This study examined the effectiveness of educational animations for teaching neurobiology topics both in the classroom and online via social media. In the classroom experiment, students who viewed animations during lectures performed better on exam questions related to the material compared to students who did not view animations. In the online experiment, social media users who viewed animations scored higher on post-tests about the neurobiology topics than those who read text passages, though many users did not complete the full study. The results provide evidence that multimedia animations can improve learning of complex scientific topics both in traditional and online educational settings.

1. Online and In Class Applications of Neurobiological Animations as Advanced
Pedagogical Tools
Jenny Z. Xu, Nicholas J. Graham, Nina Kang, Tiffany H. Wu, Anish Patel, Bradley S. Hughes
Biological Science and Educational Media Design Program
School of Biology, University of California, Irvine
Abstract
This paper examines the efficacy of an animation tutorial designed to teach neurobiological
topics that were administered through class lecture and social media. The objective was to
create an advanced teaching tool that engages students in a medium that also enables
discussion. Two experiments assess the effectiveness of three animations on neurobiological
learning materials. The first experiment used a set of animations in one of two undergraduate
Neuroscience classes (n = 723). Student exam scores on the related material suggested the
animations were moderately successful in improving student knowledge (p < 0.001). In a
second experiment, a random sample of social media users was exposed to the animation
versus a text excerpt on the same material (n = 156). Results of this experiment indicate a
similar success in raising student ability, although severe issues of attrition arose due to the all-
inclusive nature of this online format (p < 0.001). Overall, this study demonstrates the
effectiveness of multimedia in scientific education, as well as the potential for educational
material to have broad Internet accessibility through social media.
Keywords: animation, neurobiology, social media, education, technology
Introduction
Research shows that traditional teaching practices are difficult to improve upon, yet
advancements in technology have allowed educators to take advantage of more efficient high-
tech teaching tools (Eskicioglu et al., 2003). Among all the pedagogical methods, computer-
assisted teaching showed one of the highest increases in academic success of students (Güzeller,
et. al., 2011). One important contribution to the growth of such new teaching strategies was the
introduction of computer animations (Perry, 2012). Animations that synchronize informative
audio with stimulating visuals appear to be successful in raising student engagement and have
been regarded as a promising modern pedagogical tool (Nossum, 2012; Thatcher, 2006).
Application of Animation on Neurobiology
Animations can teach complex scientific information by approaching material in a step-
by-step manner, providing scaffolds of sequentially detailed images to illustrate concepts.
Students without sufficient imagination would find it difficult to learn and remember the details
of scientific processes, such as the release of neurotransmitters from a neural synapse. An
animation remedies this by providing meaningful images, and especially by providing a
sequential visual account of the process, i.e. specifically how the release of neurotransmitters
takes place in the neural synapse, improving upon traditional use of hand-drawn diagrams and
textbook images by showing dynamic functionality. Animation, as a powerful visualization tool,

