What Neuroscience tells us about the use of animations in online learning

UNESCO is tracking the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on students world-wide. At the height of the impact in May 2020, more than 1.4 billion students were affected by school closures. That’s 84% of all primary, secondary, and post-secondary learners learning from home through online learning. Given this, its important to understand how online learning design choices can impact learning. We selected a wide range of learning content to be tested using neuroscience.

The content was tested through Brainsights, a Toronto-based neuromarketing network, that connects neuro technology with human participants to record the unconscious brain activity and directly examine how the brain is responding to content. Brainsights measurement platform is powered by Electroencephalography (EEG) brainwave readers and focuses on three core metrics; attention, connection, and encoding.

Attention, connection, and encoding are measured from relevant frequency bands within EEG data. The Attention metric is reporting on overall alertness and attention being paid to the content, the Connection metric is reporting how deeply the content resonates emotionally, and the Encoding metric is reporting the extent to which the content is being committed to memory.

Both images to the right are from the same online learning material, seconds apart as the content moves from static images defining the key components of a virus into an animation demonstrating how viruses interact with cells. Both images are intended to depict a virus.

We saw relative high levels of attention, connection, and encoding to memory as the first image was displayed. Content was delivered in a clear progression from simple to complex with audio and visual cues tightly aligned, and an image was building up gradually as the material was being presented to students. This approach allowed students to focus on key elements of the lesson in the moment. In an efficient approach to online content design and delivery, relative high levels of encoding to memory are achieved as the material is presented for the first time.

The second image, a new animation, is introduced around the 1:10 mark on the chart below and the impact on learning effectiveness is visually clear. Lower levels of attention, connection, and encoding are recorded amongst students indicating that they have become less engaged in the learning material right after the animation was introduced.

This result, highlights the importance of continuing to build on the story you have been telling in online learning. New visual representations without labels or audio description to help learners understand what they were seeing, can contribute to decreased engagement and learning.

Instructional developers and teachers should consider important elements in the storytelling of their online learning lesson plans. Here are some design considerations to help improve learner engagement in online learning.

1. Map information delivery from simple to complex, with well timed audio and visual elements.

2. Label visual elements to draw focus to key terms and concepts.

3. Leverage artwork from animations into static images for continuity in lesson delivery.

4. Avoid new visual representations all together.

The next time you’re thinking about incorporating a flashy animation into your online learning material, you might want to think again. They can be expensive to source and develop. Without continuity of key concepts and visual representations, they aren't helping your students learn the material.