5 Tips on How to Retain Information
Five Strategies to Improve Information Retention
Studying in an online learning environment often requires learners to engage with a high volume of reading, multimedia content, and independent assignments. While digital access places information within easy reach, long-term retention depends on how learners interact with that information over time. Retaining concepts—not just recalling facts—can support deeper understanding and more effective application in academic settings. The following five strategies are grounded in contemporary research and can be applied across a wide range of academic disciplines.
1. Plan Study Time in Advance Instead of Relying on Last Minute Review
Research on learning shows that distributing study sessions over time - often called spaced practice or distributed practice - generally supports stronger long-term retention compared with concentrating all learning into a single session (cramming). Spaced practice allows the brain to revisit and consolidate information across multiple sessions, which reduces cognitive load during study and enhances encoding into long-term memory. In contrast, massed or last-minute review tends to overwhelm working memory and is associated with quicker forgetting of material. (1)
Practical approach: Create a weekly study schedule that assigns specific topics or chapters to shorter, recurring sessions rather than a single extended session.
2. Build Breaks Into Study Sessions to Support Mental Focus
Research on attention and cognitive load suggests that study sessions incorporating short breaks help maintain focus and reduce mental fatigue. In an academic study involving university age learners, frequent micro breaks were linked with more consistent performance and sustained attention than sessions without regular breaks, suggesting that breaks can help manage cognitive load and support ongoing engagement with material. (2)
Practical approach: Study for a defined interval (such as 25–40 minutes), then step away briefly before continuing. During breaks, activities that involve movement or a change of environment may be particularly helpful.(2) Engage Multiple Senses to Reinforce Learning
3. Engage Multiple Senses to Reinforce Learning
Although specific “learning style” classifications like visual vs auditory dominate popular discussion, research on multimodal learning strategies, where information is coded through both visual and auditory channels, can enhance comprehension and memory. Multimodal approaches involve combining representations and interactions that engage learners more fully, potentially improving recall and understanding of new material.(3)
Practical approach: After reading a section of course material, summarize the main idea in writing and then explain it verbally, either to yourself or in a study group.
4. Use Mnemonics to Support Recall of Key Facts
Mnemonic techniques, such as acronyms, associative phrases or chunking information, are widely used to support memory by creating structured links between new information and familiar concepts. These tools leverage cognitive associations that make specific details easier to retrieve later.
Practical approach: When combined with spacing and retrieval practice, mnemonics can help maintain access to discrete facts over time, especially in subjects requiring memorization.
5. Reinforce Learning by Explaining Concepts to Others
Engaging in retrieval practice — the act of recalling information without looking at notes — is one of the most well supported methods for strengthening memory and consolidating learning. Research in educational psychology shows that recalling information after a delay (as part of spaced retrieval) improves sustained retention compared to restudy alone. (4)
Practical approach: After completing a lesson, write a brief explanation of the main concept as if introducing it to someone new to the topic, then review where clarification may be needed.
REQ2184369 12/2025
1 Carpenter, S. K., Cepeda, N. J., Rohrer, D., Kang, S. H. K., & Pashler, H. (2021). Using spaced practice to improve learning and retention: A review of the research. Frontiers in Education, 6, 581216. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.581216 (Visited 1/2/2026).
2 Sharpe, B. T., Trotter, M. G., & Hale, B. J. (2025). Sustaining student concentration: The effectiveness of micro breaks in a classroom setting. Frontiers in Psychology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12369656/ (Visited 12/31/2025).
3Arifin, K., Sirih, M., Munir, A., et al. (2025). The influence of multimodal learning strategies on prospective biology teachers’ literacy numeracy learning outcomes. EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/15802 (Visited 12/31/2025).
4Retrieval practice in spaced learning. (n.d.). National Science Foundation. https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10472512 (Visited 12/31/2025). REQ2184369 12/2025