As the workforce evolves at a rapid pace, it’s increasingly important for students to leave higher-ed institutions equipped with relevant skills and knowledge. The best way to develop those skills?

Sixteen chapters. Seven hundred pages. One summer. For most students, that workload in a human anatomy and physiology class would be daunting—especially with only a few short weeks to absorb it all.

Most educational technology is designed to reduce friction. Prof. Rene Kizilcec, information science, thinks that is precisely the problem. “Learning is not about feeling good,” Kizilcec said, who is ...