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Although the effectiveness and experiences of computer-based examinations is a widely investigated area of research, the question of whether and how computer-based assessment limits or heightens the experience of negative test emotions remains largely unexamined. Drawing from the control-value theory of achievement emotions, we investigated undergraduate students' emotions during an authentic, course-based assessment in a computer-based testing environment, as well as predictors and outcomes associated with their emotions. We found that students (N = 74) in a computer-based testing environment reported lower levels of negative emotions than their typical negative test emotions. Females and males performed equally in the examination, yet females reported higher retrospective negative emotions. Consistently, females reported higher levels of typical test-taking anxiety in prior examinations, but they reported lower anxiety in a computer-based environment. Finally, although typical and retrospective emotions were correlated, only retrospective emotions were associated with examination performance. We discuss the importance of testing environments and time-frames in understanding how to support students' emotions in testing with particular emphasis on implications for online assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Users' experiences in mental health assessment are multifaceted, including their emotional experiences. Yet, studies of mobile apps for psychiatric assessment have centered on diagnostic accuracy and perceived usability, with little consideration of the impact of user emotional experiences. In this study, we focused on users' perceived usability and emotions and compared the user experience of a paper-and-pencil and an app-based collection of mental health screening questionnaires: EarlyDetect. The System Usability Scale (SUS) and modality-directed emotion questionnaires were administered using paper-and-pencil or iPad. Modality was assigned pseudo-randomly on patients' first visit at a referral-based mental health clinic. We found that patients assigned to the iPad app reported a significantly higher SUS score than patients assigned to paper-and-pencil, qualified by a modality-by-gender interaction where modality effects were significant for men but not for women. Moreover, enjoyment was positively linked to perceived usability, whereas boredom, frustration, and anxiety were negatively linked to usability. Our findings illustrate the added value of studying user experience applied to psychiatric assessments, where both emotions and gender-specific user experience should be taken into consideration. We further discuss the implications for psychiatric assessments via app versus traditional data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile apps take advantage of the ubiquity of mobile phones and can be used to share unique pedagogical experiences with multimedia content not yet available in curriculums. This preliminary study used a quasi‐experimental pretest‐posttest design to examine changes in self‐reported empathy toward sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) minority people. We also report on the associations between gender and a physiological measure of emotional activation, skin conductance level (SCL), on self‐reported empathy. The main results of this study that examined 57 undergraduate students at a Canadian University whom interacted with a queer history app individually were the following: Preliminary evidence that (1) students' empathy toward SO and GI minorities can be measured using a modified version of the Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy (SEE). (2) Statistically significant increases in empathy toward SO and GI minorities pre to post app interaction. (3) Students' pre‐ and post‐empathy levels were statistically significantly higher toward SO than GI minorities. (4) Female students had statistically significantly higher self‐reported empathy toward SO and GI minorities than males. (5) Male students had statistically significantly higher SCL than females. (6) Statistically significant interaction between SCL grouping and questionnaire administration on GI minority empathy. Findings and implications are discussed in lieu of the contributions that mobile apps can play to support social change, in particular, by fostering empathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning analytics (LA) incorporates analyzing cognitive, social and emotional processes in learning scenarios to make informed decisions regarding instructional design and delivery. Research has highlighted important roles that emotions play in learning. We have extended this field of research by exploring the role of emotions in a relatively uncommon learning scenario: learning about queer history with a multimedia mobile app. Specifically, we used an automatic facial recognition software (FaceReader 7) to measure learners' discrete emotions and a counter‐balanced multiple‐choice quiz to assess learning. We also used an eye tracker (EyeLink 1000) to identify the emotions learners experienced while they read specific content, as opposed to the emotions they experienced over the course of the entire learning session. A total of 33 out of 57 of the learners' data were eligible to be analyzed. Results revealed that learners expressed more negative‐activating emotions (ie, anger, anxiety) and negative‐deactivating emotions (ie, sadness) than positive‐activating emotions (ie, happiness). Learners with an angry emotion profile had the highest learning gains. The importance of examining typically undesirable emotions in learning, such as anger, is