ABSTRACT
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has required clinical teams to function with an unprecedented amount of uncertainty, balancing complex risks and benefits in a highly fluid environment. This is especially the case when considering the delivery of a pregnant woman critically unwell with COVID-19. This is one maternal critical care team's reflections on establishing best practice and a shared mental model when undertaking a Caesarean section in critically unwell patients with COVID-19. Objective(s): We describe our experience of balancing the risks and streamlining the process of this high-risk intervention. Method(s): We used our standard clinical governance forums across four specialties (Obstetrics, Intensive care, Anaesthetics and Neonatology) to identify key challenges and learning points. We developed a working group to combine our learning and develop a shared mental model across the involved teams. Result(s): 1. The decision to deliver must be multidisciplinary involving Obstetrics, Intensive care, Anaesthetics, Neonatology and the patient according to their capacity to participate. The existing structure of twice daily ITU ward rounds could be leveraged as a 'pause' moment to consider the need for imminent delivery and review the risk-benefit balance of continued enhanced pharmacological thromboprophylaxis. 2. We identified a range of scenarios that our teams might be exposed to: 3. Perimortem Caesarean section 4. Critically unwell - unsafe to move to theatre 5. Critically unwell - safe to move to theatre 6. Recreating an obstetric theatre in the ICU Advantages Avoids moving a critically unstable patient, although our experience is increasing moving patients for ECMO. Some forms of maximal non-invasive therapy such as High Flow Nasal Oxygen may require interruption to move to theatre with resultant risk of harm or be difficult to continue in transport mode through a bulky ICU ventilator e.g. CPAP Disadvantages Significant logistics and coordination burden: multiple items of specialist equipment needing to be brought to the ICU. Human factors burden: performing a caesarean section in an unfamiliar environment is a significant increase in cognitive load for participating teams. Environmental factors: ICU side rooms may offer limited space vs the need to control the space if performed on an open unit. Delivering a Neonate into a COVID bubble. Conclusion(s): Developing a shared mental model across the key teams involved in delivering an emergency caesarean section in this cohort of critically unwell patients has enabled our group to own a common understanding of the key decisions and risks involved. We recommend a patient centred MDT decision making model, with a structure for regular reassessment by senior members of the teams involved. In most circumstances the human factors and logistical burden of recreating an operating theatre in the ICU outweighs the risk of transport to theatre. Pre-defined checklists and action cards mitigate the cognitive and logistical burden when multiple teams do perform an operative delivery in ICU. Action cards highlight key aspects of routine obstetric care to be replicated in the ICU environment.
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IMPACTThis article's conceptual model provides a holistic lens for exploring the work environment of emotional labour (EL). Research has demonstrated high levels of burnout and mental health issues among EL workers. The negative outcomes associated with EL work are even more pronounced in the present Covid-19 landscape. By understanding EL workers' cognitive processes, organizations stand a better chance of promoting work engagement, well-being, and effective organizational functioning. Practically, organizations may have to provide training and support to line managers to enable them to evolve within the same mindset as EL workers. Senior managers also have to exhibit visible support to workplace initiatives to allow for consistent implementation of job resources.
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Students are commonly in a high cognitive load state when they encounter sophisticated knowledge. Whether the novel augmented reality (AR) technology can be utilized in an online learning course to explain complicated scientific concepts in a more understandable manner to students during the COVID-19 period is an unaddressed issue. This study aims to investigate the influences of reducing the physical touch or face-to-face teaching/learning practices via using mobile augmented reality learning systems (MARLS) on students' perceived learning effectiveness. The information feedback viewpoint, flow theory, and cognitive load theory are integrated to examine the effects of the information feedback of MARLS on students' learning effectiveness. This study recruited 204 participants from ten universities to complete a learning task via a MARLS and fill out a questionnaire to collect data for the proposed research model. The empirical results revealed information feedback positively and significantly affected flow experience, perceived learning effectiveness, and continued intention. The improved learning performance of learners was positively related to their continued intention. Also, the extraneous cognitive load negatively and significantly moderated the relationship between information feedback and perceived learning effectiveness. This study proposes meaningful implications and suggestions for future research based on the findings of this experiment.
