Analysis of Gaze Patterns in Different Elements of Learning Analytics Visualizations, Encompassing Notation, Information, and Emotional Components
In a recent study, researchers explored the impact of different notational systems on emotional activation and meaning-making in student learning representations. The study examined nine distinct notational systems, including Skill Meters, Smilies, Traffic Lights, Topic Boxes, Collective Histograms, World Clouds, Textual Descriptors, Table, and Matrix.
The analysis revealed that notational systems like traffic lights and smiles have a significant impact on emotional activation. Traffic lights, with their familiar color codes (red, yellow, green), immediately activate emotional responses, providing clear and intuitive meaning-making cues. Smiles or emotive icons, on the other hand, add a personal and affective layer to notations, often increasing emotional activation by representing feelings or social cues.
Average informational learning states, which offer richer informational content, require greater interpretation effort but can support nuanced understanding if designed for good visibility and low resistance to change. These states, while not activating emotions as intuitively as traffic lights and smiles, offer a more complex cognitive processing opportunity.
The study also found that student participants reflected on the meaning-making opportunities of the notational representations and considered the action-taking possibilities afforded by them. However, it did not discuss the potential challenges or limitations of implementing these findings in real-world learning contexts.
The findings have implications for the design and evaluation of learning analytics representations and discourse environments. The cognitive dimensions framework, which highlights notations that minimize viscosity, maximize visibility, and reduce premature commitment, can guide the creation of learning analytics representations that promote better engagement and meaning-making opportunities.
The study, however, did not investigate the long-term effects of using these notational systems on student learning or retention, nor did it provide recommendations for how to improve discourse environments in learning based on the findings. Future research could focus on these areas to further understand the impact of notational systems on student learning outcomes.
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- In the realm of health-and-wellness and mental-health, eye tracking technology can be employed to analyze the impact of different notational systems on emotional activation during learning sessions, offering insights beyond the study's scope.
- As technology advances, health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, and education-and-self-development industries could incorporate Minority Report-style interfaces using eye tracking, engaging learners more effectively by tailoring content based on their emotional responses.
- Considering the study's findings, incorporating traffic lights or emotive icons in fitness-and-exercise apps, health-and-wellness platforms, and education materials could foster better learning, engagement, and retention when paired with eye tracking technology.
- Future research in the science of learning could delve into the use of eye-tracking technology to examine long-term effects of different notational systems on learning retention, providing recommendations for engaging, effective, and accessible learning environments.