discussed using the control‐value theory of achievement emotions. Further, this study describes a multimodal methodology to integrate behavioral trace data into learning analytics research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Little is known about using virtual simulations (VS) as distance learning tools. • Nursing students' emotions about VS are under-examined. • Weak-to-moderate and predominantly positive emotions from using a VS. • More positive emotions about program completion after blended learning with VS. • Positive emotions associated with nursing students' performance. Virtual simulations (VS) are educational tools that can help overcome the limitations of in-person learning highlighted during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Research has illustrated that VS can support learning, but little is known about the usability of VS as a distance learning tool. Research on students' emotions about VS is also scarce, despite the influence of emotions on learning. A quantitative longitudinal study was conducted with undergraduate nursing students. Eighteen students participated in a hybrid learning experience involving a VS followed by an in-person simulation. Students completed questionnaires about their emotions, perceived success, and usability and received a performance score from the VS. Nursing students reported statistically significant improvements in their emotions about completing their program after completing both VS and in-person simulations compared to their emotions before the pair of simulations. Emotions directed toward the VS were weak-to-moderate in strength, but predominantly positive. Positive emotions were positively associated with nursing students' performance. Findings replicated "okay" approaching "good" usability ratings from a recent study with key methodological differences that used the same software. VS can be an emotionally positive, effective, efficient, and satisfying distance learning supplement to traditional simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of theory-driven empirical research that evaluates outcomes of location-based augmented reality (AR) applications with the purpose of improving instructional design and use guidelines. The primary aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two historical reasoning guide protocols, one based on prior research by Harley and colleagues (2016a; the other an extension) while learners used a mobile AR app to learn about history. Learners reported significantly higher levels of enjoyment and curiosity from learning about history than using the app itself, though mean levels were high for both—in contrast to negative emotions. Results suggest that the new and extended historical reasoning guide protocol succeeded in fostering higher levels of knowledge than the former. Findings also revealed that learners reported significantly higher levels of task value after the guided tour compared to their pre-guided-tour responses. Implications and future directions are discussed. • Significantly higher levels of enjoyment and curiosity from learning about history than from interacting with the app. • Learning outcomes significantly higher in the extended protocol than the previously developed one (high scores in both). • Significantly higher levels of task value reported after the guided tour compared to learners' pre-guided-tour responses. • Significantly higher levels of enjoyment from learning about the Arts Building than history learning in formal settings. • Findings paint a coherent and optimistic picture regarding the use of mobile AR apps for teaching history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Little research examining multiple sources of emotion in achievement activities. • High levels of enjoyment, low levels of boredom across tech and topic emotions. • Task value predicted tech and topic enjoyment and boredom. • Tech control contributed to the model that predicted tech-related enjoyment. • Tech-related enjoyment and topic boredom predicted perceived success of learning. Little research has been conducted to differentiate between multiple, and frequently simultaneously available, discrete object foci in academic achievement situations that emotions can be generated from, including technology and academic topics. Using R. Pekrun's control-value theory of achievement emotions and Sharples and colleagues' Mobile Learning Theory, we examined whether appraisals of control over technology and task value predicted emotions directed toward using a mobile app (technology-related emotions) and queer history content (topic emotions). In turn, we examined whether technology-related and topic emotions predicted objective and subjective knowledge outcomes. The main results of this study that examined 57 undergraduate students at a Canadian University were the following: (1) Learners reported high mean levels of technological control over the app. (2) Relatively high mean levels of task value. (3) High mean levels of enjoyment and low mean levels of boredom across both technology-related and topic emotions. (4) Learners' appraisals of task value contributed to multiple regression models that statistically significantly predicted all emotions; appraisals of control over technology contributed to the multiple regression model (along with task value) that statistically significantly predicted technology-related enjoyment. And (5) technology-related enjoyment and topic boredom contributed to multiple regression models that statistically significantly predicted perceived success of learning. Findings and implications are discussed from a critical-analytical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]