Synchronous Online Learning and Educational Neuroscience

Spyridon Doukakis, Phd, Bioinformatics and Human Electrophysiology Laboratory, Department of Informatics, Ionian University

Educational neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field in which researchers from a wide range of sciences collaborate with educators of all subject-areas in order to identify methods and techniques to improve the educational process. These methods and techniques aim at enhancing learner ability, increasing motivation, and boosting the attention of the learners so that they can achieve the expected learning outcomes as these are defined in every teaching and learning context.

One of the main characteristics of the brain is its plasticity and its ability to develop through synapses and neural circuits. More specifically, during the learning process, information is acquired and stored in the memory system. Two of the main systems that contribute to learning are the hippocampus and the amygdala which are located in the temporal lobe. By utilizing synapses and existing neural circuits for perception and understanding, the brain acquires and learns skills by observing others and modeling their behaviors and actions. In addition, it makes use of neural circuits to shape new concepts and new structures through education. Acquiring skills, modeling behaviors, and developing new concepts can be accomplished in seconds or minutes, or can sometimes take much longer. All of the above systems work in a unified way but respond differently over time, as well as in different educational contexts.

The involvement of learners in the learning process plays a key role in brain development. Synchronous online learning environments offer multiple opportunities for a variety of activities that can enhance learner engagement. In particular, as a means of learner support, the educator can use the private chat, the group chat, digital boards and breakout rooms in such a way that the learners actively participate and have multiple opportunities to engage in the learning process. The above-mentioned approaches to the functioning of the synchronous online classroom contribute both to the active involvement of the learners and to the increase of their participation. Thus, the possibility of activating synapses and neural circuits is offered and, as a result, the opportunities for gaining experience and building new knowledge increase to a high degree, opportunities that cannot be offered during a passive procedure where the learner can hear and / or watch, with or without multimedia applications, a presentation or a lecture.

In the context of building, consolidating, storing, and retrieving new knowledge, the educator can take advantage of the digital media offered to perform diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment. Using such assessment processes, the educator can identify the learners' pre-existing perceptions, establish whether the learners have the prerequisite knowledge, or monitor the development of their knowledge. According to findings from educational neuroscience, assessment can play a key role in determining an individual's knowledge, as well as in shaping that knowledge. Through the utilization of the provided digital media and the inclusion of frequent but non-threatening assessment, the educator can enhance the learning of the learners. An important parameter is the appropriate feedback on the understanding of an idea or concept. Assessment plays an essential role in memory consolidation and could prove to be an appropriate methodology for storing important information in the learner's memory during the learning process.

Brain development can also be enhanced by exploiting the learning obstacles encountered by learners and the mistakes observed by the educator. In order to achieve reinforcement during online learning, learners need to be actively involved in the learning process by negotiating issues identified by the educator or arising within the group. The aim is to give learners the opportunity to re-examine mistakes (either their own or those of others), both individually and collaboratively, in order to overcome specific teaching obstacles that lead to misunderstandings. The strategies that will be used can act as support for the other learners, giving them the opportunity to acquire skills by observing others and modeling their behaviors and actions.

According to current research, the idea that people learn best when they receive information with their preferred learning style (e.g. auditory, visual, motor, aesthetic) is a neuromyth. The findings show that synapses and neural circuits develop and learning improves when the learner has the opportunity to examine an idea or concept using a multidimensional approach, as different areas of the brain are activated both depending on the activity involved and the way the learner performs this activity. In the context of online learning, the multidimensional approach can be attempted through a variety of teaching and learning approaches.

An additional factor is the educational environment in which all of the above will be attempted. The working environment in synchronous online learning plays a crucial role in achieving learning. According to the findings of educational neuroscience, before cognitive processing takes place, the information that comes to the brain is first processed in the limbic system of the brain, which is the neuro-anatomical base for the expression and perception of emotional states, mobilization, and the emotional part of the memory process. Long-term memory and learning are significantly affected by this system. Thus, learner stress and perception of threat have clear negative effects on learners. On the other hand, a learning environment that includes positive emotional experiences and connections for learners contributes to learning. Therefore, working under pressure a) causes stress and b) leads the learners to feeling that "my mind has stopped working." Therefore, speed affects learning and the brain. On the contrary, learning seems to be enhanced when learners approach concepts and ideas with creativity and flexibility. Technology today provides the means for online teamwork. In the online classroom, collaboration between learners is important for two reasons: a) it allows them to share their concerns and ideas and to successfully study the problem presented to them, and b) it helps them understand and recognize how other people work. Findings in the field of neuroscience show that when people work together, the medial orbitofrontal cortex and the fronto-parietal network are activated, thus enhancing the development of executive functions.

Distance education in primary and secondary education, especially during the pandemic, has emerged as a practical and effective solution so that students are not left out of the educational process. However, what has also emerged is that teachers are concerned about whether students who connect to online courses remain active and committed in the online classroom.

For this reason, it is vital for teachers to be adequately prepared to be able to work in accordance with the principles of (a) educational neuroscience and (b) distance education, making appropriate use of the available digital technologies to operate as educational and learning tools.

This article attempted to highlight the links between educational neuroscience and online learning so that a) student involvement is increased, b) formative assessment for learning is enhanced, c) obstacles encountered by students in their learning can be exploited, d) opportunities for multiple representations that will benefit both learners and educators can be increased, and e) the insignificant value of speed as opposed to the promotion of creativity and learner collaboration can be highlighted.

Cognitive