Effect of Watching Instructional Videos on Engagement, Memory and Brain Activation
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Saravanabhavan, Nila
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My research examined the incorporation of Gagne’s events, engagement, and activation of key brain regions in a series of lectures on Human Computer Interaction. We were able to determine if a student's engagement improved by having the participants make subjective ratings of how engaged (i.e., how focused, attentive, interested) they felt as they watched the instructional videos. Participants also watched these series of videos in an fMRI. The fMRI produced data to show which brain regions were activated. As a result, analyzing the brain regions associated with engagement showed the level of engagement. The final way to test participant learning was by testing their memory. Immediately after watching the series, the participants were tested on the content to test their short term memory. In addition, one week after watching the series, their long term memory was tested by completing another test. The overall goals were to determine (a) the relationship between a participant’s engagement in the lecture video and their memory of the course information, (b) the relationship between the design of the course (Gagne’s events) on their engagement, and (c) the brain regions involved when they are engaged. Brain regions such as the ventral attention network, lateral orbitotemporal cortex showed increased activation and the default mode network showed decreased activation during high moments of high engagement. This suggested that regions associated with higher order visual processing were significantly more activated than regions associated with lack of focus, suggesting learning. The study also has found that there was highest memory consolidation during Gagne's events 1 and 2 as they use methods to capture the participant’s attention, using thought-provoking questions, and introducing them to novelty. Memory was lowest during event 4 as this event presents new information and involves lecturing to the participants. This means participants were presented with challenging content which hindered their ability to stay focused. Because one common goal of educational institutions is to enhance student learning, these findings will show how instructors should manipulate their online lectures so that their students will have the most engagement and learning.
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Undergraduate Research Option Thesis