Dan Moos presents Research in Granada, Spain Posted on May 22nd, 2008 by

moospictureDan Moos, Education, presented at a conference in Granada, Spain. The conference, Cognition and the Web: Information processing, comprehension, and learning, was truly international as participants came from Germany, the Netherlands, USA, Spain, England, France, and Japan. The conference focused on research which has examined cognitive demands associated with learning
in nonlinear environments.

The presentation synthesized a study that considered the challenges undergraduates face when they are required to make decisions about which representation to access (i.e. text vs. diagram) and which information to focus on during learning. These decisions can often create “cognitive overload” and this overload can impede meaningful learning. Strategies, such as note-taking, are often thought to decrease cognitive load, yet there is limited empirical research examining the quality of undergraduate notes and why they engage in this learning strategy.

The presentation at this conference presented findings which examined factors that predicted use of strategies, such as note-taking, during learning with nonlinear environments. Elizabeth Marroquin, a Gustavus Adolphus student, provided valuable contributions to this continuing research.

 

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