Beyond words: investigating non-verbal indicators of collaborative engagement in a virtual synchronous CSCL environment.

In the future of higher education, student learning will become more virtual and group-oriented, and this new reality of academic learning comes with challenges. Positive social interactions in virtual synchronous student learning groups are not self-evident but need extra support. To successfully support positive social interactions, the underlying group processes, such as collaborative group engagement, need to be understood in detail, and the important question arises: How can collaborative group engagement be assessed in virtual group learning settings? A promising methodological approach is the observation of students' non-verbal behavior, for example, in videoconferences. In an exploratory field study, we observed the non-verbal behavior of psychology students in small virtual synchronous learning groups solving a complex problem via videoconferencing. The groups were videorecorded to analyze possible relations between their non-verbal behaviors and to rate the quality of collaborative group engagement (QCGE). A rating scheme consisting of four QCGE dimensions (Behavioral, Social, Cognitive, and Conceptual-to-consequential QCGE) was applied, and non-verbal behaviors during the task were coded based on related research literature. We quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed non-verbal behaviors as indicators of QCGE. The results show that groups use a wide range of non-verbal behaviors. Furthermore, certain non-verbal behaviors are significantly related to specific dimensions of QCGE. These results help to identify relevant indicators of QCGE in virtual synchronous learning settings and thus promote the development of advanced methods for assessing QCGE. Furthermore, the indicators can be discussed as possible anchors for supporting collaborative learning in virtual synchronous groups.

How do enhanced videos support generative learning and conceptual understanding in individuals and groups?

Videos are an increasingly popular medium for supporting learning in various educational settings. Nowadays, newly designed video-based environments contain enhanced tools that allow for specific interactions with video materials (such as adding annotations and hyperlinks) which may well support generative learning and conceptual understanding. However, to exploit the potentials of such enhanced tools, we need to gain a deeper understanding on the learning processes and outcomes that go along with using these tools. Thus, we conducted a controlled laboratory experiment with 209 participants who were engaged in learning a complex topic by using different enhanced video tools (annotations vs. hyperlinks vs. control group) in different social learning settings (individual vs. collaborative learning in dyads). Findings revealed that participants who learned with hyperlinks and participants in collaborative settings created hypervideo products of higher quality than learners in other conditions. Participants who learned with annotations assessed their knowledge gain higher and had higher results in conceptual understanding when they experienced low cognitive load. With our study we contribute new original work to advance cognitive research on learning with enhanced video learning environments. Limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Effects of Game Mode in Multiplayer Video Games on Intergenerational Social Interaction: Randomized Field Study.

BACKGROUND: Maintaining social relationships is a basic human need and particularly essential in old age, including when living in a retirement home. Multiplayer video games can promote positive social interactions among players from different generations while playing. Yet, such facilitation of positive social interactions depends on specific game design. To systematically investigate the effects of game design on social interaction between seniors and their coplayers, the game Myosotis FoodPlanet was developed in this study, and the impacts of 3 different game modes on social interaction were compared in a controlled field trial. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to compare the effects of 3 different game modes (competitive, cooperative, and creative) on social interactions (verbal and nonverbal communication) between seniors and their younger coplayers. METHODS: This study was conducted in a Swiss retirement home as a controlled field trial. Participants were residents of the retirement home (N=10; mean age 84.8 years, SD 5.9 years) and played in pairs with their caregivers. Each pair played 3 game modes in random order. This resulted in 30 game sequences of 20 minutes each. A within-subject design was applied with game mode as the within-factor and social interaction as the outcome variable. To assess the quality of social interaction, 30 video-recorded game sequences were analyzed based on an event sampling method. RESULTS: Analysis of variance for repeated measurements revealed significant effects: there was significantly more verbal communication in the creative mode than in the cooperative mode (P=.04) with a strong effect size (Cohen f=0.611). An examination of verbal communication revealed more game-related communication in the creative mode than in the cooperative mode (P=.01) and the competitive mode (P=.09) with marginally significant effects and strong effect sizes (Cohen f=0.841). In addition, significantly more biography-related communication occurred in the creative mode than in the cooperative mode (P=.03), with a strong effect size (r=0.707). Regarding nonverbal communication (eg, laughing together), analysis of variance for repeated measurements showed significant differences among the game modes (P=.02) with a strong effect size (Cohen f=0.758). Results showed that there was significantly more laughing together in the competitive mode (competitive>cooperative>creative). CONCLUSIONS: The results show that game mode can be an important factor for shaping the social interactions of players playing together. Compared with other modes, creative game modes can increase verbal communication. In contrast, competitive modes may stimulate more laughing together. This has important implications for game design and the use of computer games to promote social interaction between seniors and their coplayers in practice.

