This study reports on an Evidence Centered Design (ECD) project in the Netherlands, involving the theory exam for prospective car drivers. In particular, we illustrate how cognitive load theory, task-analysis, response process models, and explanatory item-response theory can be used to systematically develop and refine task models. Based on a…

Research on instructional design provides inconsistent results on the use of game elements in cognitive tasks or learning. Cognitive load theory suggests that game elements increase extraneous cognitive load and, thus, may distract the users. In contrast, from an emotional design perspective, the use of game elements is argued to increase…

Games are often used to foster student engagement and motivation to learn content, such as mathematics. Although digital games dominate game-based learning research, the table games commonly used in classrooms warrant investigation. Especially for mathematics learning, prior research has not taken into account content-specific frameworks. Integer…

Video tutorials substantially support demonstration-based training where the main goal is to enhance procedural knowledge by observing various understandable examples of performing a task. Although video tutorials are broadly popular nowadays, little attention is given to the design features of an instructional tutorial. The aim of this study is…

This study examines the construct of distance -- the degree of difficulty of interacting with something -- as part of activity involving children using touchscreen digital games to learn mathematics. Ten fifth-grade children engaged in video-recorded semi-structured task-based interviews in which they used two touchscreen digital mathematics games…

Relationships among task characteristics, L2 performance, and interlanguage development are of interest both for SLA research and the design of syllabuses and language teaching materials. Complexity has been identified as a promising, but methodologically problematic, task design feature. A study was conducted of the effects of progressive…

The purpose of this study is to explore how an introductory real analysis (IRA) course can be designed to bridge a gap between students' intuition and mathematical rigor. In particular, we focus on a task, called the e-strip activity, designed for the convergence of a sequence. Data were collected from a larger study conducted as a classroom…

Sequencing language production activities based on the inherent cognitive load of each activity type can improve student performance and self-efficacy on high cognitive load language tasks like conversational speech (either face-to-face or via video chat). This ordering according to cognitive difficulty can scaffold learners in their development…

As interest in applying cognitive load theory (CLT) to the study and design of pedagogic and technological approaches in healthcare simulation grows, suitable measures of cognitive load (CL) are needed. Here, we report a two-phased study investigating the sensitivity of subjective ratings of mental effort (SRME) and secondary-task performance…

"Reciprocal tutoring," as reported in "Exploring the design of computer supports for reciprocal tutoring" (Chan and Chou 1997), has extended the meaning and scope of "intelligent tutoring" originally implemented in stand alone computers. This research is a follow-up to our studies on a "learning companion…

Many educational data mining studies have explored methods for discovering cognitive models and have emphasized improving prediction accuracy. Too few studies have "closed the loop" by applying discovered models toward improving instruction and testing whether proposed improvements achieve higher student outcomes. We claim that such…

Research on cognitive load theory (CLT) has not yet provided facet-specific measures of cognitive load. The lack of valid methods to measure intrinsic, extraneous and germane cognitive load makes it difficult to empirically test theoretical explanations of effects caused by manipulations of instructional designs. This situation also imposes…

Pattern generalising problems offer a very rich context for exploring relationships among quantities, expressing generality and representing the same relationship in different ways. Selecting appropriate tasks for students to work on in class is by no means a straightforward process, but there are ways to handle it. This article aims to explore…

The Elaboration Theory of Instruction is an alternative to organizing instruction in terms of a hierarchical task analysis. The hierarchical organization results in an instructional sequence that begins with highly fragmented, small pieces of the subject-matter content, which many educators have found to be demotivating. The elaboration theory…

This study investigated students' allocation of responding as a function of task difficulty and type of reinforcement contingency (i.e., accuracy based or time based). Four regular education fourth-grade students were presented with two identical stacks of easy and then difficult math worksheets using a reversal design. Regardless of condition,…