Current educational theories, such as Constructivism, are based on subjective principles which are open to interpretation and may result in wide variations in the quality of learning outcomes. Cognitive Load Optimization is a new quantitative, Science of Learning theory. Using this method, it is possible to define schemas (mental patterns of…

The goal of learning analytics is to optimize learning and the environments in which it occurs. Since 2011, when learning analytics was defined as a separate and distinct area of academic inquiry, the literature has identified a need for research that presents evidence of effective learning analytics, as well as, learning analytics research that…

Games have been socially entrenched throughout history as a form of entertainment. Current rapidly changing technological advances have permitted an increasingly prominent means of utilizing these entertainment sources in an instructional capacity for educational purposes. As a result, serious games focus on engaging learners in activities which…

This case study examines an under-explored domain of teaching, namely, teachers' use of curriculum materials to enact instructions. It focuses on English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) teachers' enactment of instructions through utilising prescribed textbooks in Higher Education (HE) in China. Drawing on interviews and lesson observations from two…

In contemporary knowledge societies, performance indicators are an indispensable element of sustainable quality management and enhancement through monitoring and evaluating quality performance of higher education institutions. It is argued that learning and teaching quality in higher education should be approached in a holistic way, namely across…

As world communication, technology, and trade become increasingly integrated through globalization, multinational corporations seek employees with global leadership skills. However, the demand for these skills currently outweighs the supply. Given the rarity of globally ready leaders, global competency development should be emphasized in business…

Faculty members in higher education are involved in many instructional design activities without formal training in learning theories and the science of instruction. Learning theories provide the foundation for the selection of instructional strategies and allow for reliable prediction of their effectiveness. To achieve effective learning…

Student-centered learning (SCL) identifies students as the owners of their learning. While SCL is increasingly discussed in K-12 and higher education, researchers and practitioners lack current and comprehensive framework to design, develop, and implement SCL. We examine the implications of theory and research-based evidence to inform those who…

From the 1990s until 2017 the High Ability and Inquiry Research Group (HAIR) at McGill University in Montreal, received C$1.3M in research funds from Canadian, Quebec, and US agencies to support its research and graduate training in education and educational psychology. Their research encompassed two principal areas, Inquiry in Education and…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of visual representations and time-compressed instruction on learning and learners' perceptions of cognitive load. Time-compressed instruction refers to instruction that has been increased in speed without sacrificing quality. It was anticipated that learners would be able to gain a conceptual…

Successful students use a learning style that involves thinking deeply about what they are studying. Several teaching techniques that can encourage this are discussed. (Author/MLF)

Responds to Susan McLeod's "The Affective Domain and the Writing Process: Working Definitions." Suggests and defends an alternate way to define affect, based on the interweaving of affect and cognition. Discusses the "cognitive-affective dance." (PRA)

The author responds to a comparison of her learning conceptions theory with another theory, applauding the effort to link theories of learning and gender. Complexities of relationships among epistemic structures, patterns within structures, and learning activities are highlighted, as well as dilemmas in assessing multiple layers of learning.…

Argues that, like making stew, there is more than one sequential writing process, and that while one cannot discern the process by examining the product, the product (or purpose) cannot help but shape the processes. (HTH)

Reading researchers and theorists are sharply divided as to how meaning is obtained from the printed word. Three current explanations are that (1) meaning is accessed directly, without any intermediate processes; (2) meaning is accessed only through an intermediate phonemic stage; and (3) both direct access and phonemic mediation can occur. To…