Potential relevance of neuroscience to guide consumption of multimedia technologies towards enhancing learning

Abstract

In the wake of rapidly progressing technology, educational institutions are searching for more innovative uses of educational technologies to teach the new kind of students who are entering into these institutions. The Net Generation (NG), are believed to have grown up surrounded by technology and this poses a challenge of understanding how well-designed technology improvements can enhance a student's educational experience. The main reason as to incorporating technology with education is without a doubt to improve a student's engagement and learning. There is increasing interest in the application of cognitive neuroscience in educational practice to advice on how to improve the learning content to have a more positive impact on the NG with an understanding of the brain. Research does show that if technology is not weaned correctly, can have negative effects and addictive behaviours emerge such as craving, concealing, and lying. There is no link, to the author's knowledge, between these scientific findings of neuroscience and advising institutions on changes and implementations necessary to the learning material. This study sets out to link the three; using Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development as the guide of the different categories of the NG and a detailed literature review of other theories of this phenomenon, the three elements (Learning, Technology and Neuroscience) were investigated. Using secondary analysis the researcher was able to analyse different data sets of the different age groups as stipulated by Piaget's Theory. Each study sought to investigate the NG with different learning MTs and the effects it had on them. The results were ran through different statistical tests revealing positive links of the three aforementioned elements. The findings asserted that students learning with these multimedia obtained significantly greater learning achievement in comparison to those who were not. Not only so, but these same students were also more motivated by using technology in the classroom for learning and exhibited increased functional connectivity during their engagement. Finally, the three elements were linked by developing a life-stage technology consumption model that will be capable of guiding instructors, NG and the consumers of various MTs.