1. M EASUREMENT OF C OGNITIVE L OAD IN L EARNING C OMPUTER G RAPHICS Tayeef Mahmood Student ID: 42299713 Project Supervisor: Dr. Manolya Kavakli Semester 2, 2011 Date: 11/11/2011 ITEC810 Project Presentation 1

2. P RESENTATION OUTLINE Project Aim Introduction Literature Review of Cognitive Load Methodology Results and Discussions My Recommendations Conclusion and Future Works 2

3. P ROJECT AIM To explore how students learn Computer Graphics in order to support their learning process. Investigate and Analysis of the collected data about student learning protocol. To evaluate a measurement tool for the assessment of cognitive load during Computer Graphics (CG) Education. The main problems faced by the students while learning CG Education. The best possible ways to reduce the Cognitive Load (CL) 3

4. COMPUTER GRAPHICS EDUCATION (CGE) CGE is a new field which is constantly changing. Lack of Research. Demanding to contribute the growing needs of the film, games, virtual reality industries. Involves the study of three important fields: Mathematics Programming Spatial reasoning Deals with 2D and 3D Computer Graphics. 4

5. C OGNITIVE L OAD (CL) CL is used in Psychology to explain the load related to the control of working memory The load of working memory during an instruction. It is necessary to identify learner’s problem solving skills including perception, memory, language, etc. CL consists of three main aspects Mental Load - the interaction between task and subject characteristics Mental Effort - refers to the cognitive capacity that is actually allocated to accommodate the demands imposed by the task Performance - is defined in terms of learner’s achievements. 5

6. L ITERATURE R EVIEW Basic Assumption Learning happens best under instructional conditions that are aligned with our cognitive architecture Concerned with The instructional control of the high cognitive load that is typically associated with the learning of complex cognitive tasks. 6 C OGNITIVE L OAD T HEORY (CLT)

7. C OGNITIVE A RCHITECTURE 7 Perceive Incoming Information Attend to Information Limited Capacity Limited Duration Separate Processors Unlimited Capacity Permanently store knowledge and skills

8. T HREE T YPES O F C OGNITIVE L OAD Intrinsic Cognitive Load Caused by the structure and complexity of the task. Amount of informational units a learner needs to hold in working memory to get the information Extraneous Cognitive Load Forced by the design and method in which information is presented The extra load beyond the intrinsic cognitive load resulting mainly from poorly designed instruction Germane Cognitive Load Considered as good load and the human nature wants to maximize it. 8

9. M EASURING C OGNITIVE L OAD LOW Suppose yesterday was Sunday. What day of the week is tomorrow? HIGH Suppose 6 days after the day before yesterday is Sunday. What day of the week is tomorrow? 9 A D EMONSTRATION

10. M EASUREMENT T ECHNIQUES Measurement Methods for assessing the CL can be divided as objectivity (subjective or objective) causal relation (direct or indirect) Different measurement methods of CL: Indirect, subjective measures Direct, subjective measures Indirect, objective measures Direct, objective measure 10

11. H EART R ATE V ARIABILITY (HRV) & S KIN C ONDUCTIVITY L EVEL (SCL) HRV The variation over time of the period between consecutive heartbeats Is thought to reflect the heart’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances state of the autonomic nervous system SCL Electrical resistance of the skin: generalized measure of autonomic arousal and also a measure of attention Arousal level: effort and performance well and fast High arousal: High level of awareness – high performance Low arousal: Low performance and increased effort 11

12. M ETHODOLOGY Analysis and Compare the 2D and 3D Tasks Reaction Time Analysis based on HRV and SCL Results 2D Tasks 3D Tasks Comparative Analysis of Spatial Test Method Dual Task Method Primary Task Secondary Task Analysis of Self Rating Questions 12

13. R ESULTS & D ISCUSSION A VERAGE R EACTION T IME 13

14. C OMPARISON OF 2D AND 3D T ASK R EACTION T IME 14

15. HRV & SCL F OR 2D AND 3D T ASK 15

16. HRV & SCL F OR 2D AND 3D T ASK 16

17. C OMPARISON OF S PATIAL T EST & D UAL T ASK M ETHOD Spatial Test: Average Mark: 15 out of 20 Range between 9 and 18 Dual Task Method : Primary task: 2D task has an average of 72% completion rate 3D task has an average of 36% completion rate Secondary task 2D task Average of 88% right answers Longest time taken to submit to change the square color- 60 seconds 3D task Average of 94.08% Longest time taken to submit to change the square color- 110 seconds 17

18. M Y R ECOMMENDATIONS M AIN P ROBLEMS F ACED B Y S TUDENTS Identifying and classifying sources of high element interactivity in computer programming and developing strategies. Limited Working Memory Capacity. Time Limit create more Mental Load From simple example to a complex problem. Unnecessary visual elements in the learning interface Big chunk of information is hard to understand and remember 18

19. Partitioning of information into small segments and simultaneous presentation of concepts and procedures in demonstrations Broad practice using partially-completed examples Gradual withdrawal of supporting information from practice tasks Decomposition of practice tasks into small steps then gradual integration into a complete skill Careful integration of text and graphics Goal- free problem solving Visual and aural sources for learning 19 M Y R ECOMMENDATIONS B EST P OSSIBLE W AYS T O R EDUCE CL

20. C ONCLUSION The findings of the analysis: 3D tasks have high cognitive load than 2D tasks Skin Conductivity Level is a good technique to measure Cognitive Load. Time Limit put extra mental load and mental effort The measurements techniques may fail to determine the actual cognitive load of a student as it is a psychological term. Mental Effort is an important factor for Cognitive Load. More research needed in this area to get a clear view. 20

21. F UTURE W ORK Investigating the use of multimodal instruction in learning complex computer programming concepts Investigating the identification of students’ prior schematic computing content knowledge New psychological approaches to cognitive load measurement like subjective time estimation & functional magnetic resonance imaging To examine the possibility to use the combined mental effort and performance measures in intelligent interactive learning systems 21

22. A NY Q UESTIONS ? 22 T HANK Y U