Just-in-time information presentation and the acquisition of complex cognitive skills

Abstract

This paper describes a model for just-in-time (JIT) presentation of information. Learners receive the information needed to carry out a task precisely at the time it is needed. The model is twofold: supportive information is best presented before practising task clusters while prerequisite information is best presented during practice on learning tasks. JIT supportive information presentation promotes schema construction through meaningful learning or elaboration. JIT prerequisite information presentation promotes schema automation through proceduralization or restricted encoding while learning the recurrent aspects of a task. It leads to a reduction in extraneous cognitive load because temporal split attention is avoided. This frees up cognitive capacity for learning the non-recurrent aspects of a complex cognitive skill and so enhances transfer performance. An exploratory, empirical study is described that supports our model. Implications for teaching and teacher training are discussed. # 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.In the late 1970s and early 1980s a new concept in inventory management revolutionized Japanese and American manufacturing companies. The traditional just-in-case (JIC) inventory systems based on long production runs, stockpiled inventories and uninterrupted production needed to be replaced by more flexible systems in order to meet new competitive and economic challenges. A just-in-time (JIT) inventory system was introduced to replace the traditional JIC inventory systems (Hoyt, 1996). JIT inventory management is a result of demand-pull production. This concept ''involves the use of demand for a given product to signal when production should occur. The use of demand-pull allows a company to produce only

Timing of Information Presentation in Learning Statistics

“…Procedural information, on the contrary, should be presented during practice in order for proceduralization to occur (Kester, Kirschner, van Merriënboer and Bäumer 2001).…”

Online discussion compensates for suboptimal timing of supportive information presentation in a digitally supported learning environment

“…Intrinsic cognitive load refers to the expertise of the learner and the nature of the learning materials being dealt with; it is therefore fixed and cannot be altered (Sweller 1988;Sweller et al 1998). Extraneous cognitive load refers to activities and processes a learner engages in while interacting with instructional materials that are not directly beneficial and useful for learning (Kester et al 2001). Examples include looking for information sources, integrating them to understand the learning material, and weak-method problem solving (Kester et al 2006b).…”

“…As described by Antonenko et al (2010) ''germane load occurs when information presentation is designed to encourage assimilation or accommodation of new concepts and appropriately challenge the learner'' (p. 426). Germane cognitive load is the result of the activities and processes such as labeling, sorting, categorizing, and mindful abstraction of generalized knowledge that transfer the knowledge to the learner's long-term memory; it thus represents the actual learning (Kester et al 2001;Van Merriënboer et al 2006).…”

“…This is important since optimal timing of information presentation should take into account the load a task imposes on the learner's cognitive system (e.g. Kester et al 2001;Van Merriënboer and Sweller 2005). The literature points out that various types of information such as supportive, procedural, declarative, prerequisite, etc.…”

“…Kester et al 2004aKester et al , 2006a. This is a striking gap, since optimal timing of presentation of supportive information could promote meaningful learning by giving the learners maximal opportunity to reason about and elaborate on the learning materials and new information and help them connect these to their existing, relevant cognitive structures (Kester et al 2001(Kester et al , 2006a. Without such supportive information, presented at the preferable time, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to direct learners' attention to and help them identify relations between relevant aspects of the tasks to foster meaningful learning.…”