Acquisition Of Factual Knowledge Research Articles

What is the effect of talking heads in educational videos with different types of narrated slides?

Video-based learning plays an increasingly important role and thus the optimal design of video-based learning materials attracts the attention of scientists and practitioners alike. In this context, producers of educational videos often include a talking head in their videos, although theory (e.g., cognitive theory of multimedia learning) also suggests potential disadvantages for this format. Since talking heads attract a lot of visual attention, further empirical research is necessary to investigate whether a talking head can hinder learning, especially presented next to graphic-based learning content. To address this research gap, we conducted two online experiments to investigate the effects of a talking head in educational videos with narrated slides (short slideshow lectures) on learning outcomes (i.e., factual knowledge acquisition) and participants’ subjective ratings of the learning material (e.g., perceived learning). In Experiment1 (N = 96), we varied whether the instructor’s talking head was present or absent in the videos as a between-factor, and whether the visual content on the slides was graphic-based (pictures, diagrams, maps) or text-based (bullet points) as a within-factor (slide type). In Experiment2 (N = 184), we additionally varied as a between-factor whether the contents appeared sequentially or statically all at once (presentation type). Our results showed that the talking head did not affect learning outcomes, regardless of slide type and presentation type of the videos suggesting that the inclusion of a talking head offers neither clear advantages nor disadvantages. Potential explanations for the findings and directions for future research are discussed.

The Impact of Story Structure, Meaningfulness, and Concentration in Serious Games

This contribution analyzes the impact of factors related to story structure, meaningfulness, and concentration in the design of Serious Games. To explore them, the authors carried out an experimental evaluation aiming to identify relevant aspects affecting the cognitive-emotional impact of immersive Virtual Reality (VR), specifically Educational Environmental Narrative (EEN) Games. The experiment was designed around three main research questions: if passive or active interaction is preferable for factual and spatial knowledge acquisition; whether meaningfulness is a relevant experience in a serious game (SG) context; and if concentration impacts knowledge acquisition and engagement also in VR educational games. The findings highlight that passive interaction should only be encouraged for factual knowledge acquisition, that meaningfulness is a relevant experience and should be included in serious game design, and, finally, that concentration is a factor that impacts the experience in immersive games. The authors discuss potential design paths to improve both factual and spatial knowledge acquisition, such as abstract concept-oriented design, concluding that SGs should contain game mechanics explicitly supporting players’ moments of reflection, and story structures explicitly aligned to educational facts.

Using Digital Tools to Teach Soft Skill-Oriented Subjects to University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Radical changes in education occurred in 2020 during the pandemic. The need to fully switch to a distance-learning mode required rethinking the approaches to the organization of the learning process. Despite the fact that Russian universities were already using digital learning tools quite extensively at the beginning of the pandemic—those were seen as auxiliary, supporting tools. Within a short period, online learning made it necessary to design educational programs from a digital-technologies viewpoint, as traditional teaching methods had lost some of their functionality in the distance-learning mode. First of all, the changes affected the disciplines focused on the formation of soft skills, such as communication skills, group interaction, and managing people. Another problem of digitalization of all aspects of our lives is the huge amount of readily available information. In this regard, developing the students’ systemic thinking and augmenting their ability to find and properly use information became an important alternative to acquisition of factual knowledge. This article summarizes the experience of the educational process at one of the leading Russian universities, National University of Science and Technology (NUST) “MISIS” during the COVID-19 pandemic based on the analysis of the degree of application of digital tools in online and hybrid learning. In this article, we present the description of methodology approaches to the use of digital tools for soft skill development, using the example of teaching specific disciplines “Systems Thinking and Theory of Constraints” and “Life Cycle of Corporations and Change Management” in the master’s program in Corporate Finance taught at NUST “MISIS”.

