Post Doctoral Research Fellow



School of Computer Science

Institute for Human Computer Interaction

Research expertise

Adaptive education
Curriculum innovation
Intelligent Tutoring Systems
Performance assessment
Cognitive Load Theory
Human-computer interaction
Artificial Intelligence
In vivo classroom experimentation

C.V.

EDUCATION

1989-1996: at Groenewald in Stein (the Netherlands), received high school degree in 1996, the VWO (prepatory scientific education).
1996-2000: studied Psychology at the Universiteit Maastricht (the Netherlands), graduated in cognitive psychology.
   Papers:
     1997: How easily can our memory be influenced?
     1998: Creativity
     1999: Expertise

   Thesis: The effects of an unfamiliar score and randomization on music expertise.

2000-2004: worked as a PhD-student at the Open University of the Netherlands (OUNL), under the supervision of Dr. F. Paas and Prof. Dr.  J.J.G. van Merriënboer. 
           The project title was ‘Mental workload as a determinant for the dynamic selection of learning tasks in aviation training’.
  Courses:
-Interuniversity Center for Educational Research (ICO):
   • Introduction course
   • Summerschool
   • Masterclass “Multilevel analysis”
   • Masterclass “Qualitative analysis”

-Cognitive Load workshop
-Time management course
-Expertise workshop by Graduate Research Institute for Experimental Psychology (EPOS)

-English:
   • “Effective conference and seminar presentations”
   • “Writing and speaking skills”
   • “Writing scientific English”

Dissertation: Dynamic Task Selection in Aviation Training.

2005-present: Postdoctoral Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University in cooperation with Dr. V.A.W.M.M. Aleven and Prof. Dr. A. Renkl.
                      The project title is ‘Does learning from examples improve tutored problem solving?’

PUBLICATIONS

Scientific publications:

Salden, R. J. C. M., Paas, F., Broers, N. J., & van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2004). Mental effort and performance as determinants for the dynamic selection of learning tasks
     in Air Traffic Control training. Instructional Science, 32, 153-172.
Salden, R. J. C. M., Paas, F., & van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2006). A comparison of approaches to learning task selection in the training of complex cognitive skills.
     Computers in Human Behavior, 22, 321-333.
Salden, R. J. C. M., Paas, F., & van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2006). Personalised adaptive task selection in Air Traffic Control: Effects on training efficiency and transfer. Learning
     & Instruction, 16, 350-362.
Salden, R. J. C. M., Paas, F., van der Pal, J., & van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2006). Dynamic Task Selection in a Flight Management System Training. The International
     Journal of Aviation Psychology, 16, 157-174.
Schwonke, R., Renkel, A., Krieg, C, Wittwer, J., Aleven, V., Salden, R. J. C. M. (in press). The Worked-example Effect: Not an Artefact of Lousy Control Conditions.
     Computers in Human Behavior.

Conference papers:

