Determination of the Cognitive Load of Serine Protease 3-Dimensional Models
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Kimberly Cortes
Department
CSM - Chemistry and Biochemistry
Abstract
With virtual and physical 3D modeling activities becoming more incorporated in the biochemistry curriculum to help students understand the relationship between structure and function, a greater cognitive load is often accompanying these 3D model activities. Learning about what part of 3D models cause the increase in cognitive load is essential to finding a solution to decrease them and in turn making the content more accessible for the student. Recordings of students solving 3D models of serine proteases using Tobii Glasses 2 and electroencephalogram (EEG) data were analyzed. The primary findings suggest that students had difficulty matching surface plates with their corresponding backbones, for the focus was less on the actual properties resulting from the structure (such as geometric and electric complementarity) and function of the enzyme as a whole and more on the shape of the enzymes, the magnets, and colors.
Disciplines
Biochemistry | Science and Mathematics Education
Determination of the Cognitive Load of Serine Protease 3-Dimensional Models
With virtual and physical 3D modeling activities becoming more incorporated in the biochemistry curriculum to help students understand the relationship between structure and function, a greater cognitive load is often accompanying these 3D model activities. Learning about what part of 3D models cause the increase in cognitive load is essential to finding a solution to decrease them and in turn making the content more accessible for the student. Recordings of students solving 3D models of serine proteases using Tobii Glasses 2 and electroencephalogram (EEG) data were analyzed. The primary findings suggest that students had difficulty matching surface plates with their corresponding backbones, for the focus was less on the actual properties resulting from the structure (such as geometric and electric complementarity) and function of the enzyme as a whole and more on the shape of the enzymes, the magnets, and colors.