Do Interactive Domain Overviews Promote Deep Understanding in an Ill-Structured Domain?

• In Event: The Design of Learning Technologies for Diverse Contexts and Audiences

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of a visual representation of conceptual information and student generation during study in an ill-structured domain. The study utilized a 2 (concept map vs. text-list visual representation) x 2 (generated vs. provided materials) condition design. Students viewed instructional videos in law and self-explained while they studied with supplementary materials that varied in format and completeness. Though neither condition influenced recall or transfer performance, verbal analysis indicated an interaction between representation and activity. Students who performed a generative activity while studying with a concept map made fewer deep utterances than those who generated with a text-list. Results demonstrate that the effectiveness of visual representations can be negated when paired with cognitively demanding tasks, such as generation.

Author

• Aaron John Dewald, University of Utah