Dr. Robin Yap presented his findings in using social experiments as a pedagogical modality at the Canadian Community of Corporate Educators (CCCE). Find the accompanying webinar to this deck at robinyap.ca

1. Increase Knowledge Transfer
Retention with Social
Experiments
Robin Yap, BA, BA, LLB, MSc, DM, CTDP, CHRE
Professor, Centre for Business, George Brown College
Chair, GBC Research Ethics Board
@ROBINYAP

2. Agenda
• Journey to an alternate pedagogical modality
• Considerations
• Methodology
• Trials and Successes
• Findings
• Your next steps

3. Do you remember this?

4. How much do we forget?
Thalimer 2010 meta-research of 15 studies https://goo.gl/2dvXWs

5. How much do we forget?
Will’s Suggestion:
1. Aligning the Learning
and Performance
Contexts
2. Provide Retrieval
Practice
3. Provide Spaced
Repetitions
Thalimer 2010 meta-research of 15 studies https://goo.gl/2dvXWs

6. Not so traditional but still..

7. Photos:
https://goo.gl/HuUU8C
https://goo.gl/u1AG4s
It’s only been 34 years… Let’s blame this guy

8. How unique is your ability to learn new content?

9. How unique is your ability to
learn new content?

10. How unique is your ability to learn new content?

11. How unique is your ability to learn new content?

12. ThinkingModalities
Systems
Holistic approach to analysis
Strategic
Generate unique insights
Lateral
Out-of-the-box thinker
Visionary
Forward looking with alternative
futures
Creative
Consider problems or situations
from fresh perspectives which
might suggest unorthodox
solutions
Conceptual / Visual /
Spatial
Visualize special patterns and
mentally manipulate them over a
time-ordered sequence of spatial
transformations
Structured
Process of putting a framework
to an unstructured problem.
Analytic / Critical
Intellectually disciplined process
of actively and skillfully
conceptualizing, analyzing,
synthesizing, evaluating
information
Adapted from Zimmer, 2016. https://goo.gl/182Z6c

13. Thinking Considerations

14. Culture considerations
Photo: https://goo.gl/GCdVBU

15. Factors for a successful Knowledge Transfer
1. Not a ‘zero cost’ activity (time and effort)
2. This is a ‘contact sport’ (people exchange ideas)
3. Practical, timely and active support at an institutional level
Professor Tim Minshall, University of Cambridge

16. Photos:
https://goo.gl/UybiJA
https://goo.gl/kp8ZLR
https://goo.gl/6bVuuS
https://goo.gl/Y1aiGh
Overall Considerations
Representation
Engagement
Expression
Demographics
Environments
Commonalities

17. Why Social Experiments?
Why not flipped classroom?
Why not simulations?
Why not role plays?

18. What is a social experiment?

19. •social experiment is a research project conducted
with human subjects in the real world
•social psychology experiments can explain how
thoughts, feelings and behaviors are influenced by
the presence of others
•social experiment is a real field experimentation of
how people/society react to situations both
real/hypothetical
https://goo.gl/J2VJru
https://goo.gl/uuSzyi
https://goo.gl/4pVSoj

20. In our learning context, a social
experiment is an andragogical modality
of placing students in the “real world” to
acquire authentic reaction from
individuals who represent the society our
students will be interacting with after the
program. (Yap, 2016)

21. How is your audience going to
make meaning* out of the
learning experience?
*continuous meaning-making not meaningful experience alone

22. In our learning context, a social
experiment is a andragogical modality of
placing students in the “real world” to
acquire authentic reaction from
individuals who represent the society our
students will be interacting with after the
program. (Yap, 2016)

23. setup
L = learning assets

24. Perception Theories
• Perception Errors
• Stereotyping
• Halo
• Selective Perception
• Projection

25. Perception Theories
• Perception Errors
• Stereotyping
• Halo
• Selective Perception
• Projection
stereotyping

26. Perception Theories
• Perception Errors
• Stereotyping
• Halo
• Selective Perception
• Projection
stereotyping

27. Perception Theories
• Perception Errors
• Stereotyping
• Halo
• Selective Perception
• Projection
haloHalo

28. Perception Theories
• Perception Errors
• Stereotyping
• Halo
• Selective Perception
• Projection
Selective
perception

29. Perception Theories
• Perception Errors
• Stereotyping
• Halo
• Selective Perception
• Projection
Projection

30. Motivation Theories

31. Reward Theories

32. next step
S = scaffolded social experiment
[s.s.e.]

33. confederates
civilian

34. post-s.s.e.
D = debrief

35. Control and Test Groups

36. METHODOLOGY
• Challenge: Scores (Quantitative) and Pedagogical Modality (Qualitative)
• Solution: Create a Dummy Variable to convert use of Modality (v=1) and Non-Use
of Modality (v=0)
• Data: Scores (Quantitative) and Variable (Quantitative)
• Method: Linear Regression Analysis

37. STUDY FINDINGS
Average or
mean
14.43%
increase!!
Social
Experiment
Traditional
Modality Linear model equation used

38. aha moment
ESL:
• Increase in ESL
students’ passing scores

39. Your tools to setup a social experiment of
your own
•Learning: All learning assets reviewed before social experiment
•Social Experiment: Leverage simple social experiments first to
gain confidence
•Debrief: Strong debrief Remember to consider:
• How your audience think
• How you can leverage their unique worldviews
• How they interact with their environment

40. @ROBINYAP