The Science

There are good reasons for why expert prep works as well as it does in bringing about the understanding necessary for successful task execution. Experts have learned over the years to establish a standard and trigger metacognition (higher level thinking about their existing knowledge, lack of knowledge and needed knowledge) to avoid wasting time on extraneous material.

The challenge of automating this process, and making it available to experts and novices alike, calls for a universal device that can, regardless of subject matter, be used to both trigger metacognition and scaffold the appropriate thinking at the time of need. At EduCel we settled on cognitive prompts for this task.

The controlled studies below illustrate how cognitive prompts significantly accelerate learning, and how even a single prompt can improve performance.

Learning Outcomes: This independent study shows how cognitive prompts improve comprehension and retention by 35% over regular instruction, and how they lead to more accurate self assessments (important in task execution): Berthold, K., Nückles, M., & Renkl, A. Writing learning protocols: Prompts foster cognitive and metacognitive activities as well as learning outcomes (PDF). In P. Gerjets, J. Elen, R. Joiner, & P. Kirschner (Eds.), Instructional design for effective and enjoyable computer-supported learning (pp. 193-200). Tübingen: Knowledge Media Research Center.

Performance: The following controlled study from Northwestern University shows how a single prompt, triggering analogous thinking, on average increases monetary outcomes in negotiations from $692,360 to $761,210 (10%): Thompson, L., Loewenstein, J. and Gentner, D. Avoiding missed opportunities in managerial life: Analogical training more powerful than individual case training (PDF). Organization Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 82 (1), 60-75.

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