E-learning: The Science of Instruction Ruth Colvin Clark and Richard E Mayer

1
E-learning The Science of InstructionRuth
Colvin Clark and Richard E Mayer

• Today well cover
• Chapter 1 e-learning promise and pitfalls
• Chapter 2 How people learn from e-courses
• Chapter 3 Multimedia principle
• Chapter 4 Contiguity principle
• Plus digressions for additional related materials
  on instructional methods

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The e-Learning Bandwagon

• 90 of universities have distance learning
• Does this include Lehigh?
• U of Phoenix, Athabasca U, etc., entirely online
• Verizons Virtual University hosts most technical
  training
• U.S. Army partners with PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Companies are spending 50-60 billion/year on
  e-learning. Are you impressed?
• What is a knowledge-based economy?
• Is e-learning a key to knowledge-based economy?

3
What is e-learning?

• Instruction delivered via computer
• Content relevant to learning objectives
• Uses instructional methods such as examples and
  practice
• Builds new knowledge and skills

4
Media instructional methods

• Media elements present and illustrate content
• Text, audio narration, music, graphics, animation
  and video
• E.g., Dreamweaver course uses audio narration and
  animated graphics
• Instructional techniques support learning
• Examples, practice exercises, feedback
• E.g., Dreamweaver lesson uses simulation practice
  
• Why might simulating an actual work environment
  be particularly effective?

5
When to use e-Learning (from Margaret Driscoll,
Web-Based Training)

• Cognitive skills solving problems, applying
  rules, distinguishing items
• E.g., how to complete tax forms
• Psychomotor skills coordination physical
  movement and thought
• E.g., driving a golf ball or driving a crane
• Require coaching and detailed feedback
• Attitudinal skills opinions and behaviors
• E.g., whether to recycle
• Which is hardest to teach with multimedia?

6
Which skills are most suitable for e-learning?

• CPR training?
• Developing a sort algorithm?
• Supporting a political party?
• Driving a stick shift?
• Finding and using Photoshop plug-ins?
• Trouble-shooting printer problems?
• Discuss in small groups.

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Three theories of learning(see check boxes on
page 33)

• Response strengthening
• Strengthen stimulus-response associations
• Drill-and-practice with reinforcing feedback
• Information acquisition
• Learning adds information to memory
• Instruction delivers information efficiently
• Knowledge construction
• Learner builds a mental representation
• Guide learner in the context of solving problems
• Is one theory right? Or a combination?

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The Art of Changing the Brain(James E. Zull)

• The Learning Cycle Sense ? Integrate ? Act
• Learning originates with concrete sensory
  experience
• Reflective observation integrates inputs in
  patterns and develops generalizations or
  abstract hypotheses
• Active learning tests the results of motor output

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Types of e-Learning goals

• Inform build awareness, e.g., about a companys
  organization
• Perform build skills, e.g., how to use software
  or how to evaluate bank loans
• Procedural step-by step tasks
• Near transfer from training to application
• Learning Dreamweaver may involve near transfer?
  Why?Give an example.
• Principle-based guidelines and problem-solving
  skills
• Far transfer from training to application
• Why does learning how to evaluate bank loans far
  transfer?

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How do people learn?

• Two information processing channels
• visual and auditory, each with limited capacity
  (attention)
• Working memory has limited capacity
• 7 chunks plus or minus 2
• Learning occurs by active processing
• From working to long-term memory
• Rehearsal encodes knowledge
• Knowledge must be retrieved from memory
• Retrieval brings knowledge back into working
  memory

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One minute paper

• How might understanding the way people process
  information and learn affect the way you design
  multimedia e-learning activities?

12
Pitfalls of e-Learning

• Failure to do job or skill analysis
• Presenting skills and knowledge out of job
  context risks transfer failure
• How could this pitfall affect your project?
• Failure to accommodate human learning
• Multimedia can actually depress learning if it
  overwhelms limits of human processing
• Attrition e-Learning dropouts at least 35
• Games and stories may detract from learning Why?

13
Do these techniques aid or hinder human learning?
Why?

• Using an arrow or color to draw the eye to
  important information?
• Listing learning objectives up front?
• Including background music?

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e-Learning Research

• Informal studies observing people as they learn
  or asking them about it
• Formative evaluation makes changes from learner
  feedback
• Summative evaluation reports results to sponsors
  others
• Formal studies use experimental research design,
  with subjects randomly assigned to test and
  control groups
• Controlled compare outcomes of 2 or more groups
  of learners
• Clinical trials evaluate e-learning in real
  world contexts
• Should show statistical significance (plt.05)
• Effect size mean difference / standard deviation
• Book uses results of controlled studies that
  suggest basic design principles for e-learning
• Why are experimental studies useful to designers?