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We thank the seven scholars who have provided commentaries to our paper on the Interest-Driven Creator (IDC) experimental school in Taiwan. We provide replies to their commentaries in the interest of continuing the productive discussions that we hope to see in the further pursuance and refinement of the IDC theories. We also use the opportunity here to provide replies to the commentaries written by Dillenbourg et al. (2019) and Roschelle and Burke (2019), specifically written for the original IDC paper (Chan et al., 2018). © The Author(s). 2023.
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The popularity of the online teaching model increased during the COVID-19, and virtual reality online education is now firmly established as a future trend in educational growth. Human–computer interaction and collaboration between virtual models and physical entities, as well as virtual multi-sensory cognition, have become the focus of research in the field of online education. In this paper, we analyze the mapping form of teaching information and cue information on users' cognition through an experimental system and investigate the effects of the presentation form of online virtual teaching information, the length of the material, users' memory of the information, and the presentation form of information cues on users' cognitive performance. The experimental results show that different instructional information and cue presentation designs have significant effects on users' learning performance, with relatively longer instructional content being more effective and users being more likely to mechanically remember the learning materials. By studying the impact of multi-sensory information presentation on users' cognition, the output design of instructional information can be optimized, cognitive resources can be reasonably allocated, and learning effectiveness can be ensured, which is of great significance for virtual education research in digital twins.
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Misinformation is an important topic in the Information Retrieval (IR) context and has implications for both system-centered and user-centered IR. While it has been established that the performance in discerning misinformation is affected by a person's cognitive load, the variation in cognitive load in judging the veracity of news is less understood. To understand the variation in cognitive load imposed by reading news headlines related to COVID-19 claims, within the context of a fact-checking system, we conducted a within-subject, lab-based, quasi-experiment (N=40) with eye-tracking. Our results suggest that examining true claims imposed a higher cognitive load on participants when news headlines provided incorrect evidence for a claim and were inconsistent with the person's prior beliefs. In contrast, checking false claims imposed a higher cognitive load when the news headlines provided correct evidence for a claim and were consistent with the participants' prior beliefs. However, changing beliefs after examining a claim did not have a significant relationship with cognitive load while reading the news headlines. The results illustrate that reading news headlines related to true and false claims in the fact-checking context impose different levels of cognitive load. Our findings suggest that user engagement with tools for discerning misinformation needs to account for the possible variation in the mental effort involved in different information contexts. © 2023 ACM.
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Purpose: For several years, virtual and blended-learning courses in Medical Physics are offered at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) for national and international postgraduates, working in clinical or research institutes at the same time. While hosting such courses, we were able to gain a deeper understanding of multimedia learning for working professionals and their specific needs. Based on this long-lasting experience, we could transfer all courses into a full virtual mode since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, visits to Heidelberg and our clinical institutes were and still are not possible. Therefore, participants are lacking this important experience. Material(s) and Method(s): To fulfil this gap, we decided to develop a first virtual tour about our division Medical Physics in Radiation Oncology, based on previous work of the Austrian authors (e.g. developing virtual labs for students). The idea is to evaluate the workload, technical challenges and possibilities that are available to us for future tours. As theoretical context we understand "multimedia learning" as "learning from words and pictures" (Mayer 2008, p. 761). Thus, it follows two channels: auditory/verbal and visual/pictorial. Both channels are limited and can only process a limited number of simultaneous processes (elaborated as Cognitive Load Theory by Sweller 2005). Main criteria derived from this framework are the basis for developing the tour layout (Mayer & Moreno 2003). To develop the tour we decided to use existing tools like our Moodle platform which includes the H5P plugin and allows us to design virtual tours based on 360-degree pictures. In addition to existing audio-video equipment, we purchased a simple 360-degree camera. Result(s): We are going to present the virtual tour and its layout and design, consisting of 360-degree pictures, text and videos offering an overview about our division at DKFZ. Conclusion(s): The tour is considered as template for tours to be developed in the future. More work about the application of didactical criteria and about the user's perspective is needed to integrate virtual tours in didactical settings. References: 1. Mayer, R. E., & Moreno, R. (2003). Nine ways to reduce cognitive load in multimedia learning. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 43-52. 2. Mayer, R. E. (2008). Applying the Science of Learning: Evidence Based Principles for the Design of Multimedia Instruction. The American Psychologist, 63, 760-769. 3. Sweller, J. (2005). Implications of cognitive load theory for multimedia learning. In R. E. Mayer (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (19-30). Cambridge [u.a.].Copyright © 2023 Southern Society for Clinical Investigation.
