Methodological Approaches and Considerations for Generating Evidence that Informs the Science of Learning

Educational neuroscience is field with the goal of applying what we know about the brain to improve education through improvements to teaching, learning, assessment, and curricular design. Applying neuroimaging and biometric methodology can help inform this field by understanding the mechanisms underlying a learner's behaviours and cognitive processing. Advantages of these approaches include the ability to measure more acute or subtle changes that are not always indexed by overt behavioral changes. However, generating evidence that appropriately informs our understanding of the science of learning can be complex. Some of the challenges associated with traditional neuroscientific research protocols in educational research is that they have low ecological validity; neuroscientific tasks are typically short, decontextualized, and isolated while educational research tasks are lengthy, context relevant, and incorporate the complexity of the typical learning environment. I will highlight approaches we have used on our lab to overcome methodological challenges to generate evidence that informs the science of learning. Discussion will focus on four key areas. First, meaningful study design will be addressed using an example of a novice-expert design examining visual expertise. Second, the importance of appropriately combining multiple data sources (electroencephalography and eye-tracking) will be discussed and a tool to support data collection will be shared. Third, a data analysis strategy that addresses the problems with time variability during cognitive tasks will be explored. Finally, one of the greatest challenges is to translate findings in a way that informs educational practice. In this case, an example of an evidence-informed application of research generated through a cycle of basic and applied research will be followed to illustrate the cycle between research and practice in educational neuroscience. Together, this series will inform practical considerations and promote a shared discussion amongst our community for the advancement of educational neurosciences in anatomy education.