instructional efficiency and learner experience among pharmacists. A randomized repeated-measures crossover study was conducted among 49 pharmacists. Participants completed both an enhanced CLT/CTML-informed training strategy and a standard training strategy in randomized order. Instructional efficiency, calculated from learner performance and perceived mental effort, and learner experience outcomes were assessed using paired-samples t-tests. Compared with the standard training strategy, the CLT/CTML-enhanced strategy resulted in higher assessment scores (78% vs. 72%, p = 0.04), lower perceived mental effort (2.4 vs. 3.5, p < 0.001), and greater instructional efficiency (0.50 vs. -0.50, p < 0.001). Learner experience ratings, including satisfaction, perceived knowledge gain, and likelihood of future recommendation, also improved significantly (all p < 0.001). Applying CLT and CTML principles to cGMP video training significantly improved instructional efficiency and learner experience, supporting theory-informed instructional design as a practical approach for complex regulatory education.