103 - Emoji-based Emotional Valence for Students in an Ar-based Human Anatomy Curriculum

Poster Board Number: 103
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Co-authors:

Ethan Snow - South Dakota State University; Jaynie Bird - University of Nebraska Medical Center

Abstract Body : INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVE: As modern semantics have become more abbreviated, emoji have emerged to form a distinct language, often functioning to convey emotion. Two dimensions of emotion have been described: valence (pleasantness) and arousal (physiological activation capability). Emotional valence can be used as an indicator of student satisfaction regarding new pedagogical approaches, especially those using modern technologies such as augmented reality (AR); emotional valence can also influence the efficacy of cognitive processing. The objective of the present study is to investigate emoji-based student emotional valence throughout an AR-based human anatomy curriculum.

MATERIALS & METHODS: Students self-reported their emoji-based emotional valence before and after each of six class session types: anatomy lectures via live 3D model manipulation, AR anatomy labs, gross anatomy human cadaver labs, active learning activities, reviews, and unit examinations. Three negative-sentiment emoji, four neutral-sentiment emoji, and three positive-sentiment emoji (for a total of 10) were used to survey emotional valence. Emotional valence levels between the different types of class sessions were compared, and frequencies of individual emoji selection were analyzed.

RESULTS: The class session types, arranged in order from those associated with the highest (most pleasant) to the lowest (least pleasant) average emotional valence levels according to student-reported emoji selections, were organized as follows: gross anatomy human cadaver labs (valence level = 7.37/10), active learning activities (7.26), AR anatomy labs (7.11), anatomy lectures via live 3D model manipulation (6.97), reviews (6.94), and unit examinations (6.34). Students more often selected the “grimacing face” emoji after lectures (p = .003) and before examinations (p < .001), the “sleeping face” emoji after AR labs (p = .03) and after examinations (p < .001), the “relieved face” emoji after examinations (p < .001), and the “grinning face with smiling eyes” emoji before lectures (p = .031).

CONCLUSION: Emoji offer an efficient and effective method for obtaining useful feedback about student emotional valence and satisfaction throughout curricular learning.

SIGNIFICANCE/IMPLICATION: Collecting student emoji-based emotional valence before and after each class session can specifically inform how different pedagogies impact student emotion and learning. As a simple picture-based language, emoji can be understood globally and used to circumnavigate non-native language barriers. This study may inform educators looking to gain curricular insights and to improve end-of-course satisfaction surveys to be more inclusive, efficient, and savvy.