Impact of prior experience and gender on cognitive load during initial drone use

The purpose of this demonstration study was to determine the effect of prior experiences and gender on cognitive demands at the initial educational technology experience. The task of drone operation was selected as a novel educational technological tool and videogame use was determined to be a tangential prior experience. Through the framework of embodied cognition, the NASA Task Load Index was used to measure cognitive demand. Practicing middle- and high-school science teachers were recruited to participate in this study. Participants operated drones at three instances over two weeks. An additional challenging task was also presented. A mixed ANOVA suggested a significant interaction between videogame use and time: F(2, 28) = 3.77, $$p<$$ 0.05. A significant interaction between gender and time was also observed: F(2, 29) = 3.72, $$p<$$ 0.05. For both prior experience and gender, the differences were observed at the first instance of drone operation and not at subsequent trials. Results suggest prior experience and gender may only affect cognitive load at the initial experience and leveling of cognitive load occurs with continued practice. These findings can support an educator’s planning for drone-based activities and help to mitigate the stigma of gender differences regarding technology use. Additionally, these findings support the need to examine and enhance related and transferable skills, such as hand–eye coordination and spatial thinking, to lessen cognitive load at the initial educational experience.