[curriculum-eval] side-quest-01-02-environment-reference.md: cognitive_load & active_learning — redundant glossary nearly doubles ideal length

**File:** `workshop/side-quest-01-02-environment-reference.md`
**Overall Score:** `4.93 / 10.0` (lowest-scoring file in the corpus; corpus mean: `6.14`)

**Flagged Dimensions:**

| Dimension | Score | Benchmark | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| word_count | 1433 words | ≤ 800 words | −6.3 (cognitive_load penalty) |
| active_learning | 2.1 / 10.0 | activity density ≥ 3 → 10.0 | −7.9 |
| checkpoint_quality* | 0.0 / 10.0 | present + ≥4 items → 10.0 | measurement artifact, see note |
| scaffolding* | 5.0 / 10.0 | prereq section present → 10.0 | measurement artifact, see note |

*Note: the page has both a real `## :clipboard: Before You Start` section and a real `## :white_check_mark: Checkpoint` with 7 checklist items — both `missing_checkpoint` and the scaffolding shortfall are false positives from the rubric's emoji-shortcode detection bug (filed separately). This issue focuses on the two genuine problems: excessive length and low activity density relative to word count.

**Root Cause (≤ 2 sentences):**
This reference page is nearly double the ideal length (1433 vs. 800 words) because it repeats the same nine-tool glossary twice — once as a dense comparison table and again as nine separate "conceptual screenshot" subsections with duplicated one-sentence descriptions — while offering only 2 code blocks and 7 checklist items across the whole page, giving it one of the lowest activity-per-word ratios in the corpus.

**Evidence (quoted from the file):**
> | **GitHub Codespaces** | Your cloud development environment when you choose the browser-based setup path... |
> ...
> #### GitHub Codespaces
> ...
> You use Codespaces when you want a ready-to-go development environment in your browser.

The table row and the subsection below it convey almost identical information about each of the nine tools, doubling the reading burden without adding new active-learning value.

**Learning Science Rationale:**
Mayer's redundancy principle predicts that presenting the same information twice in different formats (table row + illustrated subsection) without added instructional value increases extraneous cognitive load rather than reinforcing learning, especially on a reference page a learner is meant to skim quickly rather than study deeply. Combined with Sweller's Cognitive Load Theory, the page's near-1:1 read-to-do ratio (1433 words vs. one short version-check activity) leaves little working-memory capacity for the active retrieval that would make the glossary stick.

**Improvement Prompt (for an agent):**
```
Edit workshop/side-quest-01-02-environment-reference.md to cut redundancy and raise active-learning density:

1. Keep the single comparison table under "Environment and tool glossary" as the primary reference, since
it already contains term, role, timing, and doc link for all nine tools.
2. Under "Conceptual screenshots", remove the duplicated one-sentence descriptions that restate the table
("You use Codespaces when you want a ready-to-go development environment in your browser.") and instead
keep only the image plus its existing alt text — do not repeat prose that's already in the table row.
3. This should reduce word_count from ~1433 toward the 800-word target while keeping all nine screenshots.
4. Add one more short self-check activity (e.g., "Can you match each screenshot below to its row in the
glossary table above without looking at the caption?") to raise activity_density above 3.0 without
adding much length.
5. Preserve the existing "## :clipboard: Before You Start" and "## :white_check_mark: Checkpoint" sections
with all 7 checklist items unchanged.
6. Run `npx --yes markdownlint-cli2 "workshop/side-quest-01-02-environment-reference.md"` after editing.
```

**Expected Score After Fix:** `7.8 / 10.0` (after also correcting the checkpoint/scaffolding rubric bug)

> Generated by [🔬 Curriculum Quality Evaluator](https://github.com/githubnext/gh-aw-workshop/actions/runs/35098365907) · copilot · auto · 88.8 AIC · ⌖ 13.7 AIC · ⊞ 9.5K · [◷](https://github.com/search?q=repo%3Agithubnext%2Fgh-aw-workshop+is%3Aissue+%22gh-aw-workflow-call-id%3A+githubnext%2Fgh-aw-workshop%2Fcurriculum-evaluator%22&type=issues)
> - [x] expires on Sep 17, 2026, 1:01 PM UTC

Edit workshop/side-quest-01-02-environment-reference.md, starting with the Environment and tool glossary and Conceptual screenshots sections. Remove duplicated screenshot descriptions, preserve the existing table, images, alt text, and seven checkpoint items, then add the proposed matching self-check. Run npx --yes markdownlint-cli2 "workshop/side-quest-01-02-environment-reference.md"; done means the page is shorter, denser, and lint-clean.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.