Heartstrings: Using the Science of Emotion to Improve Learning Outcomes
Conference Archive
Learning Solutions Conference & Expo 2015 - March 26, 2015

Jon Matejcek
President
Dashe & Thomson
Increasingly, people are recognizing learner engagement for the critical role it plays in driving effective learning outcomes. While this is a positive trend, the emotional factors that actually drive engagement are not widely understood. Many efforts to improve learner engagement are based on guesswork and produce inconsistent results. By understanding the science of emotional engagement, you can craft solutions that target specific emotional responses and consistently achieve positive learning outcomes.
Participants in this session will learn to understand and leverage the role of emotion in learner engagement. You will explore scientific research that illustrates the role of emotion in learning, including before learning (receptivity), during (engagement), and after (retention). You will examine examples of solutions that elicit emotional responses including videos, simulations, games, and role-based learning experiences. You will leave this session with practical guidance on how to improve learning outcomes by targeting specific emotional responses and designing learning experiences to elicit them.
In this session, you will learn:
- The sequence of emotional states most often associated with effective learning experiences
- How to optimize learner readiness by configuring learning experiences as part of a broader emotional narrative
- How story archetypes such as the hero’s journey drive emotional and intellectual learner engagement
- The critical, yet counter-intuitive role of confusion in driving learner engagement
- The characteristics and outcomes associated with affect-based and whole-person learning models
Audience:
Novice and intermediate designers, developers, and managers.
Technology
discussed in this session:
Adobe After Effects, Apple Motion, Articulate Storyline, DSLR
Video Production, Final Cut Pro X, HTML 5, iOS and Android devices, Mozilla
Badges, and WordPress.
Handouts
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