Learning from Different Styles of Animated Solutions Among Low-Performing Students

Students preparing for physics exams must make decisions on how to best prepare, and how to estimate their preparedness. Previous research shows that low-performing students tend to over-predict both their learning and level of preparedness. Providing students with normative feedback has been shown to reduce over-prediction. We present a pilot study where low-performing students in an introductory mechanics course completed a computer-adaptive practice exam, then completed a pretest followed by an intervention involving one of two styles of narrated, animated PowerPoint solutions, and then completed a post-test before taking a midterm exam. Findings suggest that students are able to learn from viewing animated solutions. We discuss the educational implications of our findings.