Abstract
In an era of information overload, students are deluged with life’s burdens. Teaching content alone may be as productive as filling buckets of sand brimming to capacity. This Get-Fit-to-Persist study was an exploratory investigation to examine the effects of wearable devices (wearables) on student performance when used with intentionality to focus learners’ attention on health and wellness. It began with an examination of the literature on neuroscience, physiolitics, and performance using wearables. A preliminary survey was distributed to national organizations targeting graduate students to see what wearables were being used and as a recruitment effort for the actual study. Although timing may have prevented more from participating, the study was expanded to a graduate level class for a total of 21 students. Fourteen completed the study and all self-reported to meeting or exceeding their health, wellness, and classroom performance goals. This study is not intended to be a generalization, but a first step in examining if students can improve their performance in the classroom when directed to use wearables to intentionally set goals and monitor health and wellness.
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Ensmann, S. (2020). The Effects of Wearables on Performance in Education: Serving the Whole Student with Directed Attention on Health and Wellness. In: Hokanson, B., Clinton, G., Tawfik, A.A., Grincewicz, A., Schmidt, M. (eds) Educational Technology Beyond Content. Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37254-5_20
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