ABSTRACT
It is critical that instructional designers, online teachers, and online administrators understand how students learn effectively in online environments. In this chapter, the authors review basic principles of cognition theory and review recent research evidence on how four specific information processing constructs apply to online learning environments (OLEs). There is a focus on research related to cognitive demands, scaffolding, motivation, and metacognition, acknowledging there are many other cognitive and sociocognitive perspectives involved in online learning.