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From its onset in early 2020, the Covid-19 (hereafter Covid) crisis has uncovered both the insecurity about new technologies and their flexibility. In this chapter, we will attempt to provide a non-exhaustive map of the field of interpreting technology in different settings, of research on these new technologies and research using them. Tools and resources that enhance an interpreter's performance will also be discussed as part of technological evolution, while the final question to be answered is whether "interpreters [can] survive in an AI-dominated world” (Downie 2020). This contribution wants to be a call to do more large-scale research and to inform future interpreters better about technological development and opportunities in the classroom. © 2023 John Benjamins Publishing Company.
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Navigating the web represents a complex cognitive activity that requires effective integration of different stimuli and the correct functioning of numerous cognitive abilities (including attention, perception, and working memory). Despite the potential relevance of the topic, numerous limitations are present throughout the literature about the cognitive load during online activities. The main aim of this study is to investigate cognitive load during comprehension and information-seeking tasks. In particular, we here focus on the comparison of the cognitive load required while performing those tasks using mobile or PC-based devices. This topic has become even more crucial due to the massive adoption of smart working and distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. A great effort is nowadays devoted to the detection and quantification of stressful states induced by working and learning activities. Continuous stress and excessive cognitive load are two of the main causes of mental and physical illnesses such as depression or anxiety. Cognitive load was measured through electroencephalography (EEG), acquired via a low-cost wireless EEG headset. Two different tasks were considered: reading comprehension (CO) of online text and online information-seeking (IS). Moreover, two experimental conditions were compared, administering the two tasks using mobile (MB) and desktop (PC) devices. Eleven participants were involved in each experimental condition, MB and PC, performing both the tasks on the same device, for a total of twenty-two people, recruited from students, researchers, and employees of the university. The following two research questions were investigated: Q1: Is there a difference in the cognitive load while performing the comprehension and the information-seeking tasks? Q2: Does the adopted device influence the cognitive load? The results obtained show that the baseline (BL) requires the lower cognitive load in both the conditions, while in IS task, the requirement reaches its highest value, especially using a mobile phone. In general, the power of all the brain wave bands increased in all conditions (MB and PC) during the two tasks (CO and IS), except for alpha, which is usually high in a state of relaxation and low cognitive load. People include website navigation into their daily routines, and for this, it is important to create an interaction that is as easy and barrier-free as possible. An effective design allows a user to focus on interesting information: many website architectures, instead, are an obstacle to be overcome; they impose a high cognitive load and poor user experience. All these aspects draw cognitive resources away from the user's primary task of finding and comprehending the site's information. Having information about how the cognitive load varies based on the device adopted and the considered task can provide useful indicators in this direction. This work suggests that using an EEG low-cost wearable device could be useful to quantify the cognitive load induced, allowing the development of new experiments to analyse these dependencies deeper, and to provide suggestions for better interaction with the web.
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With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, many undergraduates were forced to transition from in-person to remote learning. In order to hold live synchronous classes, institutions adopted online videoconferencing platforms such as Zoom. This study examined student experiences during Zoom classes with regard to perceptions of unproductive cognitive load stemming from factors such as personal software settings, instructor-determined class features, teaching methods, feelings toward the class, internal state, and external environment. For comparison, a parallel survey was administered to instructors regarding student perceptions. The top five factors students reported to increase unproductive load were life stress, tiredness, sickness, negative emotions, and auditory distractions;the factors linked most strongly to decrease unproductive load were enjoyment of the class, interest in the class topic, relevance to future goals, presentation of information in manageable and meaningful chunks, and ability to focus. Instructor ratings overall aligned with those of students. Participants also reported overall higher mental fatigue during Zoom, as framed in comparison to prior in-person classes;this was correlated with number and time spent in these classes, but not with demographic variables nor with several other independent measures of self-regulated learning and academic self-efficacy. Implications for improving the student experience in online learning are discussed, emphasizing that many of the factors reported as helpful to cognitive load management are applicable to all classrooms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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This article uses risk communication theory and cognitive load theory to analyse the stress experienced by interpreters involved in crisis communication within Covid-19 medical scenarios. It considers the nature of stress both from psychological (mental) and physiological perspectives, exploring the relationship between the level of cognitive load, interpreters' stress, and the quality of interpreting in crisis communication. This research identifies the strategies used by interpreters when operating in pandemic working environments and compares their cognitive load and physiological stress changes within and outside contexts of crisis communication. We hypothesize that interpreters experience greater psychological stress and an increased cognitive load which adversely affect their interpreting in crises compared to normal situations. To test this hypothesis, an experiment combined eye-tracking technology with Heart Rate and Galvanic Skin Response technology. 