Learner engagement matters, particularly in simulation-based education. Indeed, it has been argued that instructional design only matters in the service of engaging learners in a simulation encounter. Yet despite its purported importance, our understanding of what engagement is, how to define it, how to measure it, and how to assess it is limited.…

This paper aims to sketch a framework for comparing the efficiency of printed and digital textbooks. Considering the fact that digital textbooks are a relatively new phenomenon, they lack both practical experiences with their use, and research on their efficiency - which is why all results will only be of a preliminary nature. This is also why our…

This qualitative case study examined similarities and differences between circle geometric proof development tasks set up in the Malawian Grade 11 mathematics textbook, and those that are set up and implemented by teachers in the classroom. Data generation included analysing the content of circle geometry proof tasks from the mathematics textbook…

This article reviews contemporary research on multimedia learning that uses cognitive load theory as the major theoretical framework. In particular, we address the extent to which working memory has been conceptualized and measured in this research, what kind of subjective measures of cognitive load have been used and whether such measures are…

This article outlines the design of a module introducing Developmental Psychology to distance learners undertaking a two-year part-time BPS accredited MSc Psychology (Conversion) degree. The module was redesigned to accommodate increased student numbers. Online learners differ significantly from those in face-to-face learning environments, in…

An important part of online courses is the delivery of instruction via video lectures. Video lectures should use media effectively to reduce extraneous load and maximize cognitive processing, thereby helping students to learn. Instructors may be able to reduce extraneous load by varying the number of audio and visual media used. This study…

This study examines the impact of problem posing on developmental mathematics students. Currently, students enter post-secondary institutions underprepared for college mathematics and are required to take developmental mathematics courses. Given their past challenges with mathematics, the students tend to have negative beliefs and attitudes toward…

We conducted an exploratory study on affect regulation during game-based learning where 110 college-aged participants (M[subscript age] = 22.14, SD[subscript age] = 1.24; 50.0% female; 70.0% White) played an easy, medium, and difficult level of an educational game (Physics Playground) while self-reporting their strongest affective state and…

Previous studies on cognitive load model have been entirely theoretical and there are no empirical studies currently that have been carried out to test the hypotheses in these theoretical models. Therefore, this study is aimed at proving Choi's cognitive load model using empirical data. The empirical data was collected in a foreign…

Much evidence suggests that, from a young age, humans are able to generalize information learned about a subset of a category to the category itself. Here, we propose that--beyond simply being able to perform such generalizations--people are "biased" to generalize to categories, such that they routinely make spontaneous, implicit…

Working memory is a cognitive system that allows for the simultaneous storage and processing of active information. While working memory has been implicated as an important element for success in many science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, its specific role in geoscience learning is not fully understood. The major goal of…

Visual categorization is ubiquitous in many professions, yet training programs are typically time- and effort-intensive. This work focuses on developing methods to improve human learning and performance on challenging visual categorization tasks, e.g., bird species identification, diagnostic dermatology. As part of the general approach, we infer…

The purpose of the present small-scale study was to investigate the factor structure of an adapted, 13-item subjective English cognitive load scale in a fully online learning context. To serve this purpose, adult online learners enrolled in a fully online graduate program completed the adapted English cognitive load scale at the end of an…

Standardised educational assessments are now widespread, yet their development has given comparatively more consideration to what to assess than how to optimally assess students' competencies. Existing evidence from behavioural studies with children and neuroscience studies with adults suggest that the method of assessment may affect neural…

Unlike conventional distance learning, the COVID-19-induced emergency online learning environment has resulted in students experiencing prolonged social isolation and anxiety, thereby creating additional barriers to their motivation to learn. Studying under these conditions influences students' motivation to complete and turn in course-related…