On enhancing students' cognitive abilities in online learning using brain activity and eye movements

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Educational Technology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid shift to remote learning globally, impacting billions of students and higher education institutions.
• The effectiveness and acceptance of online education post-pandemic are debated, with current remote learning facing significant challenges and limitations.
• Emerging technologies such as brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and eye-tracking offer potential solutions to improve the remote learning experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review existing research on the application of BCIs and eye-tracking in assessing students' cognitive skills during online learning.
• To identify current deficiencies in remote learning environments and explore technological avenues for enhancement.
• To investigate the potential of BCIs for future educational applications, particularly in understanding student-teacher interaction dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a systematic literature review focusing on studies utilizing brain-computer interfaces and eye-tracking for cognitive skill measurement in online learning.
• Analyzed research to identify limitations in remote learning interactions, such as the lack of real-time teacher-student engagement.
• Examined findings for evidence of neural synchrony or shared brain activity patterns during remote educational activities.

Main Results:

• The review highlighted that many current online learning tasks rely on recorded video, limiting direct, real-time interaction between students and instructors.
• No studies reviewed provided evidence of brain-to-brain synchronization between students and teachers during remote learning sessions.
• Current remote learning setups may hinder the development of shared cognitive states often observed in traditional, in-person educational settings.

Conclusions:

• Brain-computer interfaces and eye-tracking hold promise for improving remote education by providing deeper insights into student cognitive processes.
• The absence of observed brain-to-brain synchronization suggests a significant gap in current remote learning effectiveness and interaction quality.
• Future research directions include exploring BCIs to investigate and potentially foster brain-to-brain synchronization in remote student-teacher dyads interacting with shared content.