25 novice interpreters interpreted simulated medical scenarios for a Covid-19 patient and a diabetes patient respectively. This is one of the first studies to apply the multimodal approach of eye-tracking, HR, and GSR technology to record the physiological stress and mental status of interpreters. We advocate more systematic interdisciplinary research concerning interpreters' stress in crisis communication, and outline recommendations for future crisis interpreting training and for individual professionals involved in crisis management. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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COVID-19 has changed how the world operates, and education is one of the sectors that are highly affected by these changes. Previously, mobile learning is just an optional or a supplementary learning method. However, with the increased in the number of COVID-19 cases around the world, education system has switched from the traditional face-to-face mode in a classroom setting, to an online learning environment. Learning using a mobile device or mobile learning is a concept that is new to most learners, especially those who have never before experienced an online learning setting. One of the prevalent factors that leads to ineffective mobile learning process is badly designed user interfaces that will disengage learners from learning materials presented, and increase the cognitive load of the learners. Among the factors that results in bad user interface is the violation of a user interface guideline/framework. Therefore, the main objective of this research-work is to evaluate the learners' cognitive load significance for mobile learning application by identifying Nielsen's Heuristics' violation. By implementing this study, important user interface design (UID) attributes that increase learner's cognitive load can be identified. Understanding how UID can affect the learners' cognitive load can assist designers in deciding which user interface designs that can improve or minimize learners' cognitive load. The outcome of this research will enable mobile learning application designers, developers, educators, teachers and people who are interested in developing a mobile learning application to deliver an effective mobile learning experience to learners. © 2022 IEEE.
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PurposeVirtual communities are useful sources of travel information for tourists. To better promote the sustainable development of virtual communities and provide theoretical guidance, this study aims to explore how the cognitive load generated by tourists in the information-seeking process facilitates the formation of their continuance intention.Design/methodology/approachBuilt on the cognitive load theory and flow theory, this study investigates the formation mechanism of virtual community users' continuance intention to seek travel information. A total of 328 valid questionnaires were collected and used for hypothesis testing.FindingsThe results show that perceived usefulness, perceived information consistency and prior experience positively affect continuance intention. Concentration and time distortion have significant effects on continuance intention. Moreover, concentration and time distortion mediate between prior experience and continuance intention.Originality/valueThis study clarifies the formation mechanism of virtual community users' continuance intention of travel information seeking from a new perspective. The conclusions enrich the research on consumer behavior in the information search field and provide a reference for virtual communities.
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This research investigated how mental fatigue is associated with moral judgments during the COVID-19 pandemic and studied the moderating effect of social support. We used self-report questionnaires to collect data from 4,042 people. We assessed peoples mental fatigue and social support during the pandemic, and designed nine moral dilemmas based on the background of COVID-19 to measure peoples moral judgments. The results showed that during the COVID-19 pandemic mental fatigue had a significant impact on moral judgments. Individuals with higher mental fatigue were more likely to make more utilitarian choices, while social support moderated the relationship between mental fatigue and moral judgments. When experiencing mental fatigue, individuals with low, compared to high, social support are more likely to rely on utilitarianism to make moral judgments.
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online Learning is enacted as an effort to prevent the spread of covid-19. Various limitations and obstacles encountered during the process of online learning in the pandemic demanded adaptation better than educators and learners. Students need to do self-adjustment in learning and are expected to have the self efficacy to master and complete a task in online learning. Educators need to do the management of cognitive load in learning. The purpose of the study to determine the effect of self efficacy against the cognitive load in online learning in the pandemic covid-19. Quantitative research methods are correlational, involving 316 respondents. The process of data collection is done online. The results of the univariate analysis showed the majority of respondents have the level of self efficacy is high enough (27,2%), cognitive load category (73,1%). Most of the respondents have ICL the moderate category (66,8%), the ECL moderate category (71,8%) and all respondents have a GCL category (100%). Bivariate analysis using the correlation provided by kendall's tau-b shows there is significant influence the level of self efficacy of respondents to rate the cognitive load of the respondents where the value of Sig. (2-tailed) is 0.048% ownership of < 0.05, with the degree of influence of level of self efficacy of the respondents on the level of cognitive load that is very strong (of 0.96). Based on the results of the study, it is expected that lecturers can optimize the ability of students and develop values/character that support to increase self efficacy of students and make improvements learning strategies to reduce cognitive load of students.Copyright © 2020 Ubiquity Press. All rights reserved.
