Can Learning Objectives Harness the Power of the Pretesting Effect? (Poster 4)

• In Event: Thursday Poster Session 2:30 pm
  In Poster Session: Cognitive and Emotional Processes in Learning Environments

Abstract

Learning objectives (LOs) are designed to orient learners to the importance of an upcoming lesson. Despite their intuitive value, research shows that instructors and students often perceive them as useless (or worse). Yet, LOs contain important information to guide students’ attention and self-regulated study. In two experiments, we investigate whether making simple modifications that encourage learners to more actively process the LOs (i.e., turning them into prequestions or metacognitive judgments versus control) can improve engagement and learning from a subsequent text passage. Modifying LOs increased subsequent test performance, though effects were largest for earlier content than for later content. These results suggest a potential way to use LOs to augment student learning.

Authors

• Stephany Duany Rea, University of Texas at Austin

• Veronica X. Yan, University of Texas at Austin

• Faria Sana, Athabasca University