Learning with the heart or with the mind: using virtual reality to bring historical experiences to life and arouse empathy

ABSTRACT Virtual reality (VR) technology can increase prosocial behaviour toward a target person or group by enhancing their empathic response for the subject, but such technology has not always improved learning outcomes. This interdisciplinary study compared the potential advantages of delivering the same learning material about daily life in an ancient Greek household via two modes of delivery: VR technology and classroom lecture. The VR group explored a Greek villa containing historical artefacts and virtual characters with whom they were able to interact through set dialogues. The dialogues illustrated social hierarchies, gender relations, the situation of slaves, cult practice, and religious beliefs. The classroom group received the same information in a classroom environment. Both randomly-assigned groups answered a multiple-choice quiz to evaluate the knowledge gained. They also responded to open-text questions designed to test the degree of empathy that was aroused. We found that classroom lecture delivery was significantly superior in terms of the acquisition of factual knowledge, consistent with cognitive learning theory. We identified this as learning with the mind. The immersive VR environment, however, imparted a level of empathic response to the lived experiences of people in ancient Greece; in that sense it allowed learning with the heart.

One Size Does Not Fit All: Toward an Evidence-Based Framework for Determining Online Course Enrollment Sizes in Higher Education

Class enrollment sizes for online learning in higher education, a topic of persistent interest in the academic literature, impact student learning, pedagogical strategies, school finances, and faculty workload. Yet in the research literature class size is addressed with insufficient specificity to provide enrollment direction. Seeking guidelines for determining online class sizes, the authors conducted a qualitative research synthesis from 43 recent higher education journals, yielding 58 evidence-based articles. It is clear that no one size fits all. Findings reflect that large class sizes (≥ 40 students) are effective for foundational and factual knowledge acquisition requiring less individualized faculty-student interaction. Small class sizes (≤ 15 students) are indicated for courses intending to develop higher-order thinking, mastery of complex knowledge, and student skill development. Pedagogical intent should dictate class size. Using well-established learning theories, the authors describe current understandings of online enrollments and propose an analytical framework for pedagogically-driven numerically-specific class sizes.

“That Looks Hard!”: Effects of Objective and Perceived Textual Complexity on Factual and Structural Political Knowledge

Communication of political information is vital for a well-functioning democratic system, and texts are one of the main mediums of politics. Most studies dealing with political text consider how such texts communicate content, rather than the structural characteristics of texts themselves. The current study focuses on complexity as one of the focal structural characteristics of political text. Previous research showed that different types of textual complexity affect learning processes. Such prior studies are, however, limited both conceptually and empirically. This study addresses these gaps by employing a large-scale experimental design (N= 822), investigating how different dimensions of textual complexity affect factual and structural political knowledge, and whether such relationships are mediated through perceived complexity. Results indicate that different levels (high vs. low) and different dimensions of textual complexity (semantic vs. syntactic) influence reader’s perception of text, as well as their factual and structural knowledge. Only semantic complexity has an effect on one’s perceived complexity, which in turn negatively affects factual and structural knowledge. Syntactic complexity directly lowered one’s factual knowledge acquisition, while there was no direct effect of syntactic complexity on structural knowledge. The results suggest that text complexity indeed plays an important role in political information acquisition, and our findings also highlight the importance of perception in mediating the structural effects of the text.

Impact of information incongruity and authors group membership on assimilation and accommodation

AbstractLearning is a complex process that can be differentiated into assimilation and accommodation. The Internet enables both types of learning through collaboration. There is, however, little research investigating the specific impact of social and information incongruity on assimilation and accommodation. The current research investigates how the information incongruity between prior knowledge and new information on the one hand and the social incongruity caused by the group membership of an information source on the other hand stimulates assimilation and accommodation specifically. It is predicted that medium incongruity stimulates assimilation and accommodation more strongly than low incongruity. Moreover, concerning social incongruity, ingroup information should specifically increase assimilation more strongly than outgroup information. A laboratory study with a 2 × 2 design using between‐subject factors information incongruity (low vs. medium) and social incongruity (ingroup vs. outgroup information) was conducted wherein participants worked on an ostensibly collaborative wiki. It was found that medium information incongruity stimulated stronger structuring of knowledge (i.e., internal accommodation) and stronger integration of new information into a wiki text (i.e., external accommodation) than low incongruity. As expected, ingroup information increased the acquisition of factual knowledge (i.e., assimilation) more strongly than outgroup information.

Benefits of using a hybrid problem-based learning curriculum to improve long-term learning acquisition in undergraduate biology education.