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[LANGUAGE=”English”] With modern technological advancements, the rise of digital learning has helped teachers and students in many ways;for example, learning is becoming increasingly learner centric. In recent years, learning has been compromised because of school suspensions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital learning has helped to reduce the negative impacts on students' learning, and most students have shown a positive attitude toward digital learning. A learning management system provides a platform for learners to learn and interact with teachers or peers without time and space constraints. Moodle is one of the most popular and widely-used learning management systems. It is open source, offers different functional modules, and is available free of charge. However, according to recent literature, Moodle has several disadvantages. First, the topics discussed by students in the Moodle platform are not focused enough and not easy to be discussed in depth. Second, the interaction is not immediate because of a lack of instant notifications. Third, the interface is not user friendly and is thus difficult to operate. These drawbacks can hinder students' learning. Office 365 is another digital system that assists students' learning. Various functions of Office 365, such as Teams's real-time notifications and OneNote's recording function, complement Moodle. This study investigated the effects of after-school activities conducted through different media on students' motivation, learning achievement, and peer interaction.In present study, after-school activities were conducted face-to-face or via two learning platforms, Moodle and Office 365;the learning platform was considered the independent variables. In total, 143 middle school students were recruited as participants for an after-school activity and distributed into the face-to-face, Moodle, or Office 365 group. The quantitative data of three scales concerning with learning motivation, learning achievement and peer interaction were collected to represent their learning performance. Qualitative data were collected through textual analysis based on student responses to open-ended questions. The quantitative and qualitative data were then statistically analyzed with SPSS Statistics 23.The results of the quantitative analysis revealed the following results: (1) No significant difference was observed in learning motivation among the different groups. The reasons for the result may be that students were not familiar with learning management systems, the interface and function of the learning systems were complex, or student motivation to learn English was low. (2) The learning achievement of the face-to-face group was significantly higher than that of the Office 365 group. Office 365 has many functions, but it also increases the cognitive load on students. Additionally, middle school students in Taiwan are inexperienced with using learning management systems because of the lack of opportunities to do so. Furthermore, the focus of this research was not the formal school curriculum but after-school activities;therefore, gauging learning effectiveness was challenging. Finally, students are more familiar with face-to-face discussions, and this comfort increases the effectiveness of this mode of learning. (3) Students in the Office 365 group had a higher tendency to interact with peers than those in the face-to-face group. Interacting through Office 365 (as it provides voice and text input for discussions) removes the stress of public speaking, such as that experienced in face-to-face classes, thus increasing participation. However, the peer interaction in the Office 365 group was not significantly higher than that in the Moodle group because the students using Office 365 mainly used text input, which decreased the efficiency of their discussion. (4) Some groups of students using the learning management system (no matter Moodle group or Office 365 group) posted the answers to assignments in the chat room even before much group discussion, or they divided th work among themselves, and not discussing the assignment at all. The students seemed to be unfamiliar with the way in which group discussions are conducted through digital learning platforms. This inexperience was reflected in their lack of teamwork. (5) The ratio of discussions students posted on the Moodle platform (Moodle group) was positively correlated with their learning achievement and interaction with peers. The ratio of discussions students posted on the Office 365 platform (Office 365 group) was positively correlated with their learning achievement and learning motivation.The results have several implications. First, teachers should consider the most appropriate form of discussion for middle school students when planning group discussion activities during and after lessons. Second, although middle school students are better at learning through face-to-face discussion, the demand for distance learning and the use of digital platforms are increasing. Teachers should encourage the use of digital platforms by planning more exercises to implement through these platforms, thus improving students' learning performance as well as their efficiency in using these platforms. Third, the students in the Office 365 group had a higher tendency to interact with peers than did those in the face-to-face group. Thus, teacher may use Office 365 initially to make students willing to use digital platforms and for them to get familiar with its usage. Once