It seems to me that the subject of this sentence is "Learning and assimilating new information". This noun-phrase subject is singular in the way that a single-noun/pronoun subject is singular.  The entire phrase is inter-changeable with `It'. Agreement requires the singular copula `is'.
Sophie
----- Original Message -----
From: [log in to unmask]>Carolyn Kinslow
To: [log in to unmask]>[log in to unmask]
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2001 11:23 PM
Subject: Help with verbal as subject

We have a disagreement about subject/verb agreement, and I would like the expert opinions of the members of this list.  The sentence generating the disagreement reads,
 
        "Learning and assimilating new information is always easier when the information is presented in a familiar pattern."

One camp claims the singular verb,  is, is correct; the other camp maintains that the verb should be plural. How can I explain this construction?

Carolyn