#  Test-enhanced learning: Applying principles of cognitive psychology to education 

 



### Awardees: Karl K. Szpunar (FAS), Daniel L. Schacter (FAS)



 

**Summary:** Applying principles of cognitive psychology to education. Awardees plan to study how [formative assessment](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formative_assessment) can be better used in lecture courses to promote learning.

*“The general idea for our study really came out of some observations that we have made . . . students frequently complain that over the extended period of a lecture, they find it harder and harder to pay attention to what they are being taught.”* — Karl Szpunar

Daniel Schacter, a memory researcher, and Karl Szpunar, a postdoctoral fellow, turned their scholarly attention to a recurring issue voiced by their students: the struggle to sustain attention during lectures. The team found that intermittently breaking up lectures with quizzes or comprehension checks produces a 25 percent increase in a student’s ability to focus on and learn from lectures. Their work was published in *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences* and was covered by the *Boston Globe* and other mass media outlets, generating extremely positive responses from scientists and educators.

**Additional information:**

- [Interpolated memory tests reduce mind wandering and improve learning of online lectures](http://www.pnas.org/content/110/16/6313.abstract) – *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences*
- [Online learning: It’s different](http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/04/online-learning-its-different/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=04.04.13%2520%281%29) – *Harvard Gazette*
- [Study finds tests cure a wandering mind](http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/04/07/one-way-curtail-wandering-mind-during-class-more-testing/vVTQlKEpoAEHs5KQx7RKcM/story.html) – *Boston Globe*
- [Fine-tuning online education](http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/04/fine-tuning-online-education/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=04.09.13%2520%281%29) – *Harvard Gazette*



 

 

 See also:- [ Past Grant Project ](/resource-taxonomy/past-grant-project)
- [ Assessment and Feedback ](/resource-taxonomy/assessment-and-feedback)
- [ Assessment Basics ](/resource-taxonomy/assessment-basics)