Learning is Not a Spectator Sport

Abstract

The printing press long ago and the computer today have made widespread access to information possible. Learning theorists have suggested, however, that mere information is a poor way to learn. Instead, more effective learning comes through doing. While the most popularized element of today's MOOCs are the video lectures, many MOOCs also include interactive activities that can afford learning by doing. This paper explores the learning benefits of the use of informational assets (e.g., videos and text) in MOOCs, versus the learning by doing opportunities that interactive activities provide. We find that students doing more activities learn more than students watching more videos or reading more pages. We estimate the learning benefit from extra doing (1 SD increase) to be more than six times that of extra watching or reading. Our data, from a psychology MOOC, is correlational in character, however we employ causal inference mechanisms to lend support for the claim that the associations we find are causal.

Pairing practice and feedback with animations optimizes student learning in online module

“…This result also has potentially critical implications beyond the confines of online materials. Our results align with previous research indicating that active learning PFEs are important for student learning both in online settings (Koedinger et al, ) and face‐to‐face classrooms (Freeman et al, ). It remains to be seen if these results extend to the use of animations and videos along with analogous active learning resources during face‐to‐face classes.…”

“…With respect to PFE placement on its own, although there is evidence to suggest that doing is better than just watching and reading (Koedinger, Kim, Jia, McLaughlin, & Bier, ), part of the impetus for this study was that we are not sure where we should deploy them in this context. When deciding where to place those PFEs, we also might consider two competing perspectives.…”

Learning Mechanism and Function Characteristics of MOOC in the Process of Higher Education

“…The system emergence makes teachers and students have good cooperation in a short time, and makes the course generate innovative ideas and course knowledge system (Koedinger, et al, 2015;Hardy and Totman, 2017). On the basis of comparing the generation mode of traditional on-line course and MOOC course resources, this paper uses the panel data model to analyze MOOC learning mechanism in higher education.…”

Talk with Me: Student Pronoun Use as an Indicator of Discourse Health

“…In contrast, those in instructor-facilitated courses participated consistently even though no explicit requirements were communicated. This type of consistent learner activity has been linked to higher student grades across a variety of instructional domains (Brooks, Erickson, Greer, & Gutwin, 2014;Koedinger, Kim, Jia, McLaughlin, & Bier, 2015), which suggests its potential usefulness beyond indicating students' sense of being supported. Variability accompanied by a downward trend in weekly participation in peer-facilitated courses seems to be indicative of students not feeling supported.…”