They are forced to adopt creative teaching techniques to avoid 90-minute lectures and the consequent loss of student concentration. Teachers have more time to fully develop concepts and imprint that knowledge on the students. The harsh truth is that students have a saturation point or attention span of about 45 minutes. Extensive research shows that they do not function well in long blocks of time. This is reflected by television programming, in which the most creative minds in the country have established an average show duration of 30 minutes.
Students learn better when they can concentrate over longer periods of time.
This statement is contrary to existing psychological learning theory and observed fact. The ideal learning time varies between 10 to 45 minutes. Student attendance increases dramatically under this program. When new programs are installed there is a burst of enthusiasm that often leads to temporary improvements. This is called the Hawthorne Effect.