Although problem-based learning (PBL) has been used for over 40 years, with many studies comparing the benefits of PBL versus other educational approaches, little attention has been paid to the effectiveness of hybrid PBL (H-PBL) curricula. Here we aimed to compare the learning outcomes of two groups of undergraduate biology students working towards a bachelor's degree: one group used an H-PBL approach, while the second used a lecture-based learning (LBL) approach. Specifically, the H-PBL group used a PBL module with interdisciplinary problems, which represented 20% of the entire curriculum. The main outcomes of evaluation were the long-term acquisition of factual knowledge and the problem-solving skills at the end of the bachelor's degree. The sample included 85 students, 39 in the H-PBL group and 46 in the LBL group. We found that an H-PBL curriculum can improve the students' learning outcomes such as long-term knowledge acquisition, problem solving skills and generic competences.

Pluralistic Education in Speech-Language Pathology: Above and Beyond Didactic Trails

Pluralistic instruction is about social change through education and requires thoughtful resourcefulness and commitment. It has long been emphasized that the development of cultural competence is an ongoing, lifelong process. Given this, it seems intuitive that multiple approaches and techniques must be utilized to support this development. This ever-evolving process involves acquisition of factual knowledge and skills that equip clinicians to assess and treat disorders as opposed to differences, while not overlooking disorders as differences either. This acquisition of knowledge and skills requires two primary pathways for linguistic knowledge attainment (a) dedicated coursework as a foundation for cultural and linguistic knowledge attainment, and (b) infusion techniques, in which culturally enriching concepts and issues are embedded across the curriculum. These essential complementary approaches comprise opportunities for diverse experiences in clinical practicum and interactions with minority groups. In this article, the authors describe pedagogical activities and approaches they implemented while teaching dedicated courses on multiculturalism at their institutions. The authors highlight the different cultural constructs addressed within the didactic methods, and provide suggestions for instructors considering multicultural instruction.

The effectiveness of physical models in teaching anatomy: a meta-analysis of comparative studies.

There are various educational methods used in anatomy teaching. While three dimensional (3D) visualization technologies are gaining ground due to their ever-increasing realism, reports investigating physical models as a low-cost 3D traditional method are still the subject of considerable interest. The aim of this meta-analysis is to quantitatively assess the effectiveness of such models based on comparative studies. Eight studies (7 randomized trials; 1 quasi-experimental) including 16 comparison arms and 820 learners met the inclusion criteria. Primary outcomes were defined as factual, spatial and overall percentage scores. The meta-analytical results are: educational methods using physical models yielded significantly better results when compared to all other educational methods for the overall knowledge outcome (p<0.001) and for spatial knowledge acquisition (p<0.001). Significantly better results were also found with regard to the long-retention knowledge outcome (p<0.01). No significance was found for the factual knowledge acquisition outcome. The evidence in the present systematic review was found to have high internal validity and at least an acceptable strength. In conclusion, physical anatomical models offer a promising tool for teaching gross anatomy in 3D representation due to their easy accessibility and educational effectiveness. Such models could be a practical tool to bring up the learners' level of gross anatomy knowledge at low cost.

Improving Learning Efficiency of Factual Knowledge in Medical Education

The purpose of this review is to synthesize recent literature relating to factual knowledge acquisition and retention and to explore its applications to medical education. Distributing, or spacing, practice is superior to massed practice (i.e. cramming). Testing, compared to re-study, produces better learning and knowledge retention, especially if tested as retrieval format (short answer) rather than recognition format (multiple choice). Feedback is important to solidify the testing effect. Learning basic factual knowledge is often overlooked and under-appreciated in medical education. Implications for applying these concepts to smartphones are discussed; smartphones are owned by the majority of medical trainees and can be used to deploy evidence-based educational methods to greatly enhance learning of factual knowledge.

