In higher education, “the bleeding edge” of technology isn’t always the leading edge. A simple, affordable technology has engaged and informed audiences for generations: Cinematic Engagement. Let’s explore the psychology of cinematic pedagogy and how it is used to transform classrooms, increase learning, and foster competency development.
For over a century, audiences have been mesmerized by the art of cinematic engagement. The same ingredients that captivate movie-goers are now being used in the classroom and in the online space to immerse learners in an educational universe where they can experience the curriculum rather than just read about it. In this session, we will explore the application of cinematic pedagogy and experiential learning rendering, look at strategies to deploy engagement techniques in multimedia creation, discuss ways to foster competency development, and investigate strategies for teaching through cognitive empathy. We will go on to discuss cost-effective and scalable resources that can be used to bring experiential learning into your classroom or university.
The use of media in education is nothing new. Teachers have been utilizing videos and filmstrips for years, but for the majority of that time, the content, the quality, and the approach of the media has been ineffective at engaging learners on a deeper cognitive level. That’s when we need to turn to the lessons of the film and television industry on how to grab the viewer’s attention and get them to retain information and formulate conclusions throughout the duration of the presentation. When asynchronous learning tools are imbued with the power of narrative and storytelling, we connect with students in a way textbooks and traditional educational approaches could never achieve.
We all know stories are powerful. We connect best with stories that are little familiar and where we see a little bit of ourselves. Character-driven stories, with a beginning, a middle, and an end take viewers captive and transport them to a new world. When compared to a textbook, where you passively read through dense passages that do nothing more than TELL you the details, media can SHOW you and provide an experiential element to the experience. Think about an academic case study. Traditionally, these are “just the facts” documents that present information in a flat, direct manner. On the other hand, a cinematic case study presents information through an immersive, multisensory, multimedia experience. These are meticulously researched and developed media presentations that focus on the problems and solutions explored by characters in a realistic, authentic scenario. They create real-life context, build familiarity, and foster an emotional connection to the topic for students. A story provides relevance to the case study and relevance helps us understand the value in our own life.
There’s a reason cinematic pedagogy works and it comes down to science. Research shows that 63% of people remembered facts better when they were presented within the context of a story. And yet only 5% remembered the information when it was presented in a traditional learning format. The reason is all about the brain and neural pathways in our mind. During a lesson-presentation where students watch a powerpoint presentation, two parts of the brain are activated: the Broca's area and Wernicke's area. Basically it hits our language processing areas where we decode words into meaning. And that's it, nothing else happens, but when learners engaged with a story, it was found that not only were these language-processing areas of the brain engaged, but other areas of our brains fire up, releasing cortisol which helps with awareness. The cortisol triggers dopamine, which induces pleasure. This is followed by oxytocin, which in combination with cortisol, dopamine, and other chemicals in our storytelling cocktail, helps us start to feel emotion. The result is called cognitive empathy, and it is essential for assisting with retention and memory. A simplified, relatable experience that describes this element is when you hear that song on the radio and it takes you back to the place where you heard it the first time. The same thing happens when we watch television, film, or immersive, high-quality educational media.
Storytelling and this idea of cognitive empathy not only serves to create a more immersive experience for learners, but it also motivates them by encouraging an emotional connection to the topic at hand and that increases retention!
The most comprehensive example of effectively using cinematic pedagogy to create a completely immersive learning experience in my experience comes in the Virtual Learning Experiences I have overseen the creation of in the past. In response to the need for adequate skill building activities that appropriately simulate real-world scenarios, we began creating fully-immersive, media-based Virtual Experiences for next-level professional training programs. Initially developed In 2010 for USC, our Virtual Field Practicum provides experiential exercises that would mimic situations encountered in a traditional agency internship. USC deemed the experience to be academically beneficial enough to accredit it as actual internship hours. A decade later, hundreds of students have shown increased performance in the field, elevated learning and retention, and higher competency scores as a result. We have since developed additional Virtual Experiences for Universities and institutions around the country. The Virtual Experiences bring online pedagogy to life by evoking an emotional connection to the material in much the same way a viewer feels engaged with the characters in their favorite TV shows.
In my team’s time creating over 50,000 media assets for top online universities, we have relied on the research efforts of our Vice President of Curriculum, Dr. Gary Wood, an award-winning educator, author, and edTech professional., Dr. Wood's research in the use of simulation and experiential learning to develop practical and technical professional skills demonstrates how learning activities with increased realism (video case studies, simulations) are more effective than those with less (text and explanations).
Dr. Wood’s research has clearly demonstrated that students utilizing Genius media have achieved:
Higher competency scores
Increased Learning and Retention
Overall improved student performance
Dr. Wood has also written about how the use of video simulation is widespread in education across professions for good reasons. By definition it is an experiential activity, which enhances learning and retention, allowing them to develop skills and knowledge prior to confronting the scenario in reality. With over half of the population being visual learners, we found that nothing was more powerful than creating immersive academic media that is fueled by the technology and psychology of cinema. By focusing attention to the human element of the curriculum, learners explore content in new ways, searching for meaning within their interpretation of stories. Course content is delivered with added depth, as an emotional, immersive experience, where students may systematically consider the actions and responses of a working professional and the consequences for various decisions. These observations inform the student’s future actions in similar, now-recognizable, scenarios.