Abstract
This study explored the impact of online lectures that were developed using principles of cognitive load theory (CLT) and cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML) on health profession students' lecture comprehension, cognitive load, cognitive engagement, and intrinsic motivation in learning. A total of 215 first-year undergraduate students in medical, dentistry, and nutrition programs participated in this pre-post quasi experimental study. The students attended a typical face-to-face lecture on Day-1 of the intervention, followed by a CLT-based online lecture 8 weeks thereafter. Their comprehension of the lecture topics was measured through pre- and post-lecture assessments, and their cognitive load, cognitive engagement, and motivation were measured immediately after each lecture session. The analysis revealed that the CLT-based online lectures promoted the students' comprehension of the lecture content (p < 0.001), self-perceived learning (p < 0.001), engagement toward the learning material, and motivation to learn (p = 0.025). It was also effective at reducing the students' intrinsic and extraneous cognitive loads (p < 0.001). Hence, designing online lectures using CLT and CTML principles could be an effective method to promote students' knowledge and comprehension, cognitive engagement, and learning motivation. However, further research is needed to investigate the applicability and impact of CLT-based online lectures in non-health profession disciplines.
Highlights
Lecturing is commonly regarded as a teaching method that involves information transfer from a teacher to a group of learners [1]
As the effects of cognitive load theory (CLT) are only observable when applied to complex instruction [26], this study explores the effect of CLT-based online lectures on medical, dental, and allied health professionals
This study explored the impact of CLTbased online lectures across different disciplines on students’ learning achievement through comprehension, cognitive load level, cognitive engagement, and motivation
Summary
Lecturing is commonly regarded as a teaching method that involves information transfer from a teacher to a group of learners [1]. The traditional didactic lecture approach has long been criticized for its inability to stimulate deep learning and knowledge acquisition [3,4,5,6] Despite these criticisms, a review of the roles of lectures in higher education revealed that lectures are still an important and relevant teaching method, because they offer meaningful benefits, including pedagogical (i.e., content framework of a subject), practical (i.e., listening and notetaking skills), and social (i.e., cost effective and shared communal understanding) in nature [7]. Several published guidelines on lecturing suggest that lectures can be more effective when practiced alongside other teaching modalities and when the delivery adopts educational principles [1, 10,11,12]. The practice of lecturing has become more flexible in catering to diverse student learning styles and changes in the learning environment
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