Early detection of factual knowledge deficiency and remediation in otolaryngology residency education

Within otolaryngology residency training, the annual Otolaryngology Training Examination (OTE) is the primary method used to assess, quantify, and compare the factual knowledge acquired by each resident. The objective of this study was to develop a more frequent method for tracking of factual knowledge to prevent educational delay. Retrospective analysis of educational scores. For each didactic lecture within a single otolaryngology residency training program, multiple choice questions were provided before and after each lecture. Questions were based on lecture objectives that were derived from the American Board of Otolaryngology curriculum. Scores were tracked over the course of 1 academic year and compared to the scores of residents on the OTE administered in that year to determine correlation with a validated measure of factual knowledge. The effect of remedial measures on improvement in OTE scores was determined. Over the course of 1 academic year, there were 328 questions presented to 12 residents before and after 32 lectures in the didactic program. Ten residents completed an average of 244 questions. Overall OTE scores demonstrated a significant and very strong correlation to lecture question scores (Pearson r = 0.86, P = .002). Remedial measures for residents during the previous 5 years who had inadequate OTE scores were successful in improving scores (P = .002). A structured didactic program that uses review questions to assess knowledge can be used to track acquisition of factual knowledge. Early identification of residents with deficiencies facilitates the development of individualized learning plans that result in successful remediation.

Problem–Based Learning in Dental Education: A Systematic Review of the Literature

The purpose of this systematic review was to compare the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) with that of traditional (non-PBL) approaches in dental education. The search strategy included electronic and manual searches of studies published up to October 2012. The PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcome) framework was utilized to guide the inclusion or exclusion of studies. The search strategy identified 436 articles, seventeen of which met the inclusion criteria. No randomized controlled trial was found comparing the effectiveness of PBL with that of lecture-based approach at the level of an entire curriculum. Three randomized controlled trials had evaluated the effectiveness of PBL at a single course level. The quality assessment rated four studies as being of moderate quality, while the other studies were assessed as being of weak quality. This review concludes that there are a very limited number of well-designed controlled studies evaluating the effectiveness of PBL in dental education. The data in those studies reveal that PBL does not negatively influence the acquisition of factual knowledge in dental students and PBL enhances the ability of students in applying their knowledge to clinical situations. In addition, PBL positively affects students' perceived preparedness.

Applying HOPSCOTCH as an exer-learning game in English lessons: two exploratory studies

This article describes HOPSCOTCH, a design concept for an exer-learning game to engage elementary school children in learning. Exer-learning is a new genre of digital learning games that combines playing and learning with physical activity (exercise). HOPSCOTCH is a first design concept for exer-learning games that can be applied to support the acquisition of factual knowledge. HOPSCOTCH is based on the popular playground game in which a course is drawn on the pavement with numbers that indicate the course to be hopped. In two exploratory studies at a German elementary school, we investigated the potential of HOPSCOTCH to engage students, as well as to facilitate the acquisition of factual knowledge (English vocabulary) and to improve the attitudes of students towards learning English as a second language. The results of these studies indicated that the students remembered and correctly spelled about the same number of new vocabulary words after learning with HOPSCOTCH as they did after a teacher-centred lesson. Importantly however, the students enjoyed playing this exer-learning game very much and they reported better attitudes towards studying English after learning vocabulary with HOPSCOTCH compared to a teacher-centred lesson. These encouraging first results support the assumption that HOPSCOTCH as a design concept may have the potential to actively engage players in learning activities leading to a virtuous circle of reduced low level disruption and self-exclusion, increased assimilation of knowledge and greater engagement in lessons to the benefit of the whole class, not just the better-motivated individual. As such we suggest that exer-learning games could serve as additional classroom control and teaching aids in schools.

Does Digital Handwriting of Instructors Using the iPad Enhance Student Learning?

Recently, projected electronic slides have been the most common tool used in classrooms. However, electronic projection slides, such as PowerPoint slides, do not provide sufficient flexibility to augment the displayed materials; therefore, instructors are not able to adjust their instruction instantly in response to the audience reaction and needs. Accordingly, many studies have suggested the use of tablet PC-based presentation tools in order to enable real-time handwritten annotations on predeveloped materials. Based on this rationale, the present study was designed in order to examine the effects of a tablet device (iPad in this study)-based instructors’ digital handwriting on students’ learning. Participants were 36 undergraduate students: half of the students were instructed using the typical PowerPoint-based presentation without the digital handwriting of the instructor, whereas the other half of the students were instructed using a tablet-based presentation with the instructor’s digital handwriting. Results from a MANCOVA revealed a significant main effect for the presentation mode. Two follow-up ANCOVAs revealed that students in the tablet-based instructor’s digital handwriting condition significantly outperformed the students in the animated PowerPoint-based presentation lecture for conceptual knowledge acquisition, despite the fact that there was no statistical difference in factual knowledge acquisition.

