Segmenting Educational Content: Long-Form vs. Short-Form Online Learning Modules |
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| Authors: | Diego Méndez-Carbajo Scott A Wolla |
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| Institution: | Illinois Wesleyan University |
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| Abstract: | This article studies the differences in student learning outcomes associated with changes in the format of online learning resources. We compare completion rates and degrees of student achievement across several economic education learning modules produced by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Initially designed as a long-form online learning module focused on unemployment, the virtual lecture “The Story of Unemployment” was later chunked into four separate short-form learning modules. We find across-the-board evidence of increased completion rates among registered students and statistically significant increases in average differences between pre-test and post-test scores. We also study how the increases in scores are distributed across students by comparing pre-test grade quartiles. Finally, we document that chunking online instructional materials increases retained learning and consistently boosts information absorption at the item level. |
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