Projects Overview

Check out our current projects in the lab!

Peer Instruction & Self-Explanation:
Explaining to Oneself and Others

The act of explaining a concept can improve learning by helping students engage in retrieval practice and notice gaps in their own understanding. In this project, we are particularly interested in how discussion with peers — specifically using the Peer Instruction routine in class — can improve learning relative to simply listening to explanations from an instructor. We have conducted both laboratory and classroom studies exploring whether students perform better on quiz and exam questions that received in-class peer discussion than topics that did not. We’ve also explored whether prompting students to self-explain their answers improves learning, particularly when peer discussion is not possible (for example, in remote courses). Ongoing projects are tackling questions such as:

• Does the peer instruction benefit depend on whether students actively participate in discussion (rather than listening to others)?

• What kinds of explanation prompts are most effective for learning in the absence of peer discussion?

Adjunct questions in video

How do questions help people learn? This project investigates the effect that adjunct questions have on students' learning. We are interested in understanding how question features (such as format, placement, and feedback) influence what students are able to retain and transfer from a lesson, and how those effects differ for people with different amounts of familiarity with the lesson content. We have conducted experiments in both the laboratory and the classroom to assess the effectiveness of adjunct questions at promoting retention and transfer of lesson content, as well as their interaction with participant characteristics such as effort and motivation. Some of our current research questions include:

• Are certain types of questions more effective for students with different levels of prior knowledge?

• What kinds of feedback makes adjunct questions more effective?

• What questions better support transfer (vs. retention) of information?

• How might adjunct questions modify students’ metacognitive monitoring of their own learning and subsequent study behaviors?

misconceptions & conceptual change

Many of us hold misconceptions about the world: theories and ideas that we believe to be true but which are inconsistent with scientific theories. These misconceptions are often quite resistant to instruction - we persist in believing them even when confronted with contradictory evidence. How can we help students overcome these misconceptions? We are exploring effective teaching techniques and possible mechanisms that support conceptual change. Some questions we are currently interested in include:

• What makes refutation more effective that exposition?

• What conditions are most likely to lead to conceptual change?

• What is the role of surprise, confusion, and confidence in overcoming students misconceptions?

• What other interventions (such as self-explanation prompts) can enhance the effectiveness of refutation?

• How can misconceptions best be changed when we hold emotional attachments to the incorrect beliefs?

Cognitive load & learning from video

Video lessons have exploded online and are found everywhere from YouTube to online courses. Yet videos differ from in-person lessons in important ways and we are just beginning to understand how to optimize video for learning. Building off the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (Mayer, 2005), we are interested in understanding what features of video lessons lead to greater learning and transfer of information. This work involves considering both the cognitive load of video lessons, as well as the importance of engaging the viewer. Some current and future questions include:

• Can cognitive load be effectively measured and managed in response to a video lesson?

• Is learning better predicted by cognitive load (mental effort) or engagement (interest in the lesson)?

• Are animated visuals more effective than static diagrams?

• Are on-screen narrators distracting or engaging?

• What length and pace of lesson is optimal for learning?

• What role does prior knowledge have on the effectiveness of different video features?