Supporting Elaboration
Below are various means of supporting elaboration. You can build some of these assets and interactive opportunities into your courses and you can share these ideas with students so that they have a means of building elaboration into their own study sessions.
Customizable Tools to Support Elaboration
These tools have been designed to be customizable by faculty, and they can be embedded directly into your LMS content. For further information on how to utilize these tools in your LMS see the Interactive-Components page.
Information Card: Accordion Component Edit HTML mode: ON
Note: This icon indicates that certain text or panels can only be seen while in HTML Edit mode. When you save and close they will not be visible to the students.

For Helpful Tips and Information on how to Edit, Customize, Copy, Delete, please visit the Quick Start Guide page for this component by simply right clicking on the "Quick Start Guide" link text and then selecting open in a new tab or window.
Accordion Builder
Accordion ID | Accordion Name | Accordion Contents | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Flip Cards |
Flip cards are often associated with retrieval practice, but they can also be useful for elaboration by asking application or open-ended questions or on the front of the card and providing feedback or further prompts on the back of the card. Flip Cards ExemplarFlip Cards Component Selected.
Information Card: Flip Cards Component Edit HTML mode: ON Note: This icon indicates that certain text or panels can only be seen while in HTML Edit mode. When you save and close they will not be visible to the students. ![]()
Flip Cards Builder
SettingsThe following setting(s) are available, please type 'y' for yes or 'n' for no in the following space provided:
Tips for Using Flip Cards
|
||||||||||||||||
2 |
Multi-select Questions |
Multi-select questions are similar to multiple choice, but because they require students to select one or more correct options from a list of answers . Interactive Quiz Components Selected.
Information Card: Interactive Quiz ComponentEdit HTML mode: ON Note: This icon indicates that certain text or panels can only be seen while in HTML Edit mode. When you save and close they will not be visible to the students. ![]()
Question 1 text: Which are effective elaboration questions? (select all that apply) feedback: "What is the definition of elaboration?" is a surface-level question that asks students to recall a fact. The other questions all require deeper thought or self-reflection to develop an answer. Question SettingsThe following setting(s) are available, please type response in the following space provided:
Quiz SettingsThe following setting(s) are available, please type response in the following space provided:
Tips for Writing Multi-select Questions
|
EdTech Tools to Support Elaboration
There are many EdTech tools that can support you in embedding elaboration into the learning experiences you create. In addition, making students aware of some of the simpler tools below can also support them in building strategies to support more effective independent learning.
Information Card: Accordion Component Edit HTML mode: ON
Note: This icon indicates that certain text or panels can only be seen while in HTML Edit mode. When you save and close they will not be visible to the students.

For Helpful Tips and Information on how to Edit, Customize, Copy, Delete, please visit the Quick Start Guide page for this component by simply right clicking on the "Quick Start Guide" link text and then selecting open in a new tab or window.
Accordion Builder
Accordion ID | Accordion Name | Accordion Contents | |
---|---|---|---|
1 |
MindMeister or Venngage |
Create a mind map add ideas and extend a concept and connect that concept to others using Microsoft Visio or web-based applications such as MindMeister or Venngage. |
|
2 |
Padlet |
Have students contribute information to virtual bulletin boards in Padlet. Padlet can be used to answer questions or organize information under pre-defined categories. |
|
3 |
H5P |
|
|
4 |
Canva or Piktochart |
Create infographics using Canva or Piktochart to have students explain and extend a new concept. These can be shared with classmates to create an information bank.
|
|
5 |
LMS Discussion Boards |
Construct discussion board forums within the LMS to present elaborative questions and promote student collaboration and discussion of topics. |
|
Using Elaboration Outside the Digital Space
To support students in building their own tool box of study strategies, encourage students to engage in the some of the following activities as they are preparing for your assessments.
Information Card: Accordion Component Edit HTML mode: ON
Note: This icon indicates that certain text or panels can only be seen while in HTML Edit mode. When you save and close they will not be visible to the students.

