Show me and I’ll remember: association between instructional modality and memory for learning

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the association between memory (short- and long-term), a foundational cognition in learning and face-to-face, video-based and flipped instructional modalities. Design/methodology/approach This study used a one-way analysis of variance and linear regression analyses to compare students’ aggregated answers on multiple-choice questions over two different periods, including a repeat question from an earlier examination. Also, student-level answers were subjected to a binary logistic regression. Findings Face-to-face unambiguously was associated with superior short-term memory including ethics. Video-based performance was associated with a superior long-term memory, and flipped’s performance lay in between for both memory types. Research limitations/implications This study does not account for students’ learning styles, instructors’ preferred teaching approach and computer-aided virtual simulations. Practical implications The findings of this study may serve as a reference point for optimally blending multiple instruction modalities to leverage its association with memory for learning matched to instructors’ styles, students’ curricular pathway and coping with institutional imperatives. Social implications This paper provides a way for higher education institutions to match instructional modalities to memory needs, including business ethics as students’ progress on their pathways towards graduation. Originality/value This study illuminates the association between memory, a widely accepted foundational cognition in learning that has been under researched compared to critical thinking and reasoning, and three instructional modalities: face-to-face, video-based and flipped classroom.