Cognitive Processes and Instructional Design
Overview: The bulk of research carried out in this area falls under the aegis of cognitive load theory, a theory that originated at UNSW. It is an internationally leading instructional theory based on our knowledge of human cognitive architecture. The theory is used very widely by researchers around the globe. Reference to it can be found in a variety of semi-popular sources from undergraduate textbooks to Wikipedia. It is recorded as being cited on many thousands of occasions by all of the common citation indices. Between 2003 and 2008, there were massive increases in citation rates (increasing by a factor of 2.5, rising to 3.5 if 2009 is included) as the influence of cognitive load theory expanded.
Research profile: UNSW work on cognitive load theory is published in most leading educational psychology journals in the US and Europe. It also is published in cognitive psychology and cognitive science journals with an applied perspective. During the reference period, special issues devoted to the theory appeared in most years, with multiple issues in some years, with UNSW researchers prominently represented as authors and guest editors. With respect to its publication profile, cognitive load theory competes internationally with a very small number of alternative frameworks, the others of which were all developed overseas.
Independent evidence for the international profile of educational psychology at UNSW can be found in Jones, S. J. et al. (2010). Productivity in Educational Psychology journals from 2003-2008. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 35, 11-16. This paper analysed publications in the five leading educational psychology journals. UNSW was the only Australian institution to appear in the top twenty institutions.
Our leadership is far more marked using citation analysis. Evidence comes from Ozcinar, Z. (2009). The topic of instructional design in research journals: A citation analysis for the years 1980-2008. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 25, 559-580, who indicated that UNSW had the world’s 3rd highest number of citations in the area of instructional design. Of the five most highly cited papers, four (1st, 3rd, 4th & 5th) were concerned with cognitive load theory and had partial or full UNSW authorship. No other Australian institution appeared in the rankings. Based on mean annual citations rather than total citations, the top three articles were concerned with cognitive load theory and were closely associated with UNSW.
Cognitive load researchers are also active in the area of technology-enabled learning and teaching, with many individual papers published with an e-learning and multi-media learning emphasis by the cognitive load theory group. One of the world’s leading journals in this area, Educational Technology Research and Development, published a special issue on e-learning and cognitive load theory in 2005 (Volume 53, Number 3). The special issue was co-edited from UNSW by Paul Ayres with two of the 8 papers originating from the School of Education. (Computers and Human Behavior also has a special issue on cognitive load theory but that appeared in 2009.) The Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology (J. M. Spector, M. D. Merrill, J. J. G. van Merriënboer, & M. P. Driscoll (Eds.), 3rd Edition Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum) has 4 chapters authored or co-authored by Australians. Two of those chapters originated from the School of Education including the lead chapter in the section on Models (Sweller). Funding for writing that chapter came from the USA. In addition, one of the world’s leading volumes on multi-media learning (R. Mayer (Ed.), Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning. New York: Cambridge University Press) includes more chapters from the School of Education than from any other institution, with the exception of the University of California, Santa Barbara, which is the editor’s institution. All other authors are based in the USA or Europe.
Capacity: There are 5 staff in the School of Education who work actively using a cognitive load theory framework (Paul Ayres, Putai Jin, Slava Kalyuga, Renae Low, and John Sweller), 1 staff member in the School of Computer Science and Engineering (Nadine Marcus), 1 in the School of Psychology (Jim Kehoe) and one in the Accelerated Learning Laboratory of the Australian Faculty of Business (Jens Beckmann). A large number of research students also carry out research within a cognitive load theory framework with many obtaining academic employment in Australia or overseas. Most empirical publications from the School of Education include research students as the primary authors.
Collaboration: The cognitive load theory group has close collaborative ties with researchers internationally. Probably the best evidence for those ties can be seen in the journal special issues on cognitive load theory. We often share guest editorial duties with overseas academics and the majority of papers published in the special issues come from institutions other than UNSW. An annual cognitive load theory conference commenced at UNSW in 2007, jointly sponsored by the School of Education and the Accelerated Learning Laboratory. The conference was held at the University of Wollongong in 2008, Holland in 2009 and is to be held in Hong Kong and Macau in 2010. The conferences attract researchers from around the globe.
