Interactive Learning to Stimulate the Brain's Visual Center and to Enhance Memory Retention

This short paper describes an ongoing NSF-funded project on enhancing science and engineering education using the latest technology. More specifically, the project aims at developing an interactive learning system with Microsoft Kinect™ and Unity3D game engine. This system promotes active, rather than passive, learning by employing embodied cognition with interactive visual/spatial information, in which human movements could impact a lasting effect on both the short-term episodic and long-term memories of students. Two groups of Biomedical Engineering students at The University of Akron participated in a study of the four educational modules (Cell, DNA, Immune System, and Gene Therapy) and were tested after the conclusion of each educational session. The preliminary results show a trend toward better performance with the system compared to traditional instruction in second-year college students. However, more studies with a larger group and with a younger population, such as K-12, need to be evaluated since these students have a less developed visuo-spatial sketchpad relative to the sophomores in college. [For full proceedings, see ED557189.]