Logan Fiorella

It's All a Matter of Perspective: Viewing First-Person Video Modeling Examples Promotes Learning of an Assembly Task.

The present study tests whether presenting video modeling examples from the learner’s (first-person) perspective promotes learning of an assembly task, compared to presenting video examples from a third-person perspective. Across 2 experiments conducted in different labs, university students viewed a video showing how to assemble an 8-component circuit on a circuit board. Students who viewed the assembly video recorded from a first-person perspective performed significantly better than those who viewed the video from a third-person perspective on accuracy in assembling the circuit in both experiments and on time to assemble the circuit in Experiment 1, but not in Experiment 2. Concerning boundary conditions, the perspective effect was stronger for more complex tasks (Experiment 1), but was not moderated by imitating the actions during learning (Experiment 1) or explaining how to build the circuit during the test (Experiment 2). This work suggests a perspective principle for instructional video in which students learn better when video reflects a first-person perspective. An explanation based on embodied theories of learning and instruction is provided.

Metacognitive Prompting as a Generalizable Instructional Tool in Simulation-Based Training

Instructional strategies for improved learning often lack the ability to be applied to domains with differing learning goals. This study expanded on our previous work to investigate whether metacognitive prompting can be utilized as a broadly applied training intervention within a simulation-based training environment. Participants in the experimental group were provided metacognitive prompts following decisions made during simulation-based training scenarios and were compared to a control group that did not receive prompting. Results indicate that metacognitive prompting may enhance the acquisition of conceptual knowledge; however, it did not improve the ability to transfer this knowledge to a novel situation. The study also provided evidence of a possible interaction effect between self-reported cognitive load and condition, suggesting that prompting may provide learners with an enhanced capacity to attend to and process additional information present in their environment.

Using transparent whiteboards to boost learning from online STEM lectures

Abstract Research is needed to understand how best to design online videos that foster learning. This study explored the effects of using transparent whiteboards, which allow the instructor to stand behind a transparent glass board and face the students to write and draw while providing a concurrent explanation of the material. Specifically, the affordances of transparent whiteboard lessons might better follow design principles of multimedia learning and foster social agency compared to conventional whiteboard lessons, thereby promoting learning. In two experiments, college students viewed a 20-min Organic Chemistry video lecture with the instructor using either a conventional whiteboard or a transparent whiteboard. Results indicated that students who viewed transparent whiteboard lessons performed better on immediate posttests (Experiment 1 and 2) at interpreting the configuration of spatial diagrams and at explaining key concepts. Students viewing transparent whiteboard lessons also reported more positive ratings of their lecture experience. However, Experiment 2 indicated that the benefits of learning from transparent whiteboards did not persist on a delayed posttest. Overall, this study provides the first systematic investigation of the effects of using transparent whiteboards in video-based instruction.

Helping students help themselves

The current study investigated whether prompting students to engage in generative learning strategies improves students subsequent judgments of learning and self-regulation. Seventy-eight middle school students in a pre-algebra class completed worksheets in between problem-solving sessions in a computer-based cognitive tutor. Some students were prompted to engage in a generative learning strategy (i.e., writing a summary or writing an explanation for a peer) followed by a judgment of learning (generative group), whereas other students were only asked to make a judgment of learning (control group). Results indicated non-significant levels of judgment accuracy in both groups; however, students in the generative group showed better-calibrated help-seeking behaviors when solving subsequent problems in the tutor. These results suggest that self-regulation can improve in the absence of accurate learning judgments, and that generative learning strategies can facilitate such an improvement. This may be especially true for younger students, who generally demonstrate lower metacognitive awareness. Middle school students completed worksheets during pre-algebra cognitive tutor.One group completed generative activity; other group did not.Generative group showed better calibrated help-seeking behaviors.Points to value of measuring self-regulation as metacognitive assessment.

Effects of Playing an Educational Math Game That Incorporates Learning by Teaching

This study tested the effects of implementing a narrative computer-based educational game within a middle-school math class. Gameplay consisted of navigating through a virtual spaceship and completing missions by periodically engaging in learning-by-teaching activities that involved helping an avatar solve math problems. In a pretest/posttest matched-groups design, 58 middle-school students either played the game for 10 hours over 4 days in place of their typical math instruction (game group), or they received conventional math instruction that consisted of a matched set of practice problems (control group). Contrary to our hypotheses, results from posttest measures indicated no significant differences in learning outcomes or motivation between the two groups. Importantly, supplementary observational data indicated that students in the game group spent much of their time during gameplay engaging in activities unrelated to the educational content of the game (e.g., navigating the virtual world) and only 20% of their time engaging in learning-by-teaching activities. These results highlight the importance of designing educational games that effectively balance features intended to entertain learners and features intended to promote learning. Implications for implementing educational games into classroom instruction are discussed.

An eye-tracking analysis of instructor presence in video lectures

Abstract Research is needed to understand how to best design video lectures that foster learning. We tested whether instructor presence is better afforded through methods that increase students access to the instructors eye gaze, thereby enhancing learning through increased social agency. Specifically, we compared the eye-gaze behavior of college students who viewed an organic chemistry video lecture with the instructor using either a conventional whiteboard or a transparent whiteboard. These lecture methods differ in the degree to which they allow students to view the instructors eye gaze. Using eye-tracking methods, we compared students attention to the instructors head during direct gaze events (i.e., when the instructor looked into the camera) and gaze guidance events (i.e., when the instructor looked at the whiteboard), and to the written and drawn information on the whiteboard. Results show that students who viewed a transparent whiteboard lecture attended more to the instructor and less to the material drawn on the board than students who viewed a conventional whiteboard lecture. The transparent group also performed equivalently to the conventional group on learning performance. Overall, this study demonstrates that the instructors presence can compete with words and visuals drawn on the board by the instructor for students attention.

Enhancing Undergraduate Success in Biology Through the Biomentors Program

Abstract Many undergraduates who wish to pursue degrees in science, particularly students from underrepresented groups, drop out of science majors before realizing their goal. This study examines the effectiveness of a mentoring program — called Biomentors — aimed at promoting success in biology courses for undergraduates beginning their coursework toward a bachelors degree in the biological sciences. Students enrolled in the Biomentors program met twice a week in a small group with an advanced biology major under the supervision of a faculty member to explore effective learning strategies for success in an introductory-level biology course they were taking. Students who participated in the Biomentors program scored significantly higher (based on total points earned) than other students enrolled in the course across two cohorts (d = 0.36 in the fall quarter of 2014; d = 0.34 in the winter quarter of 2015). The biomentors group significantly outscored the control group even when the effects of gender, parent income level, parent education level, total SAT score, and cumulative GPA were statistically controlled using a stepwise regression. Overall, the results encourage further investigation of the effectiveness of peer-mentoring programs that emphasize domain-specific learning strategies for college students beginning as science majors.