2. can make unobservable scientific phenomena clearly visible to improve student understanding
(Chang and Linn, 2013).
According to Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia, this works because multimedia
information enters two cognitive channels, the visual-pictorial and auditory-visual channels,
where several pieces of information are processed in the working memory (Mayer, 2001). In the
working memory, images and words are organized and integrated with prior knowledge stored in
the long-term memory. Computer animations are useful in scientific learning for visualization
because of their capacity to provide learners with an exploratory learning environment (Dega, et.
al., 2013). A variety of other studies have demonstrated the importance of using multimedia as a
method to improve the effectiveness of teaching. Researchers at the North Dakota State
University demonstrated that students were significantly better able to retain the material on
protein translation when the lecture was supplemented with an animation and when students
were given the opportunity to review the animation independently (McClean et al., 2005).
Similarly, a study on osteopathic medical students found that lessons given with the assistance of
computer animations, as opposed to textbooks, had higher final test scores (Thatcher, 2006).
Implication of Social Media
While social media is a popular new technology there is a lack of experimental studies
demonstrating the effectiveness of using animation through social media to advertise and
promote neurobiological learning materials. Like animations, social media has the potential to
play a major role in the next generation of scientific education approaches. Social media tools
generally receive high favorability ratings when they are used to promote learning and
collaboration (George & Dellasega, 2011). Writing prompts on Twitter encouraged lively
discussion among students, chats with medical experts on Skype helped students gain a better
insight into the medical field, and YouTube supplemented students with novel educational
content (Junco et al., 2011). Not only did Twitter increase the grade point average of students,
but students also developed diverse relationships and shared interests among their peers.
Furthermore, students felt more comfortable approaching their teachers for questions and had a
higher level of motivation to learn when they had access to the teacher’s Facebook profile before
class started (Mazer et al., 2007). Purdue University devised a program called Hotseat, where
students could use their mobile devices for discussions on classroom topics with instructors or
peers and become updated with the latest course logistics through multiple social networking
platforms (Johnson et al., 2010). According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project,
Facebook is the most widely used social media networking site and approximately 73% of adult
users have created an account on Facebook (Madden, 2010). Additionally, about 30% of adults
online share information with others. Studies have showed that Facebook positively encouraged
student motivation for learning through interaction, communication, social relationship, and
participation. Facebook allowed teachers to monitor each student’s progress quickly, improved
their relationship with students, motivated students to bond with each other through discussions,
and provided flexibility in terms of location or time (Lam, 2012). Being accessible to the entire
online population makes it possible for an animation tutorial to reach a wide audience within a
short period of time. Therefore, instructional animations could potentially promote online
education for the general public who share interests in biological subjects. Social media
instruments have been proven to promote interest in typical students who view various
educational materials as uninteresting (McClean et al., 2005).

3. Purpose and Significance of the Study
The reviewed literature leaves some important unanswered questions worthy of further
investigation. First, the effectiveness of educational animations has not been studied within the
field of neuroscience. Besides having important implications for neurobiology education, this is
also considered one of the more difficult scientific disciplines taught to advanced undergraduate
students (Chen et. al., 1999). Improving the education of undergraduates is one important goal,
but furthermore, animations might also be capable of demonstrating complex material to
laypeople online as well. This has the potential for unprecedented accessibility to a variety of
advanced scientific disciplines. Secondly, animations in general have not been experimentally
studied through social media, and the combination of these two technologies takes animation
technology a step forward in research. Unknown challenges will likely emerge in attempting to
teach neuroscience to social media users, but these issues need to be quickly identified, measured
and eventually navigated to enable this as a viable new educational method.
To explore these possibilities and inform our field, this study examines two experimental
uses of a neurological animation. Our first hypothesis is that animation improves the learning
process within a regular neurobiology classroom. In this case, animation is tested against a usual
visual aid, a static overhead projection. Our second hypothesis is that providing animation online
teaches the neuroscience lesson better than a traditional reading approach, such as a textbook
excerpt one could find on a website. With these hypotheses in mind, we conducted two
experimental studies, one within the classroom with a large sample of undergraduate students,
and one on social media websites with a moderate sample of social media users.
Methods and Materials
The Neurobiological Animations
Both experiments of this study implemented the same three animations, which were
developed by the authors as part of the Biological Science and Educational Media Design
program at UCI. Each animation was related to a specific neurobiological topic discussed in a
neurobiology class. These animations displayed scientific processes using informative motion
images with synchronized narration. The description of each animation is described below.
Animation #1: This video (http://youtu.be/iiHSOhJvKQE) introduced the topic of neurobiology
and behavior by describing the characteristics of the brain and its neurons. The structure of the
neuron, which contains dendrites, a cell body, axon, and terminal branches, was illustrated and
appropriately labeled. Since neurons are connected to each other in a vast network within the
brain, the function of neuron communication was also discussed in detail.
Animation #2: This video (http://youtu.be/1tiJoJT2kzk) described action potentials as electrical
signals that allow neurons in the brain to communicate with each other by sending, receiving,
and analyzing various types of information. This video explained the four main stages of action
potentials in a cell: resting potential, depolarization, repolarization and undershoot, and return to
the resting potential. The effect of potassium ions (K+
) leaving the cell through K+
ion channels
or sodium ions (Na+
) entering the cell through voltage sensitive Na+
ion channels on the cell’s

4. membrane potential were described for each stage.
Animation #3: This video (http://youtu.be/zx46xADMIBY) introduced synaptic transmission
taking place between the presynaptic neuron, synaptic cleft, and the postsynaptic neuron. The
roles of action potentials triggering the depolarization of the presynaptic neuron and causing
voltage gated Na+
channels to open were explained. The effect of calcium ions (Ca2+
) on the
release of neurotransmitters to the postsynaptic neuron was also discussed. The video ended with
the animated demonstration of action potentials being transmitted to the postsynaptic neuron by
the opening of Na+
channels induced by neurotransmitters.
Classroom Experiment
Participants. In accordance with the UC Irvine Instructional Review Board (UCI IRB),
an on-site classroom experiment was performed in order to determine the effectiveness of
animations used within a classroom setting. The experiment took place in the first three weeks of
a Neurobiology and Behavior class offered by the School of Biological Sciences at University of
California, Irvine (UCI). These classes met three days a week in one-hour periods. The
experiment involved 723 undergraduate students in their third or fourth year at UCI, split into a 1
P.M. class and a 3 P.M. class. Randomization took place at the classroom level, with the 1 P.M.
class assigned as the experimental group to receive the animation treatment (n=383) and the 3
P.M. class assigned as the control group without the animation treatment (n=340). Students were
unaware of which group they were assigned to, and teaching methods were constant between the
two groups except for the variable animation treatment versus control differentiating these two
groups.
Procedures. The experimental group received three two-minute animation clips in class,
which played while the professor explained the material. The rest of the class time consisted of
traditional teaching methods, similar to the control. Students in the experimental group also had
the opportunity to view the animation online, multiple times, through an email sent by the
professor. The control group received the same lecture by the professor, but experienced the
traditional method of overhead transparencies and diagrams rather than the animations. After
three weeks of lecture, both classes received their first in-class exam. The exam contained 33
questions written by the professor and presented in 3 different forms, as an anti-cheating policy,
such that different classes had similar but not identical questions. Either 6 or 7 questions
pertained to the animation material, depending on which form of the test students received. The
professor and TAs administered and graded the one-hour exams, which were provided to the
research group for analysis after all identifiable information was removed for confidentiality.
Data Analysis. The numbers of correct answers were collected without additional student
data because class demographics and conditions were virtually identical, other than the variation
in the time of day of implementation, i.e. class schedules or online sessions. OLS regression was
used to compare between treatment and control group performance on the number of correct
responses to the animation-related questions. To minimize any time of day variation between the
group’s class schedules, analysis included control for general achievement on the non-animation-
related questions.

5. Online Experiment
Participants. In the online experiment 331 active social media users (from Facebook,
Reddit, and YouTube) volunteered to participate without any compensation. These volunteers
were included in the online study if they had a timely and full completion of the modules. There
was no restriction on access so the sample was entirely random and varied greatly in geographic
location, age, and level of experience. No name or identifiable information was associated with
this data.
Randomization was created by changing online content between experimental content
and control content, allowing volunteers to fall naturally into the two groups depending on when
they viewed the content. With the exception of a short pilot study period at the beginning of the
data collection period, content volunteers received were rotated weekly for a month and a half.
Repeaters were not included in the study. This created two groups that only varied by
instructional method, as the experimental group (n=178) watched three animations uploaded on
YouTube while the control group (n=144) was provided a textbook passage covering the same
material as the animations.
Procedure. Another social media website called Reddit was also used to recruit subjects.
An account was created specifically for research purposes so a personal account from the
research team was not used. The recruitment script was directly posted to a subReddit page,
where it described the research project’s purpose, demographics (18-24), and links to the
surveys, similar to the Facebook script. Any user of Reddit could access the survey and post
comments to discuss the learning material presented in the animation or textbook passage.
Procedure of the Three-Part Experiment. The link automatically redirected the social
media user to our research website created by Google and were immediately taken to the first
part of the experiment, Introduction to Neurobiology. In the two minute pre-survey, the subjects
were required to indicate if they have: (1) Already completed; (2) never enrolled in; (3) currently
enrolled in; or (4) plans to enroll in a neurobiology course, to determine if their previous
knowledge of neurobiology influenced their performance on the experiment. Next, the
participants answered six multiple-choice basic neurobiological questions. At the end of the pre-
survey the subjects were required to input their birthdate in order to link their responses to the
post-survey results. A comment box was also available for them to express any concerns or
suggestions. Following the end of the first pre-survey, the link on the page directed the subjects
to a webpage that displayed a two minute animation (experimental group) or textbook passage
with a two minute reading time limit (control group), which were both related to the pre-survey
questions. The baseline group was instructed to watch an unrelated two-minute YouTube video.
Subsequently, each participant was redirected to the last part of the experiment where
they answered the two minute post-survey that contained the same questions presented in the
pre-survey. An additional question asked the subjects to rate the animation as: (1) Not at all
helpful; (2) Somewhat helpful; or (3) Extremely helpful. We also asked them to choose the best
ways of learning science with the following choices: (1) Reading a textbook; (2) Watching video
tutorials; (3) Doing practice tests; or (4) Attending lectures. We obtained an informed consent by
notifying subjects to choose between two options: I give permission for my results to be included
in a research study conducted at the University of California, Irvine or I do not give my
permission. This part of the experiment was finished when participants included their birthdate
and any comments. The next two parts of the experiment, Action Potential and Synaptic

6. Transmission, followed similar procedures except for different questions, animations, and
textbook passages that were related to the two topics. The entire participation in the study could
be completed in 15-20 minutes.
Data analysis. All research data collected was stored securely and confidentially online
through a safe Google Drive database that was password-protected. To assess the level of
improvement from the correct number of responses on the pre-survey to the post-survey, we
compared the experimental, control, and baseline groups across all three parts of the experiment,
using multiple regressions. Each subject’s birthdate was used to link the responses for each
individual’s pre- and post-survey response. Time stamps were also acquired to assess the time
taken between pretest and post-test, as well as their level of experience with neurobiology.
Results
Descriptive Overview.
While the classroom experiment had little attrition due to the use of official exams, the
online portion of this study received heavy attrition. Of the 178 participants who followed the
link to the animation video only 82 successfully completed a post-test within a reasonable
timeframe (i.e. no evidence of skipping the animation). Likewise, of 144 participants who
followed the link to the textbook sample, only 73 had successfully completed a post-test within a
reasonable timeframe, disqualifying them from infidelity of participation. These participants may
have lost interest after the pretest, although it is also possible they left the page in error.
Fortunately, there does not appear to be any differential attrition across experimental and control
groups and therefore does not threaten internal validity, although this does lead to limited
generalizability and important implications for mainstream usage. A table outlining the response
rate of both studies, as well as the time in which participants were assessed, is provided in Table
1.
Table 1. Summary of Assessment, Attrition Rate and Date Assessed
Setting Assessment Type Total Participants Responses
Collected
Time
In-class
setting
Animation 383 383 (100%) April 1-
April 12, 2013
Transparency 340 340 (100%) April 1-
April 12, 2013
Online
setting
Animation 178 82 (46%) June 3-
August 16, 2013
Textbook 144 73 (51%) June 3-
August 23, 2013

7. Classroom Experiment Results
We hypothesized that students who viewed an animation in their class would score higher
on in-class exam questions related to the material covered by the animation over students who
experienced a lecture utilizing traditional methods (i.e. overhead projection). An OLS regression
determined the significance of this finding by controlling for student’s general scores, as
measured by their performance on the remainder of the exam.
Figure 1. Average percentage of correct answers on both general questions and animation-
related questions each student received by group. Error bars represent confidence interval set at
95% (alpha = 0.05).
Figure 1 represents difference in achievement results for both groups. The animation
group performed better than control group on general questions (animation group, 69% correct;
control group, 65% correct; p < 0.05). However, the animation group scored much higher on
questions covered by animation than control group (animation group, 73% correct; control
group, 57% correct; p < 0.001). After adjusting for student ability using general scores, students
in the animation group performed 12% better than students in the control group on material that
the animation was designed to teach (p < 0.001). Standardized, this places a 50th
percentile
student in the animation classroom at the same level as a 70th
percentile student in the control
classroom. Using the grading system of this course, this is the difference between a B- and an A.
Online Experimental Results
We hypothesized that students who were presented with an educational animation online
would perform better than students who were presented a textbook excerpt. An OLS regression
was used to test for significance.
50%
55%
60%
65%
70%
75%
80%
General questions Animation questions
PercentCorrect
Neuroscience exam scores by group
control group
experimental
group

8. Figure 2. Average percentage of correct answers on both pretest and post-test performance tests
by group. Error bars represent confidence interval set at 95% (alpha = 0.05).
Results are shown in Figure 2. A pretest was used to establish equivalency across groups,
which revealed no significant differences in performance (animation group, 58% correct;
textbook group, 50% correct; p > 0.05). There were significant gains in both groups, but the
animation group had a significantly higher gain than the textbook group (animation group, 83%
correct; textbook group, 66% correct; p > 0.001).
Figure 3. Comparison of post-test questions by groups.
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Pretest Posttest
PercentCorrect
Online performance scores by group
control group
experimental
group
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Not at all
helpful
Somewhat
helpful
Extremely
helpful
How helpful is the Animation/Textbook for your
understanding of the learning materials?
control group
experimental group

9. Figure 4. Comparison of post-test questions by groups.
Further descriptive analyses also revealed that more experimental participants felt that the
treatment was extremely helpful, rather than somewhat helpful and that experimental students
were more likely to consider watching a video tutorial as the best way to learn science. Nearly
80% of the participants in control group thought using a textbook was somewhat helpful in
understanding the learning materials while only 20% of them regarded the textbook as extremely
helpful. In contrast, nearly 60% of the participants in the experimental group designated the
animation somewhat helpful and 40% of them showed more interest in animation as an
extremely helpful tool to learn science (Figure 3). More than 33% of the participants in the
experimental group favored watching a video tutorial compared to other traditional teaching
methods, such as reading a textbook, doing practice tests and attending lecture. In contrast, close
to 28% of the participants in the control group agreed that attending lecture was the best way of
learning science while 50% of them chose reading a textbook and watching video tutorials as the
best way to learn (Figure 4).
Discussion
The purpose of these studies was to determine the effectiveness of animations as learning
tools in comparison to the more traditional lecture approach, while utilizing both social media
and the classroom-based implementation of the animation treatment. Our hypothesis was
experimentally supported statistically, as social media users in the experimental group exposed
to the neurobiological animations performed significantly better on the post-test than the control
group provided with a textbook equivalent. Moreover, students who viewed animations in their
class performed better on in-class exam questions related to the material covered by the
animation over the students who experienced a lecture utilizing traditional methods (i.e.
overhead projection).
Other research suggests that this increase in performance may be due to greater
engagement in the material and overall more enjoyment (Yang et al., 2003). For instance, after
exposure to the animation, the experimental group believed that animations were more helpful
than alternatives, while the control group favored textbook. Qualitative evidence also supports
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Reading
textbook
Watching video
tutorial
Doing practice
test
Attending
lecture
Which is the best way of learning science?
control group
experimental group

10. this possibility, as the control participants’ feedback generally argued that the textbook excerpt
was difficult to understand, even though the animation used similar terminology. Conversely,
experimental participants’ feedback generally encouraged the use of animations and wanted
more lessons in animation form.
As research continues to support multimedia tools for science education, it would not be
surprising that our animations are successful. Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning
states that information enters two cognitive channels, the visual-pictorial and auditory-visual
channels, where several pieces of information are processed in the working memory (Mayer,
2001). Considering this process, ostensibly a few selected pieces of knowledge were integrated
with prior knowledge and stored in our long-term memory, and since our animations combined
pictures, narration, text, and animation, the stimulation of multiple senses created a more
engaging experience for the subjects. This could have increased the focus of attention on the
learning material, helping the subjects gain a better understanding of the presented information.
The resultant conclusion may infer that animated movies enhanced scientific curiosity, language,
and thinking higher than textbooks or still pictures.
Our main study is unique in its integration of computer animation teaching methods with
social media. Social media was beneficial for our experiment because the demographics were not
limited to 18-22 year old undergraduate biology students, but instead included people from age
18-60. These social media users came from all areas of the world, including Indian and Australia.
The animations were also free to use for everyone, provided easy access, and gave the
opportunity for users to discuss the content on Facebook or YouTube. Reddit was only used for
subject recruitment and was not used for comments. A variety of studies argue that social media
will be the new teaching tool of the future. For example, one medical school investigated the
effects of Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and Skype on students involved in medical humanities
education (George & Dellasega, 2011).
Limitation of this Study
However, there are limitations to this study. Firstly, recruitment for the online study was
not perfectly random, nor were subjects forced to take a pretest. While it is encouraging that
animations retain more participants than a traditional textbook excerpt, there may be concern that
attrition bias may also exist that favors the experimental group. If low performers drop from the
control group more than the experimental group, then results are actually biased against our
findings, producing conservative estimates. Fortunately, this is likely not the case if
randomization procedures produced equivalent groups and the students who dropped from
control and treatment were both comparatively low performers.
However, randomization was simulated by providing recruitment scripts at two different
times, rather than simultaneously. This too is unlikely to be skewing results in a significant way,
however, as pretest scores were insignificantly different across groups and the timing was
relatively similar with only a week of separation. Furthermore, each testing period encompassed
exactly the same days of the week for a total of 7 days.
The classroom study did not have attrition with required course attendance, however we
had less control over test material and actual lesson procedures. The professor was not blind to
the procedure, although there is little evidence that this biased results in any significant way as
the lectures across groups were essentially identical. This was also a non-random sample, which
is only partially controlled for by general questions. While the difference between a 1P.M. and a
3P.M. class might not be substantial, it did likely affect results as the general scores indicated.

11. Further experiments and quasi-experiments should address these issues of randomization
and attrition. It would also be worthwhile to involve a larger sample size with a greater
demographic variety, including people who are not only interested in science education, as this
would allow us to generalize results to a general public, which is one of the major appeals of
using social media for educational purposes.
Conclusion
This study was the first to test the effectiveness of neurobiological animations on
undergraduate biology students and social media users. Animations have proven to enhance the
ability of students and diverse online users to comprehend complex neurobiological processes.
Social media had played a major role by allowing social media users to discuss scientific
concepts through social networking sites, such as Facebook and YouTube, encouraging people to
stay engaged during the learning process. We hope that our study will motivate others to support
our findings with different educational topic and study population systems in which to further
examine the efficacy of computer animations.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Dr. Ian Parker for his collaboration in creating the animations, distribution of
the survey questions and general cooperation on this project.
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