The concept of 'cognitive load' refers to the total amount of mental effort being used in the working memory. In educational settings, instructional designers often aim to manage cognitive load to optimize learning. According to cognitive load theory, learning is hindered when the intrinsic load (complexity of the material) and extraneous load (how the material is presented) exceed the learner's capacity. However, recent studies suggest that a moderate level of germane load, which involves the mental resources devoted to processing and understanding the material, can enhance long-term retention. For instance, a 2021 experiment found that students who were exposed to slightly disorganized texts performed better on delayed tests than those given neatly structured content, provided they had prior knowledge of the subject. This paradoxical effect implies that some difficulty can foster deeper cognitive processing, but only when the learner already possesses a schema to integrate the new information.