Welcome to the D2L Research Minute, our faculty spotlight series featuring educators and researchers participating in the D2L Educators-in-Residence program. Each conversation explores a teaching and learning challenge, the research it inspired and a practical insight you can apply in your own work.
Meet the Researcher
Jessica S. Kruger, PhD, MSHE, FNAP is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health and Health Behavior and Assistant Dean of Teaching Innovation and Excellence at the University at Buffalo School of Public Health and Health Professions. Jessica’s scholarship focuses on teaching and learning, innovative approaches to public health education, and the creation of accessible, student-centered learning environments that support learner engagement and success.
Jessica’s research focus: How consistent course design supports student success
As online and hybrid learning continue to grow, course design plays an increasingly important role in shaping the student experience. Jessica’s research explores how standardized course templates in D2L Brightspace can reduce unnecessary cognitive load, improve course navigation and help students devote more attention to learning. Her work examines how consistent course organization can support student success while providing instructors with the flexibility to teach in ways that best serve their learners.
We spoke with Jessica about the questions that inspired this research, what she learned and why thoughtful course design matters for educators and students alike.
1. What teaching and learning question or problem inspired your research?
As online and hybrid learning environments continue to expand, faculty often face the challenge of organizing course content in ways that help students focus on learning rather than navigating the course itself. Our research began with a simple question: Can a consistent course design reduce unnecessary cognitive load and improve the student learning experience? We wanted to better understand how a course’s structure and organization might influence students’ ability to engage with content, find materials and stay on track throughout the semester.
2. What did you hope to better understand?
We wanted to better understand how standardized course templates in Brightspace affect both students and faculty. Specifically, we examined whether consistent navigation, organization and layout could reduce extraneous cognitive load, allowing students to devote more mental effort to learning course content rather than figuring out where materials were located. We also wanted to understand how faculty perceived template adoption and whether standardized design could support teaching effectiveness while maintaining instructor flexibility.
3. What is one important thing you learned, or that surprised you?
One of the most important findings was that students consistently described well-organized courses as easier to navigate, less stressful and more supportive of their learning. What surprised us was that relatively small design decisions, such as consistent module structures, predictable placement of materials and clear navigation pathways, appeared to have a meaningful impact on students’ perceptions of workload and academic success. This reinforced the idea that course design itself can be an important component of the learning experience.
4. How did Brightspace support the teaching practice or research you explored?
Brightspace served as the foundation for this work by providing a platform to implement course templates consistently across multiple courses and instructors. The system allowed us to examine how standardized organizational features influenced student experiences while still giving faculty flexibility to customize content and instructional approaches. Brightspace made it possible to explore how thoughtful learning management system design can support cognitive load theory and contribute to a more accessible, learner-centered environment.
5. Finish this sentence: “One thing I hope other educators take from this research is…”
One thing I hope other educators take from this research is that course design matters. By reducing unnecessary complexity and creating clear, consistent learning environments, we can help students focus more of their cognitive resources on learning, understanding and applying new knowledge rather than navigating the course itself.
Learn more about Jessica and her research, and connect with her on LinkedIn.
Written by:
