How to Enhance Learning Efficiency When Online Learning is Popular and Indispensable: Theory, Research and Practice

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Background

Online learning has become more and more common globally, whether for comfort, adapting to work hours or just having the freedom to study from anywhere. And now under the coronavirus pandemic, as people are having to stay at home, it has become more important than ever. Although the popularity of wireless network and portable smart device makes it possible for people to acquire and learn knowledge anytime and anywhere, it does not necessarily mean an increased learning performance. Relevant research in cognitive science has revealed possible limitations in online learning. For example, the knowledge acquired through online learning tends to be fragmented and lacks guidance for integrated thinking among different subjects, which makes it difficult for learners to form a systematic knowledge structure. Learners may experience cognitive overload, metacognitive illusion and low learning efficiency in self-regulated learning. It follows that, in the post COVID-19 era, online learning puts forward new requirements and challenges to the contemporary students, not only to their learning strategies but positive character traits in learning.

Most of the current learning theories were developed in the early 20th century and may not fit in well with the current situation, then possibly leading to inefficient learning and increased learning burden. Therefore, it is necessary and important to reexplore the influencing factors and mechanisms that affect the learning efficiency of students at all levels nowadays, based on which we could construct a theoretical model of efficient learning model.

This research topic would seek to explore the most recent advances of cognitive science research (both behavioral and cognitive neuroscience) on effective and efficient learning. We aim to investigate the influence of individual’s positive characteristics, instructional design and other factors on learning to provide a theoretical and practical framework for building a new learning theory. This collection welcomes original research, systematic reviews, methods, reviews, mini-reviews, hypothesis and theory, instruction and pedagogy articles. Research conducted using different methodological approaches (e.g., fMRI, eye tracking, EEG-signal recording) is welcome.

Contributions may include, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- How to help students improve learning efficiency and build up structured knowledge in the knowledge explosion era.
- Metacognitive illusion in self-regulated online learning.
- Scientific learning model more suitable for self-regulated online learning.
- Cognitive processing mechanisms for efficient text reading and understanding in online learning.
- Positive individual characteristics (resilience, grit, etc.) that facilitate online learning.

Keywords: e-learning, online learning, metacognition, learning efficiency, integrated learning models, learning strategies, cognition and learning, COVID-19

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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