Egon Werlen

My main research domain is ‘emotions and cognitions in eReading and eLearning’. Other important and connected themes are adaptive learning and self-regulated learning. As in every domain of life, reading evokes emotions and is influenced by pre-existing emotions. One important aspect in awakening emotions during reading is the emotional potency of a text.

The performance of reading strongly depends on the cognitive load that is influenced among other factors by readability and difficulty of a text. Emotions can positively and negatively influence the cognitive load and in consequence the reading and learning performance. Further, we tray to integrate emotions in adaptive learning, and we study emotional reactions as well as emotion regulation during reading and learning.

Since 2011, I’m at the Institute for Research in Open, Distance and eLearning (IFeL) of the Swiss Distance University of Applied Sciences (FFHS) in Brig. After my studies in clinical and experimental psychology and in communication sciences I got a specialization as a Health Psychologist FSP. In our blended learning environment, I teach the „Basics of Health Psychology“ (models of behaviour change, self-regulation) and “Psychological Aspects of Learning with Media.