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 complexity of the material, the way it is presented, and the effort required to process it exceed the learner's capacity. For instance, presenting a diagram alongside a verbal explanation can reduce extraneous load by integrating information sources, thereby freeing working memory resources for deeper processing. However, if the same information is presented in a split-attention format, such as separate text and diagrams that must be mentally integrated, the learner experiences an unnecessary increase in cognitive load. Research has shown that reducing extraneous cognitive load through well-designed instructional materials can significantly improve comprehension and retention, especially for novice learners who lack prior schemas to organize new information.