Research Methods in Digital Education

This blog post deals with The Stroop Test, something we are looking at in our MOOC as an example of experimental intervention as a research design method. I'll briefly touch on what it is, how the experiment is set up and how it works and how this may be useful in practice.  The Stroop Effect refers to the impact of cognitive interference in the length of time it takes to complete a simple task.  The original Stroop Test measured the difference in the time it took to process, identify and name colours, when there was a conflict between the colour being viewed and the colour described in words.   There are two conditions present in the given example of the Stroop Test (although the original test had three conditions). The first is a list of words describing colours where the text is printed in the colour it denotes. This is the control condition. The experimental condition comprises a list of words where the text is printed in a colour that is different to th...

Hello! Welcome to my reflections about the research methods course that I am undertaking as part of my MSc. at the University of Edinburgh. Public blogging, as part of a course, is a foreign and somewhat discomforting notion to me. That said, armed with data about the sheer number of blogs in the world, I am reassuring myself that other than my class mates, no one else is likely to read my musings. If you are the proverbial exception to my rule, welcome anyway.  This is my first experience of participating in a MOOC. So far, so good. Given my schedule (a job, an MSc and a toddler!) I enjoy what others might find disconcerting; the relative anonymity of a MOOC and the ability to learn and participate as and when I am able. This is somewhat foiled by the fact that the MOOC facilitators are also our course conveners this semester (Hi guys!).  Let's delve right in though shall we? Last week was largely introductory and we are asked to start thinking about our own research and...