EEG in the classroom: Synchronised neural recordings during video presentation

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that portable EEG equipment can reliably measure neural synchronization among students during video presentations, indicating potential for real-time engagement monitoring in educational settings.

Contribution

It shows that low-cost portable EEG devices can effectively track neural responses and inter-subject correlation during classroom video stimuli, replicating laboratory findings in naturalistic environments.

Findings

Neural responses can be synchronized across students during video viewing.

Inter-subject correlation correlates with engagement levels.

Portable EEG is viable for real-world educational monitoring.

Abstract

We performed simultaneous recordings of electroencephalography (EEG) from multiple students in a classroom, and measured the inter-subject correlation (ISC) of activity evoked by a common video stimulus. The neural reliability, as quantified by ISC, has been linked to engagement and attentional modulation in earlier studies that used high-grade equipment in laboratory settings. Here we reproduce many of the results from these studies using portable low-cost equipment, focusing on the robustness of using ISC for subjects experiencing naturalistic stimuli. The present data shows that stimulus-evoked neural responses, known to be modulated by attention, can be tracked in for groups of students with synchronized EEG acquisition. This is a step towards real-time inference of engagement in the classroom.