Cognitive Load and Self-Determination Theories Applied to E-Learning: Impact on Students' Participation and Academic Performance

Abstract

BackgroundEmergency clerkships expose students to a stressful environment that require multiple tasks, which may have a direct impact on cognitive load and motivation for learning. To address this challenge, Cognitive Load Theory and Self Determination Theory provided the conceptual frameworks to the development of a Moodle-based online Emergency Medicine course, inspired by real clinical cases.MethodsThree consecutive classes (2013–2015) of sixth-year medical students (n = 304) participated in the course, during a curricular and essentially practical emergency rotation. “Virtual Rounds” provided weekly virtual patients in narrative format and meaningful schemata to chief complaints, in order to simulate real rounds at Emergency Unit. Additional activities such as Extreme Decisions, Emergency Quiz and Electrocardiographic challenge offered different views of emergency care. Authors assessed student´s participation and its correlation with their academic performance. A survey evaluated students´ opinions. Students graduating in 2015 answered an online questionnaire to investigate cognitive load and motivation.ResultsEach student produced 1965 pageviews and spent 72 hours logged on. Although Clinical Emergency rotation has two months long, students accessed the online course during an average of 5.3 months. Virtual Rounds was the most accessed activity, and there was positive correlations between the number of hours logged on the platform and final grades on Emergency Medicine. Over 90% of students felt an improvement in their clinical reasoning and considered themselves better prepared for rendering Emergency care. Considering a Likert scale from 1 (minimum load) to 7 (maximum load), the scores for total cognitive load were 4.79±2.2 for Virtual Rounds and 5.56±1.96 for real medical rounds(p<0,01).ConclusionsA real-world inspired online course, based on cognitive and motivational conceptual frameworks, seems to be a strong tool to engage students in learning. It may support them to manage the cognitive challenges involved in clinical care and increase their motivation for learning.

Developing a digital communication training tool on information-provision in oncology: uncovering learning needs and training preferences

“…The third need, relatedness, to colleagues and to patients, adds a sense of purpose, aiming at meeting the standards set by experts, peers and patients, by collecting their feedback. Digital online training supporting the SDT conceptual framework may be most effective to engage trainees in learning [ 60 ].…”

Web‐Based Evaluation System to Measure Learning Effectiveness in Kampo Medicine

“…The use of the Internet as a teaching medium has increased rapidly in recent years. Among several tools available, the Moodle platform has been applied to various medical education systems, including virtual training and e-learning systems that can simulate actual rounds at emergency medical units and assist undergraduate physiology teachers and MSs alike [ 12 , 13 ]. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have been conducted on an evaluation system for KM education using the Moodle platform.…”

Closing the Gap in Academic Writing Using the Cognitive Load Theory

“…Strategic analysis and use of the cognitive load theory requires an understanding of the levels of the theory. Three levels of cognitive load include extraneous, intrinsic, and germane [7]. Presentation of the task addresses the extraneous level.…”

“…Providing multiple steps for developing the writing assignments can support students' development of academic papers. [7] Grangelia, et al, posit instruction designed in this manner aids in reducing the extraneous load. Consequences for not identifying and addressing the gaps through theoretical models are repeated courses for the students and prolonged program completion rates for institutions.…”