For Helpful Tips and Information on how to Edit, Customize, Copy, Delete, please visit the Quick Start Guide page for this component by simply right clicking on the "Quick Start Guide" link text and then selecting open in a new tab or window.
Accordion Builder
Accordion ID | Accordion Name | Accordion Contents |
---|---|---|
1 |
Ask Questions |
|
2 |
Visualize Procedures |
|
3 |
Use Prompts |
|
4 |
Encourage Examples |
|
Tips to Support Elaboration
The following are some quick tips that you can use when you are building your learning experiences to embed elaboration directly into the learning.
-
- Ask questions to help students generate meaning from the content. The questions should act as cues for reflection. Provide opportunities for students to check their answers.
- Create an elaborative framework of questions for students to access and apply. Using the same framework throughout the first half of a course will promote comfort and confidence in questioning skills from which to build upon in the latter half of the course.
- Encourage students to engage in their own elaboration to connect the new information with prior knowledge and share that information with peers. Multiple elaborative examples increase the depth and breadth of connection and may even provide connections for students who were unable to devise their own.
- Provide opportunities for students to rephrase content in their own words.
Checking Your Knowledge
Information Card: Interactive Quiz ComponentEdit HTML mode: ON
Note: This icon indicates that certain text or panels can only be seen while in HTML Edit mode. When you save and close they will not be visible to the students.

For Helpful Tips and Information on how to Edit, Customize, Copy, Delete, please visit the Quick Start Guide page for this component by simply right clicking on the "Quick Start Guide" link text and then selecting open in a new tab or window.
Question 1 text: Elaborative interrogation refers to:
feedback: Elaborative interrogation involves asking probing how and why questions to strengthen and extend understanding of a concept.
Question Settings
The following setting(s) are available, please type response in the following space provided:
- Question 1 Answer:Type option number for the correct answer. 1
- Randomize the options when the page is loaded or refreshed by the learner? Type y for yes or n for no. Yes
Question 2 text: Which question would be an effective prompt for elaboration?
feedback: Asking how, if/then and why questions prompt deep thinking about a topic, which creates meaning and relevance for learners. Asking who, what and define questions prompt recall of stored information without elaboration.
Question Settings
The following setting(s) are available, please type response in the following space provided:
- Question 2 Answer:Type option number for the correct answer. 3
- Randomize the options when the page is loaded or refreshed by the learner? Type y for yes or n for no. Yes
Quiz Settings
The following setting(s) are available, please type response in the following space provided:
- Randomize the questions when the page is loaded or refreshed by the learner? Type y for yes or n for no. yes
- Insert Quiz Questions inside a Panel?Type y for yes or n for no. yes
- Make Panel Collapsible? Type y for yes or n for no. no
- Panel Title? Type the title of the panel.
References
Photography on this page used with permission from the Durham College Online Photo Database.
Boser, U. (n.d.). Science of learning: Research meets practice – elaboration. The Learning Agency Lab. https://www.the-learning-agency-lab.com/learning-strategies/elaboration/
Dunlosky, J. (2013). Strengthening the Student Toolbox: Study Strategies to Boost Learning. American Educator, 37(3), 12–21. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1021069.pdf
Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K.A., Marsh, E.J., Nathan, M.J., & Willingham, D.T. (2013). Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100612453266
Karpicke, J. D., & O'Day, G. M. (in press). Elements of effective learning. In M. J. Kahana & A. D. Wagner (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Human Memory, Volume II: Applications. Oxford University Press. https://learninglab.psych.purdue.edu/downloads/inpress_Karpicke_ODay_Oxford_Handbook.pdf
The Learning Scientists. (n.d.). Elaboration. The Learning Scientists. https://www.learningscientists.org/elaboration
Weinstein, Y., Madan, C.R. & Sumeracki, M.A. (2018). Teaching the science of learning. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-017-0087-y
Weinstein Y., & Smith, M. (2016, July 7). Learn to study using... elaboration. The Learning Scientists. https://www.learningscientists.org/blog/2016/7/7-1