Welcome!
Neuroscience Applications for Learning (NeurAL) Laboratory is an interdisciplinary team of faculty and students who use neuroscience frameworks, methods and tools to explore how people learn with technology.
We focus on learners who exhibit a range of attentional and cognitive differences, including visuospatial skills, working memory capacity and reading comprehension.
Our research is performed in authentic learning contexts to produce solutions for improving the design and practice of learning and teaching in formal and informal learning environments.
We value collaboration and would welcome an opportunity to discuss potential projects with you.
Our Expertise
Assessing Cognition
We study cognitive dynamics using neurophysiological tools like non-invasive wireless EEG systems with intelligent software as well as a variety of the more traditional indirect methods including think-alouds, secondary task techniques, screen-capture, and server-log data mining techniques.
Analyzing Attention
To gain a deeper understanding of how people learn, we employ a robust eye-tracking platform with custom-built algorithms that allow us to analyze a host of relevant variables – from gaze fixations, to pupil dilations to the temporal distribution of microsaccade production.
Measuring Learning
We use a variety of paradigms to design and implement measures of learning performance, including summative and formative assessments in traditional formats and using learning analytics tools that collect data on the trends and patterns of learning over time.
Testing Usability
Usability is key to the success of any technology. We test usability using both qualitative (e.g., cognitive walk-through) and quantitative methods (e.g., mechanical interactions, eye tracking) and offer suggestions for improving information architecture, metaphoric representations and interaction design.
In the News
A Grand Number of Grants
Pasha Antonenko has an extra $4.5 million in grants for his research. Antonenko, a UF education professor, has received four research grants from the National Science Foundation, a federal agency that funds projects supporting science, education, technology and mathematics research and education. A fifth grant is pending official announcement.
Research
Is reading impairment associated with enhanced holistic processing in comparative visual search?
Wang, J., Schneps, M. H., Antonenko, P. D., Chen, C., & Pomplun, M. (2016). Is reading impairment associated with enhanced holistic processing in comparative visual search? Dyslexia, 22, 345–361. doi: 10.1002/dys.1540
The effect of a serious digital game on students’ ability to transfer knowledge in secondary agricultural education
Bunch, J. C., Robinson, J. S., & Edwards, M. C., Antonenko, P. D. (2016). The effect of a serious digital game on students’ ability to transfer knowledge in secondary agricultural education: An exploratory study. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 4(2), 80-94.
How mobile app developers conceive of dyslexia and what it means for mobile app users
Dawson, K., Antonenko, P., Sahay, S., & Lombardino, L. (2016). How mobile app developers conceive of dyslexia and what it means for mobile app users. Interaction Design and Architecture, 28, 69 – 84.