Examination of distributed learning on recent and remote memory using in-person and online experimental paradigms

Learning is crucial in everyday life. However, how much information we retain depends on the type and schedule of training. It has been widely acknowledged that spaced learning holds a distinct advantage over massed learning for cognitively healthy adults and should be considered an educational standard, particularly when consolidating long-term memory. Given that many experiments have been required to be conducted online as a result of social distancing regulations during the Covid-19 pandemic, we examined whether the spacing advantage could be replicated in an online setup. Two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of spacing across recent (24 hours) and remote (one-month) retention intervals using the Face-Name Pairs task either in-person (Experiment 1) or online (Experiment 2). The results of Experiment 1 suggest that the beneficial memory effects of spaced training are particularly observed with remote memory. The results of Experiment 2 suggest that although participants learn and recall better in an online setup compared to in-person, the spacing effects were not as robust and did not confer any real advantage. These results are discussed in terms of advantages and disadvantages of the two procedures and the implications for online studies.

Greater neural pattern dissimilarity in retrieval stage of spaced learning is associated with higher meaningfulness and better memory

Spaced learning research aims to find the best learning interval to improve people's learning efficiency. Although it has been studied for many years, people do not know the physiological mechanism behind it clearly. Some neural representation studies have found that under the condition of spaced learning, the representation similarity of two encoding increases, and believe that this conflicts with the classical encoding variability theory. In this experiment, we used a new experimental paradigm and a longer lag to let the Chinese university students to learn English-Chinese word pairs, and we introduced the idea of meaningful learning into the learning stage to improve the traditional keyword method experiment task. Finally, by comparing the difference (spaced learning - one-time learning) vs. difference (massed learning - one-time learning) in the final test (retrieval) stage, we get different results: there is no significant difference in ERP, At the same time, the neural spatial pattern dissimilarity (STPDS) had significant results in the parietal lobe of 400ms and the right frontal lobe of 600ms. However, we believe that there is no direct contradiction between the two experimental evidence. On the contrary, they reflect different aspects of the process of spaced learning. Based on the evidence of different neural representation evidence of encoding and retrieval, this paper presents an idea of reintegrating three classical theories, eliminates the opposition between encoding variability and defective processing, and summarizes and classifies the experimental paradigm of spaced learning.

Scoping review on productivity-related psychological interventions: Integration into the Felicity App

BACKGROUND: The Felicity App is a mobile application undergoing development with the aim to integrate practical psychological interventions with recreational elements to reinforce positive and productive behaviours. Prior to construction, psychological interventions must be reviewed for relevance, effectiveness and ability to be integrated within Felicity. Psychological concepts are reviewed as the preliminary phase prior to further investigation in subfields. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched including (and not limited to) PsychInfo, PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect from November 29, 2020 to December 5, 2020. Further filtering methods were applied accordingly, and grey literature was excluded. Common and effective psychological interventions related to productivity were screened and extracted, with an emphasis on the reinforcement and discouragement of productivity-related behaviours. RESULTS: Productivity-related psychological interventions were addressed according to three categories: 1) Motivation 2) Procrastination 3) Time management. Within motivation, self-affirmation is an effective method, particularly when accompanied with other positive thinking techniques. Intrinsic motivation could be enhanced with goals aligned in specific criterias. Additionally, virtual rewards, engagement, and familiarity serve as vital components to enhance motivation. Procrastination is associated with lower engagement in work and interventions include various therapy measures. Within time management, clear purpose has been shown as an effective tool for goal setting while strategies include spaced learning and other study techniques. CONCLUSION: This scoping review determined several points of connection between motivation, procrastination, and time management with many effective interventions which could be potentially integrated within the Felicity App for personal development and habit-building. Additional research should be conducted to further determine the effectiveness of interventions for integration into Felicity.