Salden, R. J. C. M., Paas, F., & Van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2001). Selection of Learning Tasks Based on Performance and Cognitive Load Scores as a Way to Optimize
     The Learning Process. In 2001 Annual Proceedings of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology 5 (pp. 219-225). Atlanta, USA.
Salden, R. J. C. M., Paas, F., & Van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2002, January). Mental Efficiency as a Determinant for the Dynamic Selection of Learning Tasks in Aviation
     Training. Paper presented at the International Workshop “Cognitive Load Theory”, Erfurt, Germany. 
Salden, R. J. C. M., Paas, F., & Van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2002, May). Mentale efficiëntie als determinant voor het dynamisch selecteren van leertaken in luchtvaarttraining
     [Mental efficiency as a determinant for the dynamic selection of learning tasks in aviation training]. Paper presented at the 29th Onderwijs Research Dagen,
     Antwerpen, Belgium.
Salden, R. J. C. M., Paas, F., & Van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2002, September). Mental efficiency as a determinant for the dynamic selection of learning tasks in aviation training.
     Paper presented at the ICO Summerschool, Crete, Greece.
Salden, R. J. C. M., Paas, F., & Van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2003, May). Mentale efficiëntie als determinant voor het dynamisch selecteren van leertaken in luchtvaarttraining.
     Paper presented at the 30th Onderwijs Research Dagen, Kerkrade, the Netherlands.
Salden, R. J. C. M., Paas, F., & Van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2003, August). Mental Efficiency as a Determinant for the Dynamic Selection of Learning Tasks in Aviation
     Training. Paper presented at the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI) in Padova, Italy.
Salden, R. J. C. M., Paas, F., & Van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2004, June). To personalise or not to personalise? Mentale efficiëntie als determinant voor het dynamisch
     selecteren van leertaken in luchtvaarttraining. Paper presented at the 31st Onderwijs Research Dagen, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Salden, R. J. C. M., Paas, F., & Van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2004, July). To personalise or not to personalise? Mental efficiency as a determinant for dynamic task selection
     in aviation training. Paper presented at the EARLI Junior Researchers (JURE) conference in Istanbul, Turkey.
Salden, R. J. C. M., Paas, F., & van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2006, April). Dynamic Task Selection in Aviation Training. Paper presented at the Technology & Instruction
     Symposium, New York, USA.
Salden, R. J. C. M., Paas, F., & Van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2006, July). Dynamic Task Selection in Aviation Training. In 2006 Proceedings of the 28th Annual Meeting
     of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 2099-2104). Vancouver, Canada.
Salden R. J. C. M., Aleven, V., Renkl, A., & Wittwer, J. (2006, July). Does Learning from Examples Improve Tutored Problem Solving? In 2006 Proceedings of the 28th
     Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 2602), Vancouver, Canada. Link to paper
Schwonke, R., Wittwer, J., Aleven, V., Salden, R. J. C. M., Krieg, C., & Renkl, A. (2007, May). Can tutored problem solving benefit from faded worked-out examples?
     Paper presented at The European Cognitive Science Conference 2007, May 23-27. Delphi, Greece. Link to paper 
Salden, R., Aleven, V., & Renkl, A. (2007, August). Can tutored problem solving be improved by learning from examples? Proceedings of the 29th Annual Conference of the
     Cognitive Science Society (p. 1847), Nashville, USA. 
Salden, R., Aleven, V., & Renkl, A., & Schwonke, R. (2008, March). Worked Examples and the Assistance Dilemma. Paper presented at The American Educational Research
     Association 2008, March 23-27. New York, USA. Link to paper
Salden, R., Aleven, V., Schwonke, R., & Renkl, A. (2008, June). Worked Are Worked Examples and Tutored Problem Solving Synergistic Forms of Support?
     Poster presented at the 8th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS). Link to paper 
Salden, R., Aleven, V., & Renkl, A., & Schwonke, R. (2008, July). Worked Examples and Tutored Problem Solving: Redundant or Synergistic Forms of Support?
     Paper presented at the 30th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, July 23-26. Washington DC, USA.
     Winner of the "Cognition and Student Learning" 2008 prize. 


LANGUAGES

Mother tongue: Dutch. 
Excellent knowledge of spoken and written English, fairly good knowledge of spoken and written German.


EXPERIENCES

Attended conferences
2001:
     November 7-10. Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) in Atlanta, USA. Oral presentation.
2002:
     January 17-18. ‘Cognitive Load Theory’ workshop in Erfurt, Germany. Oral presentation.
     May 29-31. Dutch Educational Research Conference (ORD) in Antwerp, Belgium. Oral presentation.
     September 1-7. ICO Summerschool on Educational Research in Rethymnon, Crete, Greece. Oral presentation.
2003:
     May 7-9. Dutch Educational Research Conference (ORD) in Kerkrade, the Netherlands. Oral presentation.
     August 26-30. European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (Earli) in Padova, Italy. Oral presentation.
2004:
     June 9-11. Dutch Educational Research Conference (ORD) in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Oral presentation.
     July 5-9. EARLI Junior Researchers (JURE) conference in Istanbul, Turkey. Oral presentation.
2006:
     April 5 + 6. Technology & Instruction Symposium in New York, USA. Oral presentation.
     July 26-29. Cognitive Science 2006 Conference (CogSci) in Vancouver, Canada. Two poster presentations.
2007:
     August 1-4. Cognitive Science 2007 Conference (CogSci) in Nashville, USA. Poster presentation.
     August 28-September 1. European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (Earli) in Budapest, Hungary. Oral presentation.
2008:
  March 23-29. American Educational Research Association (AERA) in New York, USA. Oral presentation.
     June 23-28. International Conference for the Learning Sciences (ICLS) in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Poster presentation.
     July 23-26. Cognitive Science 2008 Conference (CogSci) in Washington DC, USA. Oral presentation.

Awards
     "Cognition and Student Learning" 2008 prize awarded at CogSci 2008 (Sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES))

PhD thesis defense
     April 22, 2005: Public defense of dissertation entitled “Dynamic Task Selection in Aviation Training”.

Radio interview
     Interview in German with reporter of the radio program ‘Leonardo’ from the German WDR 5 radio channel.

Reviewer
     -JURE 2005 conference
     -PhD Thesis Paul Owen - Cognitive Load Theory and Music Instruction (University of New South Wales)
     -AERA 2007 conference
     -EuroCogSci 2007 conference

Management
     2001-2004: member of the Educational Committee of the Interuniversity Center for Educational Research (ICO).
     2006-2007: postdoc representative in the Executive Committee of the Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center (PSLC).