Publications
This chapter focuses on the challenges of measuring self-regulatory processes and learning outcomes while learning from multiple representations with advanced learning technologies (ALTs). More specifically, we present challenges associated with measuring learners' processes and outcomes while using multiple representations with ALTs. ALTs are technology-based learning and training systems designed to teach learners of all ages to learn, reason, problem solve, and understand different topics and domains such as physics, math, history, biology, medicine and can include different systems such as multimedia, hypermedia, serious games, simulations, intelligent tutoring systems, immersive virtual environments and so forth. The structure of our chapter is as follows: (1) a brief overview of the major issues related to using multiple representations for learning with ALTs; (2) a description of the analytical techniques for understanding multiple representations and their goals for successful learning with ALTs; (3) a discussion of the issues associated with using multiple representations to measure and assess learning outcomes and how we can use ALTs as research tools to capture self-regulated learning; and (4) a presentation of challenges and future directions that need to be addressed by researchers.
Emotions are a core factor of learning. Studies have shown that multiple emotions are co-experienced during learning and have a significant impact on learning outcomes. The present study investigated the importance of multiple, co-occurring emotions during learning about human biology with MetaTutor, a hypermedia-based tutoring system. Person-centered as well as variable-centered approaches of cluster analyses were used to identify emotion clusters. The person-centered clustering analyses indicated three emotion profiles: a positive, negative and neutral profile. Students with a negative profile learned less than those with other profiles and also reported less usage of emotion regulation strategies. Emotion patterns identified through spectral co-clustering confirmed these results. Throughout the learning activity, emotions built a stable correlational structure of a positive, a negative, a neutral and a boredom emotion pattern. Positive emotion pattern scores before the learning activity and negative emotion pattern scores during the learning activity predicted learning, but not consistently. These results reveal the importance of negative emotions during learning with MetaTutor. Potential moderating factors and implications for the design and development of educational interventions that target emotions and emotion regulation with digital learning environments are discussed.