students are comfortable using the platform, teachers can shift the focus to enhancing the effectiveness of learning. Fourth, when students are engaged in group discussions in after-school activities, only a limited number of students may participate, or students may directly provide answers without discussing them with their peers. Providing students with instructions and training on conducting group discussions may help them make more effective use of learning management systems. Finally, regarding the design of learning management systems, the registration and login procedures should be simplified, and the platform interface and operating functions should be more effectively integrated to make them user friendly. Doing so may enable novices to start and consistently use these systems more easily and reduce the time required by users to familiarize themselves with such systems.[LANGUAGE=”Chinese”] 本研究目的在比較以面對面、Moodle、Office 365進行課後活動，對學生英文的學習動機、學習成效與同儕互動之影響。以課後活動形式為自變項，分成面對面組、Moodle組、Office 365組，分別以三種不同方式進行英文課程之課後活動，如課後分組討論、課後作業等，並探討其在不同層面之差異。本研究採量化為主、質化為輔的分析方式，以六班143位國中三年級學生為研究對象進行實驗，每種課後活動形式各兩個班級參與。研究結果顯示：一、不同課後活動形式對學習動機無顯著差異；二、面對面組之學習成效顯著優於Office 365組；三、Office 365組之同儕互動有高於面對面組之傾向；四、針對討論歷程分析發現，透過Moodle、Office 365之學習平台進行討論，會出現特定組員直接貼出解答、各組員直接任務分工等未進行小組討論之情況發生；五、對Moodle組而言，各組員之發言比例與學習成效、同儕互動為正相關；對Office 365組而言，各組員之發言比例與學習成效、學習動機為正相關。Alternate abstract:”English”] With modern technological advancements, the rise of digital learning has helped teachers and students in many ways;for example, learning is becoming increasingly learner centric. In recent years, learning has been compromised because of school suspensions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital learning has helped to reduce the negative impacts on students' learning, and most students have shown a positive attitude toward digital learning. A learning management system provides a platform for learners to learn a d interact with teachers or peers without time and space constraints. Moodle is one of the most popular and widely-used learning management systems. It is open source, offers different functional modules, and is available free of charge. However, according to recent literature, Moodle has several disadvantages. First, the topics discussed by students in the Moodle platform are not focused enough and not easy to be discussed in depth. Second, the interaction is not immediate because of a lack of instant notifications. Third, the interface is not user friendly and is thus difficult to operate. These drawbacks can hinder students' learning. Office 365 is another digital system that assists students' learning. Various functions of Office 365, such as Teams's real-time notifications and OneNote's recording function, complement Moodle. This study investigated the effects of after-school activities conducted through different media on students' motivation, learning achievement, and peer interaction.In present study, after-school activities were conducted face-to-face or via two learning platforms, Moodle and Office 365;the learning platform was considered the independent variables. In total, 143 middle school students were recruited as participants for an after-school activity and distributed into the face-to-face, Moodle, or Office 365 group. The quantitative data of three scales concerning with learning motivation, learning achievement and peer interaction were collected to represent their learning performance. Qualitative data were collected through textual analysis based on student responses to open-ended questions. The quantitative and qualitative data were then statistically analyzed with SPSS Statistics 23.The results of the quantitative analysis revealed the following results:(1) No significant difference was observed in learning motivation among the different groups. The reasons for the result may be that students were not familiar with learning management systems, the interface and function of the learning systems were complex, or student motivation to learn English was low. (2) The learning achievement of the face-to-face group was significantly higher than that of the Office 365 group. Office 365 has many functions, but it also increases the cognitive load on students. Additionally, middle school students in Taiwan are inexperienced with using learning management systems because of the lack of opportunities to do so. Furthermore, the focus of this research was not the formal school curriculum but after-school activities;therefore, gauging learning effectiveness was challenging. Finally, students are more familiar with face-to-face discussions, and this comfort increases the effectiveness of this mode of learning. (3) Students in the Office 365 group had a higher tendency to interact with peers than those in the face-to-face group. Interacting through Office 365 (as it provides voice and text input for discussions) removes the stress of public speaking, such as that experienced in face-to-face classes, thus increasing participation. However, the peer interaction in the Office 365 group was not significantly higher than that in the Moodle group because the students using Office 365 mainly used text input, which decreased the efficiency of their discussion. (4) Some groups of students using the learning management system (no matter Moodle group or Office 365 group) posted the answers to assignments in the chat room even before much group discussion, or they divided the work among themselves, and not discussing the assignment at all. The students seemed to be unfamiliar with the way in which group discussions are conducted