Spaced learning: A review on the use of spaced learning in language teaching and learning

Time has contributed to most of our daily activities. In the field of understanding how the human brain reacted to specific learning processes, the neuroscientist supports the impact of having multiple learning sessions with the retention of knowledge. Spaced Learning is a product makes out of human's lack of capacity in retaining information and attempts to reduce the forgetting rate. In exploring the condition of how the human mind works and the chances of forgetting, the demonstration of spaced and massed learning in retaining information is recognized in this paper. This paper is aimed to synthesize information on the foundation of Spaced Learning with a focus on language learning, especially to students in academic institutions in Malaysia. This paper used a qualitative design in analyzing documents from articles whereby these articles are synthesized and analyzed using Microsoft excel and the conclusion later on drawn from the analyses. Based on the reviews highlighted in this paper, the practicality of spaced learning is proven in enhancing memory retention in which can contribute to positive performance and can help maximize students' language performance particularly to those who engaged in specific fields of knowledge.

Working Memory Resources Depletion Makes Delayed Testing Beneficial

Cognitive load theory (CLT) uses working memory resources depletion to explain the superiority of spaced learning, predicting that working memory resources will be less taxed if there are resting/spacing periods inserted between learning tasks, in comparison to learning from the same tasks in a single session. This article uses the working memory resources depletion effect, as a factor, to investigate the hypothesis that delayed testing would show superior results to immediate testing on math tasks for primary students in Singapore, as participants' working memory resources might be restored because of the resting between the immediate and delayed tests. Results confirmed higher performance on the delayed test than on the immediate test, as well as more working memory resources available for the delayed test.

Pilot Study to Explore the Use of Mobile Spaced Learning as a Digital Learning Platform When Teaching Symptom Management to Undergraduate Nursing Students: Splendids Study

Background: The management of patients’ holistic symptom needs are often complex and challenging. The education needs of undergraduate nursing students must be optimally addressed to have a significant positive impact on patient care. Mobile spaced learning has been recognised as a form of online education which can provide a novel approach to delivering effective evidence based healthcare education to undergraduate students. The objective of this pilot study was to explore the experiences of undergraduate nursing students in a university setting, of using mobile spaced learning as a digital platform for symptom management education.Methods: This pilot study used a mixed methods approach. Online spaced learning material, which utilised both case based scenarios and multiple choice questions, was delivered to first year undergraduate nursing students over a period of 2 weeks. Participants were then invited to participate in an online survey related to the usability of mobile spaced learning. A focus group was conducted to further explore the participants’ views.Results: Findings conveyed that students viewed mobile spaced learning as an acceptable platform that enhanced both their learning and their ability to transfer knowledge into clinical practice. Conclusions: Implementation of a digital spaced learning intervention would be acceptable to undergraduate nursing students learning about holistic symptom management. Further research is needed to explore the feasibility of implementing this intervention within the undergraduate nursing curriculum, and also to explore the impact on long-term knowledge retention.

Randomized controlled trial comparing the effectiveness of mass and spaced learning in microsurgical procedures using computer aided assessment

Spaced-learning refers to teaching spread over time, compared to mass-learning where the same duration of teaching is completed in one session. Our hypothesis is that spaced-learning is better than mass-learning in retaining microsurgical suturing skills. Medical students were randomized into mass-learning (single 8-h session) and spaced-learning (2-h weekly sessions over 4 weeks) groups. They were taught to place 9 sutures in a 4 mm-wide elastic strip. The primary outcome was precision of suture placement during a test conducted 1 month after completion of sessions. Secondary outcomes were time taken, cumulative performance, and participant satisfaction. 42 students (24 in the mass-learning group; 18 in spaced-learning group) participated. 3 students in the spaced-learning group were later excluded as they did not complete all sessions. Both groups had comparable baseline suturing skills but at 1 month after completion of teaching, the total score for suture placement were higher in spaced-learning group (27.63 vs 31.60,p = 0.04). There was no statistical difference for duration and satisfaction in either group. Both groups showed an improvement in technical performance over the sessions, but this did not differ between both groups. Microsurgical courses are often conducted in mass-learning format so spaced learning offers an alternative that enhances retention of complex surgical skills.

Building Effective Blended Learning Programs

The term ‘remote learning' became very common during the COVID-19 pandemic as remote work and remote learning became common practices across the globe. Education and training programs have shifted to self-paced eLearning and virtual classrooms. Post COVID-19, even when learning returns to the physical classroom, the trend toward blended learning will continue. In this chapter, the authors explore how eLearning has evolved toward blended learning and how we can use modern technologies like artificial intelligence and learning models such as microlearning and spaced learning to improve blended learning.