Long-Term Knowledge Retention Stability in EdTech
RCTClinical Trial
Standard short-term health interventions frequently suffer from rapid knowledge decay, where educational gains disappear within months after course completion.
Picture this
Interactive digital learning acts like building a sturdy mental structure rather than memorizing facts for a single exam. Because students interact actively with software over several months, the knowledge stays locked in long-term rather than fading away after the class ends.
What the evidence says
Aggregate sexual knowledge gain remained constant at 0.37 SD at 1 week post-intervention and 0.38 SD at 6 months post-intervention (p < 0.01), showing zero knowledge decay over time.
- Who was studied
- N = 3,903 human ninth-grade students surveyed at the 6-month follow-up across 21 Colombian cities.
- How
- Longitudinal panel measurement comparing overall sexual knowledge indices immediately post-intervention (1 week) against a second follow-up administered 6 months post-intervention.
What to do
Utilize interactive, multi-week web modules with embedded self-testing to establish durable long-term knowledge retention without decay.
From the source
"The effects are practically identical at completion of the course and six months later, suggesting little decay in knowledge."
Do Information Technologies Improve Teenagers’ Sexual Education? Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Colombia