Why e Learning can actually be effective for learning an - PDF document

Why e ‐ Learning can actually be effective for learning – an understanding from psycho ‐ cognitive science. Why e ‐ Learning can actually be Why e ‐ Learning can actually be effective for learning – an effective for learning – an understanding from psycho ‐ understanding from psycho ‐ cognitive science. cognitive science. Intended Outcomes • At the end of this presentation, participants should be able to: – Identify with at least 3 common types of reason often quoted for use of e ‐ learning with today’s students. – Describe the hard sciences behind these often quoted reasons. – Verify/Debunk these often quoted reasons with scientific research. – Suggest some approaches to effective e ‐ learning pedagogies. Haven’t we all seen this? eLearning Forum Asia 2011, NTU Singapore 1

Why e ‐ Learning can actually be effective for learning – an understanding from psycho ‐ cognitive science. Have you asked yourself the followings? • Is being Digital Natives make a difference in their learning? • Are they true multitaskers? How is this affects their learning? • Collaboration (e.g. peer engagements) helps memory retention? How can we help our students to learn more effectively? Common reason 1: Digital Natives vs Digital Immigrants Is there a neurological basis for this? How do human learn? • Human brain retains information by association of neurons in the brain – memory. • Often we learn something new best by associating this with what we already knew. eLearning Forum Asia 2011, NTU Singapore 2

Why e ‐ Learning can actually be effective for learning – an understanding from psycho ‐ cognitive science. What is technology? “Technology are things that are invented after we were born.” – source Unknown Why e ‐ Learning make sense for Digital Native? • Technology and their use are part and parcel of the daily lives for our students. • Engaging them in learning therein can help in their memory association. Common reason 2: Generation Y are multitasking learners eLearning Forum Asia 2011, NTU Singapore 3

Why e ‐ Learning can actually be effective for learning – an understanding from psycho ‐ cognitive science. Requirement for learning – Learning requires attention and focus. – Learning requires attention and focus. Quality vs Quantity • Human brain cannot multitask well (i.e. not giving each task at hand their required attention span – doubling the error rate and time required to switch between tasks). Don’t text/dial and drive! eLearning Forum Asia 2011, NTU Singapore 4

Why e ‐ Learning can actually be effective for learning – an understanding from psycho ‐ cognitive science. What is the fact? • Human are better at serial tasking than true multitasking. • Help our students to focus on doing one task at a time, and to do that well, i.e. reduce other distractions. Suggestion for e ‐ Learning environment • Create focused environment for learning – less distractions, better learning. Common reason 3: Collaborations improve learning eLearning Forum Asia 2011, NTU Singapore 5

Why e ‐ Learning can actually be effective for learning – an understanding from psycho ‐ cognitive science. Human are social beings. How this helps learning? • Collaboration tap into the multisensory parts of the human brain. • Help our students to build associations between different sensory engaged in learning – better memory retention. Suggestion for e ‐ Learning • Use e ‐ tools for collaborative learning. • Dedicated immersive e ‐ learning platforms, such as BlackBoard etc., offer opportunities for students collaboration within focused context of learning. eLearning Forum Asia 2011, NTU Singapore 6

Why e ‐ Learning can actually be effective for learning – an understanding from psycho ‐ cognitive science. Summary of our discussion 3 often quoted Like? Neuroscience findings Suggestions reasons for adopting e ‐ Learning Digital Natives Human brain retains information Engaging students’ by association of neurons in the learning both in digital brain – memory. and physical space can Human brain learns best by help with their association. memory association. Generation Y are Human brain cannot multitask Create focused multitaskers well. environment for Learning requires attention and learning – less focus. distractions, better learning. Collaborations Collaboration tap into the Use e ‐ tools for improve learning multisensory parts of the human collaborative learning. brain. Helps with memory retention and associative learning. Tying these together Engage students in their relevant environment. More effective e ‐ Learning Engage student Help students with focus on learning multisensory by creating an inputs via environment for collaborative learning. learning. Reference sources • Medina, J. (2008). Brain Rules:: 12 principles for surviving and thriving at work, home, and school. Pear Press. ISBN: 0 ‐ 97977 ‐ 770 ‐ 4. • Miller, G.A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review , 63,81 ‐ 97. • Peterson, L. & Peterson, M. (1959). Short ‐ term retention of individual verbal items. Journal of Experimental Psychology , 58, 193 ‐ 198. • Sweller, J. (1999). Instructional Design in Technical Areas. Acer Press. ISBN: 0 ‐ 86431 ‐ 312 ‐ 8. eLearning Forum Asia 2011, NTU Singapore 7

Why e ‐ Learning can actually be effective for learning – an understanding from psycho ‐ cognitive science. Reference sources • Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive Load During Problem Solving: Effects on Learning. Cognitive Science , 12, 257 ‐ 285. • Ophir, E., Nass, C. & Wagner, A.D. (in press). Cognitive control in media multitaskers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. • Ivanoff, J., Branning, P., Marois, R. (2008). fMRI Evidence for a Dual Process Account of the Speed ‐ Accuracy Tradeoff in Decision ‐ Making. PLoS ONE 3(7): e2635. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002635 Reference sources • Newman, S. D., Keller, T. A. & Just, M. A. (2007). Volitional Control of Attention and Brain Activation in Dual Task Performance. Human Brain Mapping , 28, 109 ‐ 117. • Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. (2009). New Data from VTTI Provides Insight into Cell Phone Use and Driving Distraction. http://www.vtti.vt.edu/PDF/7 ‐ 22 ‐ 09 ‐ VTTI ‐ Press_Release_Cell_phones_and_Driver_Distracti on.pdf Thank You! eLearning Forum Asia 2011, NTU Singapore 8