Van Nuland Sonya E, Rogers Kem A
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Anat Sci Educ. 2016 Mar-Apr;9(2):186-96. doi: 10.1002/ase.1576. Epub 2015 Oct 19.
The rising popularity of commercial anatomy e-learning tools has been sustained, in part, due to increased annual enrollment and a reduction in laboratory hours across educational institutions. While e-learning tools continue to gain popularity, the research methodologies used to investigate their impact on learning remain imprecise. As new user interfaces are introduced, it is critical to understand how functionality can influence the load placed on a student's memory resources, also known as cognitive load. To study cognitive load, a dual-task paradigm wherein a learner performs two tasks simultaneously is often used, however, its application within educational research remains uncommon. Using previous paradigms as a guide, a dual-task methodology was developed to assess the cognitive load imposed by two commercial anatomical e-learning tools. Results indicate that the standard dual-task paradigm, as described in the literature, is insensitive to the cognitive load disparities across e-learning tool interfaces. Confounding variables included automation of responses, task performance tradeoff, and poor understanding of primary task cognitive load requirements, leading to unreliable quantitative results. By modifying the secondary task from a basic visual response to a more cognitively demanding task, such as a modified Stroop test, the automation of secondary task responses can be reduced. Furthermore, by recording baseline measures for the primary task as well as the secondary task, it is possible for task performance tradeoff to be detected. Lastly, it is imperative that the cognitive load of the primary task be designed such that it does not overwhelm the individual's ability to learn new material.
商业解剖学电子学习工具的日益普及在一定程度上得以持续，这得益于各教育机构年度招生人数的增加以及实验课时的减少。虽然电子学习工具持续受到欢迎，但用于研究其对学习影响的研究方法仍不够精确。随着新用户界面的推出，了解功能如何影响学生记忆资源（即认知负荷）的负担至关重要。为了研究认知负荷，通常会采用一种双任务范式，即学习者同时执行两项任务，然而，其在教育研究中的应用仍然并不常见。以前期范式为指导，开发了一种双任务方法来评估两款商业解剖学电子学习工具所施加的认知负荷。结果表明，文献中描述的标准双任务范式对电子学习工具界面间的认知负荷差异不敏感。混杂变量包括反应自动化、任务绩效权衡以及对主要任务认知负荷要求的理解不足，导致定量结果不可靠。通过将次要任务从基本视觉反应修改为认知要求更高的任务，如改良的斯特鲁普测试，可以减少次要任务反应的自动化。此外，通过记录主要任务和次要任务的基线测量值，有可能检测到任务绩效权衡。最后，主要任务的认知负荷设计必须确保不会超出个体学习新材料的能力。
