Name: Tiffany Nguyen

Master’s Thesis Defense Meeting

Date: Tuesday, August 20th, 2024

Time: 6PM EST 

Via Teams: Link

Thesis Chair/Advisor: Eric Schumacher, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech) 

Thesis Committee Members:

Eric Schumacher, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech) 

Stephen Harmon, Ph.D. (Georgia Tech) 

Paul Verhaeghen Ph.D. (Georgia Tech)

Title: Understanding Neural Mechanisms of Learning During Gagné’s Instructional Events

Abstract: In education, maintaining learner engagement and promoting long-term memory retention are key challenges, particularly in digital education (González-Gómez, Jeong, & Picado, 2020; Hodges, 2018). However the relationship between the cognitive processes that underlie effective learning, moment to moment engagement of course content, and the instructional conditions to support learning in digital learning contexts remains under-explored (Brame, 2016; Spector, 2016). This study sought to bridge this gap by investigating whether brain activation patterns that reflects a narrowing of attention to relevant stimuli as suspense and narrative engagement increases (Bezdek et al., 2015, 2017), can be found with learner engagement in an educational context. Additionally, this study explored the impact of Gagné's nine events of instruction on engagement and memory retention. By examining the potential unique relationships between these learning outcomes and Gagné's nine events of instruction, this study hopes to contribute to the development of more effective and engaging learning experiences that cater to the evolving needs of learners, inform best practices for instructional design, and enhance educational equity and access for diverse learner populations—including disabled and/or neurodivergent individuals and those facing financial constraints.