Is there an educational advantage to NSDL? Assessing impact on cognitive processes and learning outcomes

As NSDL continues to develop, a key question is whether NSDL tools and services have demonstrable educational impact. Assessing the educational impact of NSDL requires careful consideration of how NSDL can promote better selection of digital learning resources and deeper learning with those selected digital resources. We summarize past research and a new project investigating NSDL impact, with specific focus on efficient selection of digital resources for educational purposes (e.g., do NSDL users find better resources?) and how NSDL tools and services may promote successful learning with these resources as measured by users’ cognitive processes and learning outcomes.

Research will use a combination of laboratory and classroom research with three major user groups: preservice science educators, in-service science teachers, and classroom students. In the laboratory, two well-established methods in cognitive science research – eye tracking and verbal-protocol analysis —are being combined to perform a detailed and rigorous analysis of users’ cognitive processes during the search for and use of digital resources. In the classroom, research will assess the impact of NSDL-supported lesson plans on student thinking and learning.