Multimedia resources, including simulations, are frequently used in chemistry teaching to help students connect symbolic representations with particulate behavior and macroscopic observations. While simulations allow students to be actively engaged in their learning, it is also true that students working independently may not use the simulation as intended and may develop misconceptions about the concepts represented.  Additionally, some complex simulations require students to attend to multiple variables, actions, or interactions simultaneously, which leads to a split-attention effect, in which learners must mentally integrate several sources of information at once, increasing their cognitive load, and reducing the potential for learning.  This study investigates how students allocate attention while completing a guided assignment in which they interact with chemistry simulations.  Eye tracking was used to measure visual attention for students completing these assignments, and fixation patterns were compared for students manipulating the simulation themselves, versus those watching the simulation manipulated by someone else in a screencast (online video).

Modeling split attention during simulation use

255th National Meeting (2018)

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