Abstract
Learning styles appear to explain something that is obvious: people learn in different ways. In this chapter, the emphasis is on the different sensory modalities by which students prefer to perceive stimuli from the outside. On the other hand, professors can use several didactic materials to deliver instruction to their students (particularly in eLearning). One of them are screencasts which are digital recordings of computer screen output, including audio voiceover. If well planned and recorded, screencasts can include text, images, diagrams, audio, video and simulations, thus aiming to reach several learning modalities. This chapter explores the relation between screencasts and sensory preferences (measured by the VARK questionnaire), in a sample of nursing students. The data was analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics methods. The majority of these students were multimodal (61.4%), as opposed to unimodal (38.6%), and screencasts were found to be more appealing to the former, and face-to-face classes were more appealing to the latter.
TopBackground
What Are Learning / Cognitive Styles?
One of the pioneers of the term ‘cognitive styles’ was Gordon Allport (1937), which defined them as the usual or typical way of an individual processing information. In other words how he perceives, thinks and remembers information, and how he uses it to solve problems. Since then, there have been many researchers who have dedicated themselves to study this concept, with the consequent identification of different cognitive and learning styles. For example, the work of Messick (1976) identified 19 different dimensions of cognitive styles (field dependence versus field independence, global versus analytic, inductive versus deductive, visualizer versus verbalizer, etc.), some of which are referred in the Additional Readings section.
Before moving on, it should be clarified that in this chapter, like in most of the area's texts, the terms ‘cognitive styles’ and ‘learning styles’ are used to describe the same concept, although the first one is more used in the context of academic research, while the latter one is more related to their practical applications. Moreover, the term ‘cognitive styles’ is more connoted with a bipolar characteristic (e.g.: a student is either inductive or deductive), while the term ‘learning styles’ does not require the existence of two poles (e.g.: one student may be visual and kinesthetic at the same time).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Multimodal Student: A student that has two, three or even the four VARK Model dimensions equally developed. He/she prefers to use several sensory channels to acquire information.
eLearning: Contraction of electronic learning. Interactive training, available through the Internet or other means of electronic communication, making the learning process independent of time and place.
Unimodal Student: A student that has one of the four VARK Model dimensions more developed than the other three. He/she prefers to use a single sensory channel to acquire information.
Screencast: Digital recording of computer screen output, including audio voiceover.
VARK Model: Model of learning styles based in the sensory preferences of students. Its 4 dimensions (which form the model’s acronym) are: Visual, Aural, Read / write and Kinesthetic.
Learning Style: Usual way of an individual processing information. How he/she perceives, thinks and remembers information, and how he/she uses it to solve problems.
Moodle: Open source learning management system used by all types of schools and training centers, to add web technology to their courses. AU19: Reference appears to be out of alphabetical order. Please check
Sensory Modalities: Senses through which humans perceive stimuli from the outside world.