1. Dr. Nathan Sammons, Associate Professor of Biology Two Complementary Strategies for Increasing Content Retention

2. Desirable difficulties Robert Bjork (1994) 1. Introducing certain difficulties into the learning process can greatly improve long- term retention of the learned material The point is to increase the challenge, not frustrate the student Spacing out the material 2,3 Testing not restudying 4 Make students generate material 5 Vary the surroundings 6 Less clearly organized 7 Fonts which are hard to read 8

3. Desirable difficulties We often seek to eliminate difficulties in learning To our own detriment! Retrieval strengthStorage strength short-termLong-term “ Access to content which is easy isn’t as enriching as harder-earned content ” --McNamara et al., 1996

4. Biological Molecules: Beta testing my Desirable Difficulties activity Students in BIOL 1201 struggle with identifying molecular structure of biological molecules 15 mins: Learn to classify exemplar molecules into one of four categories

5. Biological Molecules: Prequiz

6. H H H H H H O OP OH C C C C C iClicker quiz – Question 1 To which class of biological molecules does this belong? A.Carbohydrates B.Lipids C.Nucleic Acids D.Proteins

7. iClicker quiz – Question 2 C O C H N H H H N N H H C C O C H H CH 2 O C O SH CH 3 CH 2 To which class of biological molecules does this belong? A.Carbohydrates B.Lipids C.Nucleic Acids D.Proteins

8. iClicker quiz – Question 3 To which class of biological molecules does this belong? A.Carbohydrates B.Lipids C.Nucleic Acids D.Proteins

9. To which class of biological molecules does this belong? A.Carbohydrates B.Lipids C.Nucleic Acids D.Proteins iClicker quiz – Question 4

10. To which class of biological molecules does this belong? A.Carbohydrates B.Lipids C.Nucleic Acids D.Proteins iClicker quiz – Question 5

11. Biological Molecules: Sort into 4 categories

12. Biological Molecules: Proteins CarbohydratesLipids Nucleic acids

13. Biological Molecules Challenge: First team to bring me perfectly classified molecules wins! +

14. Biological Molecules: Postquiz

15. H H H H H H O OP OH C C C C C iClicker quiz – Question 1 To which class of biological molecules does this belong? A.Carbohydrates B.Lipids C.Nucleic Acids D.Proteins

16. iClicker quiz – Question 2 C O C H N H H H N N H H C C O C H H CH 2 O C O SH CH 3 CH 2 To which class of biological molecules does this belong? A.Carbohydrates B.Lipids C.Nucleic Acids D.Proteins

17. iClicker quiz – Question 3 To which class of biological molecules does this belong? A.Carbohydrates B.Lipids C.Nucleic Acids D.Proteins

18. To which class of biological molecules does this belong? A.Carbohydrates B.Lipids C.Nucleic Acids D.Proteins iClicker quiz – Question 4

19. To which class of biological molecules does this belong? A.Carbohydrates B.Lipids C.Nucleic Acids D.Proteins iClicker quiz – Question 5

20. Competitive gaming is…. Fun Exciting Engaging Interesting AddictingMotivating?

21. Competitive gaming is successful because it is: TopHat Active learning Desirably difficult Cues in on competitive side of personalities (intrinsic motivation)

22. Competitive gaming is successful because it is: TopHat

23. 1.First person has 2 minutes to describe their challenge 2.Others have 2 minutes to ask questions 3.Others have 2 minutes to talk about challenge while the first listens Discussion protocol

24. 1. Bjork, R.A., & Bjork, E.L. (1992). A new theory of disuse and an old theory of stimulus fluctuation. In A. Healy, S. Kosslyn, & R. Shiffrin (Eds.), From Learning Processes to Cognitive Processes: Essays in Honor of William K. Estes (Vol. 2, pp. 35-67). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. 2. Baddeley, A.D., & Longman, D.J.A. (1978). The influence of length and frequency of training session on the rate of learning to type. Ergonomics, 21, 627-635. Bjork, R.A. (1994). Memory and metamemory considerations in the training of human beings. In J. 3. Dempster, F.N. (1990). The spacing effect: A case study in the failure to apply the results of psychological research. American Psychologist, 43, 627-634. 4. Roediger, H.L., III, & Karpicke, J.D. (2006). The power of testing memory: Basic research and implications for educational practice. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1, 181-120. 5. McDaniel, M.A., Hines, R.J., Waddill, P.J., & Einstein, G.O. (1994). What makes folk tales unique: Content familiarity, causal structure, scripts, or superstructures? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 20, 169-184. 6. Smith, S.M., & Glenberg, A., & Bjork, R.A. (1978). Environmental context and human memory. Memory & Cognition, 6, 342-353. 7. McNamara, D.S., Kintsch, E., Songer, N.B., & Kintsch, W. (1996). Are good texts always better? Interactions of text coherence, background knowledge, and levels of understanding in learning from text. Cognition and Instruction, 14, 1-43. 8. Diemand-Yauman, C., Oppenheimer, D.M., & Vaughan, E.B. (in press). Fortune favors the bold (and the italicized): Effects of disfluency on educational outcomes. Cognition.Cognition Ebbinghaus, H. (1964). Memory: A contribution to experimental psychology. (H.A. Ruger & C.E. Citations:

25. C O C H N H H H N N H H C C O O C C H H H N N H H C C O O C C H H O C C C CHH H H H H H CH CH 3 OH CH 2 OH CH 2 O O

26. C O C H N H H H N N H H C C O C H H O C O SH CH 3 CH 2

27. H N N H H C C O O C C H H H N N H H C C O O C C H H O C C CHH H H H H H CH CH 3 OH CH 2 OH H

31. H H H H H H O OP OH C C C C C

32. H H H OPOP C C C O H H