through digital learning platforms. This inexperience was reflected in their lack of teamwork. (5) The ratio of discussions students posted on the Moodle platform (Moodle group) was positively correlated with their learning achievement and interaction with peers. The ratio of discussions students posted on the Office 365 platform (Office 365 group) was positively correlated with their lea ning achievement and learning motivation.The results have several implications. First, teachers should consider the most appropriate form of discussion for middle school students when planning group discussion activities during and after lessons. Second, although middle school students are better at learning through face-to-face discussion, the demand for distance learning and the use of digital platforms are increasing. Teachers should encourage the use of digital platforms by planning more exercises to implement through these platforms, thus improving students' learning performance as well as their efficiency in using these platforms. Third, the students in the Office 365 group had a higher tendency to interact with peers than did those in the face-to-face group. Thus, teacher may use Office 365 initially to make students willing to use digital platforms and for them to get familiar with its usage. Once students are comfortable using the platform, teachers can shift the focus to enhancing the effectiveness of learning. Fourth, when students are engaged in group discussions in after-school activities, only a limited number of students may participate, or students may directly provide answers without discussing them with their peers. Providing students with instructions and training on conducting group discussions may help them make more effective use of learning management systems. Finally, regarding the design of learning management systems, the registration and login procedures should be simplified, and the platform interface and operating functions should be more effectively integrated to make them user friendly. Doing so may enable novices to start and consistently use these systems more easily and reduce the time required by users to familiarize themselves with such systems.Alternate abstract:”Chinese”] 本研究目的在比較以面對面、Moodle、Office 365進行課後活動，對學生英文的學習動機、學習成效與同儕互動之影響。以課後活動形式為自變項，分成面對面組、Moodle組、Office 365組，分別以三種不同方式進行英文課程之課後活動，如課後分組討論、課後作業等，並探討其在不同層面之差異。本研究採量化為主、質化為輔的分析方式，以六班143位國中三年級學生為研究對象進行實驗，每種課後活動形式各兩個班級參與。研究結果顯示：一、不同課後活動形式對學習動機無顯著差異；二、面對面組之學習成效顯著優於Office 365組；三、Office 365組之同儕互動有高於面對面組之傾向；四、針對討論歷程分析發現，透過Moodle、Office 365之學習平台進行討論，會出現特定組員直接貼出解答、各組員直接任務分工等未進行小組討論之情況發生；五、對Moodle組而言，各組員之發言比例與學習成效、同儕互動為正相關；對Office 365組而言，各組員之發言比例與學習成效、學習動機為正相關。
ABSTRACT
The sudden shift in the education world due to the pandemic of Covid-19 bring both challenge and opportunity at the same time. Since decades ago, the understanding of the importance to manage cognitive load for effective learning had been applied in multiple methods. Having said that, only a few addresses the opportunity to combine it with the latest trend attractive for today's young learners to minimize more extraneous cognitive load. This research discusses the matter by proposing the adoption of the combination of chunk learning, animation, and super short video in social media platforms to convey learning materials on nervous system science, which has been stamped as a hard subject for high school students. The adaptation of super short video animation on nervous system science successfully helps students cope with the daunting pile of materials align with the cognitive load theory. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The task complexity involved in connecting to telehealth video visits may disproportionately impact health care access in populations already experiencing inequities. Human intermediaries can be a strategy for addressing health care access disparities by acting as technology helpers to reduce the cognitive load demands required to learn and use patient-facing telehealth technologies. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a cognitive load theory-informed pilot intervention involving warm accompaniment telehealth helping sessions with patients at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). We demonstrate how to design and report recruitment methods, reach, delivery process, and the preliminary impact of a novel equity-focused intervention. METHODS: Early into the COVID-19 pandemic a telehealth helping session was offered to patients at FQHC via phone. Graduate students led the sessions on conducting a telehealth video test run or helping with patient portal log-in. They systematically recorded their recruitment efforts, intervention observations, and daily reflection notes. Following the intervention, we asked the intervention participants to participate in an interview and all patients who had telehealth visits during and 4 weeks before and after the intervention period to complete a survey. Electronic health records were reviewed to assess telehealth visit format changes. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses of the recruitment records, electronic health record data, and surveys were performed. Through integrative analysis, we developed process-related themes and recommendations for future equity-focused telehealth interventions. RESULTS: Of the 239 eligible patients, 34 (14.2%) completed the intervention and 3 (1.2%) completed subsequent interviews. The intervention participants who completed the survey (n=15) had lower education and less technological experience than the nonintervention survey participants (n=113). We identified 3 helping strategies for cognitive load reduction: providing step-by-step guidance for configuring and learning, building rapport to create confidence while problem-solving, and being on the same page to counter informational distractions. Intervention participants reported increased understanding but found that learning the video visit software was more difficult than nonintervention participants. A comparison of visit experiences did not find differences in difficulty (cognitive load measure) using telehealth-related technologies, changes to visit modality, or reported technical problems during the visit. However, the intervention participants were significantly less satisfied with the video visits. CONCLUSIONS: Although a limited number of people participated in the intervention, it may have reached individuals more likely to need technology assistance. We postulate that significant differences between intervention and nonintervention participants were rooted in baseline differences between the groups' education level, technology experience, and technology use frequency; however, small sample sizes limit conclusions. The barriers encountered during the intervention suggest that patients at FQHC may require both improved access to web-based technologies and human intermediary support to make telehealth video visits feasible. Future large, randomized, equity-focused studies should investigate blended strategies to facilitate video visit access.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Telemedicine , Humans , United States , Pandemics , Pilot Projects , Students , CognitionABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Nursing students require learning strategies when studying pharmacology. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the prevalence of online self-study. The design of effective online learning materials has therefore become vital to nursing education. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to describe the active learning mechanism that helped nursing students learn pharmacology through interactive learning materials and to demonstrate that no increased cognitive load in nursing students when studying pharmacology using interactive learning materials. METHOD: We designed an active learning mechanism to help nursing students study pharmacology by using interactive learning materials. An experimental pre- and post-test design was conducted. The participants were second-year nursing students (age 16-17) in a junior college of nursing. Students were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 98) and a control group (n = 90). RESULTS: We developed multi-media interactive learning materials and an active learning mechanism to enable nursing students to learn pharmacology. The proposed approach not only improved learning achievements but also reduced the cognitive load of nursing students. CONCLUSION: The major contribution of this study exhibits a new approach to practice wherein active learning is incorporated into interactive pharmacology materials for nursing students. This can be attributed to the design features of "explanation," "quiz and feedback," and "encouragement." Our results aid the development of effective interactive learning materials for pharmacology for Taiwanese nursing students.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate , Pharmacology , Students, Nursing , Humans , Adolescent , Problem-Based Learning/methods , Students, Nursing/psychology , Pandemics , Cognition , Teaching , Pharmacology/educationABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, most U.S. medical schools acutely transitioned from regimented in-person learning to highly flexible virtual asynchronous learning. This transition at our medical school provided a unique opportunity to evaluate if and how students adapted their academic and personal lives in response. METHODS: Medical students in a single class that made this transition were retrospectively provided with 24-hour diaries for three periods - one shortly before the transition, a second early in the transition, and third several months into the transition - and asked to select the academic or personal activities done in each hour. The percentage of medical students performing each activity each hour was analyzed, as was the time spent on each activity per day, and per morning, afternoon, per evening within the day. RESULTS: Overall study time did not change in either virtual period but shifted significantly to the morning (6 AM to 12 PM). Time spent studying in groups fell significantly during both virtual periods, concordant with a significant increase in alone study time in the early virtual period. Early in the transition to virtual learning, students replaced in-person didactics with online faculty lectures; several months later in virtual learning, they had replaced online faculty lectures with commercial products. There was no significant change in time spent on specific personal activities. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with extensive constraints imposed by the heavy cognitive load of a medical school curriculum, students did not significantly change their overall study time and any self-care-related activities in the transition to virtual learning. However, transitioning to virtual learning allowed our students to adapt their study strategies, i.e. reducing group study time and increasing lone studying time. Furthermore, students shifted studying time to the morning to optimize the management of the cognitive task-load they faced.