The effectiveness of the hybrid problem-based learning approach in the teaching of biology: a comparison with lecture-based learning

Although several studies have shown that the problem-based learning (PBL) method promotes relevant professional skills as well as critical thinking and lifelong learning, some teachers remain sceptical regarding whether PBL is also adequate in acquiring the factual knowledge that students need. In this article, we describe an experience in which PBL has been introduced as an interdisciplinary activity in the teaching of students in the bachelor degree of biology, with special attention on the analysis of contextualised complex problems. This experience was a part of a traditional curriculum and roughly 20% of the entire learning time was devoted to it. We named this teaching approach hybrid problem-based learning (H-PBL) curriculum, in contrast to the lecture-based learning (LBL) traditional curriculum. The study reported here aims to answer a fundamental question: are there differences between both models in the students’ factual knowledge acquisition? The results of this study have failed to show significant differences in factual knowledge acquisition between both groups of students. We conclude that the use of an interdisciplinary H-PBL approach has no deleterious effect on the recall of factual knowledge, while it may permit the simultaneous development of other professional skills, which could be more difficult to attain in traditional curricula based mainly on the lecture-based method.

Scaffolding critical thinking in the zone of proximal development

This paper explores student experiences of learning to think critically. Twenty‐six zoology undergraduates took part in the study for three years of their degree at the University of Otago, New Zealand. Vygotsky’s developmental model of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) provided a framework as we examined how critical thinking was developed. There was very little evidence of critical thinking at first year as students experienced a high‐level of material scaffold in the form of course documents, textbooks, problem solving‐exercises and discussions that were primarily aimed at the acquisition of factual knowledge. In large classes students were anonymous to lecturers and they relied on each other for support. In years 2 and 3, learning to do research became the main scaffold for critical thinking and students gradually changed their views about the nature of knowledge. Verbal scaffolding and conversation with lecturers and peers allowed students to extend their ZPD for critical thinking. They began to accept responsibility for their own and their peers’ learning as they practiced being a zoology researcher. These findings are discussed in relation to two approaches to scaffolding in the ZPD and it is suggested that research should be an integral part of the first year if critical thinking remains a key aim for higher education.

Theological Horizons for a Pedagogy of Accompaniment

One perceived concern in the process of educating in faith in the context of our Western societies is the temptation of approaching this experience primarily in terms of observable and measurable criteria (e.g., church growth, reception of sacraments, acquisition of factual knowledge, study of trends). Although Religious Education requires attention to such criteria, it cannot be limited to them. This article proposes a series of theological principles grounding what is presented here as a pedagogy of accompaniment that defines Religious Education as a journey leading to a transforming encounter with God. The proposal invites religious educators to appropriate biblical, theological, and spiritual categories within the Christian tradition and to remain open to the emergence of new categories as they reflect on the uniqueness of their own contexts.

Some Med Ed Traditions Showing Their Age

Some Med Ed Traditions Showing Their Age

Postgraduate training program.

Faculties face the permanent challenge to design training programs with well-balanced educational outcomes, and to offer various organised and individual learning opportunities. To apply our original model to a postgraduate training program in rheumatology in general, and to various learning experiences in particular, in order to analyse the balance between different educational objectives. Learning times of various educational activities were reported by the junior staff as targeted learners. The suitability of different learning experiences to achieve cognitive, affective and psychomotor learning objectives was estimated. Learning points with respect to efficacy were calculated by multiplication of the estimated learning times by the perceived appropriateness of the educational strategies. Out of 780 hours of professional learning per year (17.7 hours/week), 37.7% of the time was spent under individual supervision of senior staff, 24.4% in organised structured learning, 22.6% in self-studies, and 15.3% in organised patient-oriented learning. The balance between the different types of learning objectives was appropriate for the overall program, but not for each particular learning experience. Acquisition of factual knowledge and problem solving was readily aimed for during organised teaching sessions of different formats, and by personal targeted reading. Attitudes, skills and competencies, as well as behavioural and performance changes were mostly learned during caring for patients under interactive supervision by experts. We encourage other faculties to apply this approach to any other curriculum of undergraduate education, postgraduate training or continuous professional development in order to foster the development of well-balanced learning experiences.