Smartphones as multimodal communication devices to facilitate clinical knowledge processes: randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Despite the widespread use and advancements of mobile technology that facilitate rich communication modes, there is little evidence demonstrating the value of smartphones for effective interclinician communication and knowledge processes. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of different synchronous smartphone-based modes of communication, such as (1) speech only, (2) speech and images, and (3) speech, images, and image annotation (guided noticing) on the recall and transfer of visually and verbally represented medical knowledge. METHODS: The experiment was conducted from November 2011 to May 2012 at the University Hospital Basel (Switzerland) with 42 medical students in a master's program. All participants analyzed a standardized case (a patient with a subcapital fracture of the fifth metacarpal bone) based on a radiological image, photographs of the hand, and textual descriptions, and were asked to consult a remote surgical specialist via a smartphone. Participants were randomly assigned to 3 experimental conditions/groups. In group 1, the specialist provided verbal explanations (speech only). In group 2, the specialist provided verbal explanations and displayed the radiological image and the photographs to the participants (speech and images). In group 3, the specialist provided verbal explanations, displayed the radiological image and the photographs, and annotated the radiological image by drawing structures/angle elements (speech, images, and image annotation). To assess knowledge recall, participants were asked to write brief summaries of the case (verbally represented knowledge) after the consultation and to re-analyze the diagnostic images (visually represented knowledge). To assess knowledge transfer, participants analyzed a similar case without specialist support. RESULTS: Data analysis by ANOVA found that participants in groups 2 and 3 (images used) evaluated the support provided by the specialist as significantly more positive than group 1, the speech-only group (group 1: mean 4.08, SD 0.90; group 2: mean 4.73, SD 0.59; group 3: mean 4.93, SD 0.25; F2,39=6.76, P=.003; partial η(2)=0.26, 1-ß=.90). However, significant positive effects on the recall and transfer of visually represented medical knowledge were only observed when the smartphone-based communication involved the combination of speech, images, and image annotation (group 3). There were no significant positive effects on the recall and transfer of visually represented knowledge between group 1 (speech only) and group 2 (speech and images). No significant differences were observed between the groups regarding verbally represented medical knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: The results show (1) the value of annotation functions for digital and mobile technology for interclinician communication and medical informatics, and (2) the use of guided noticing (the integration of speech, images, and image annotation) leads to significantly improved knowledge gains for visually represented knowledge. This is particularly valuable in situations involving complex visual subject matters, typical in clinical practice.

Stigmatization of obese individuals by human resource professionals: an experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Weight-related stigmatization is a public health problem. It impairs the psychological well-being of obese individuals and hinders them from adopting weight-loss behaviors. We conducted an experimental study to investigate weight stigmatization in work settings using a sample of experienced human resource (HR) professionals from a real-life employment setting. METHODS: In a cross-sectional, computer-based experimental study, a volunteer sample of 127 HR professionals (age: 41.1 ± 10.9 yrs., 56% female), who regularly make career decisions about other people, evaluated individuals shown in standardized photographs regarding work-related prestige and achievements. The photographed individuals differed with respect to gender, ethnicity, and Body Mass Index (BMI). RESULTS: Participants underestimated the occupational prestige of obese individuals and overestimated it for normal-weight individuals. Obese people were more often disqualified from being hired and less often nominated for a supervisory position, while non-ethnic normal-weight individuals were favored. Stigmatization was most pronounced in obese females. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that HR professionals are prone to pronounced weight stigmatization, especially in women. This highlights the need for interventions targeting this stigmatization as well as stigma-management strategies for obese individuals. Weight stigmatization and its consequences needs to be a topic that is more strongly addressed in clinical obesity care.