Posts Tagged ‘improve student learning’
April 1 - Activities that Promote Deep, Lasting Learning Not Used Enough
By: Linda Suskie in Trends in Higher Education
Academically Adrift is provoking plenty of discussion throughout American higher education, and with good reason. While there are valid concerns about the methodology, instrumentation and overreaching inferences of Richard Arum’s and Josipa Roksa’s research study, many of their conclusions are important ones that have been confirmed by others.
March 15 - Using Screen Capture Software to Improve Student Learning
By: Rob Kelly in Teaching with Technology
By using Podcasts, vodcasts, and screen capture software to provide supplemental and remedial materials, instructors can focus on higher-order learning activities during class, says Dave Yearwood, associate professor and chair of the Technology Department at the University of North Dakota. In an email interview with The Teaching Professor, Dr. Yearwood shared some ideas for getting started.
March 14 - Academically Adrift: Findings & Lessons for Improvement
By: Mary Bart in Online Seminars
The provocative new book Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses sparked intense debate. So what’s next? Join the conversation on what can be done to improve academic rigor in the face of larger class sizes, shrinking budgets, and competing priorities.
February 4 - Remedial Coursework: Predicting Student Success
By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Teaching and Learning
Many students come to college without the knowledge and skills needed to successfully complete college coursework. But does taking remedial courses in math and English (where the bulk of the courses are offered) make a difference? Do those courses develop the knowledge and skills students need to successfully complete regular college courses?
November 10 - Concept Mapping: How Visual Connections Can Improve Learning
By: Mary Bart in Online Seminars
If you’ve never used concept mapping in your courses, you are overlooking one of the best ways to boost understanding and improve learning. During this seminar, you will learn concept mapping strategies that help students learn in dynamic, authentic and active ways.
September 24 - When Librarians, Faculty and Instructional Designers Team Up, Students Win
By: Christopher Hill in Distance Learning Administration
Time was, integrating the library into your course meant sending your class to the physical library building for research, perhaps giving the librarians a heads-up so they could be prepared to introduce the card catalog and microfiche collection. Librarians acted solely as curators of the archives, collecting and cataloging resources and controlling access by users.
September 1 - Five Steps to Improving Program-Level Assessment Practices
By: Mary Bart in Educational Assessment
Student learning outcomes assessment can be defined in a lot of different ways, but Lisa R. Shibley, PhD., assistant vice president for Institutional Assessment and Planning at Millersville University, has a favorite definition. It’s from Assessment Clear and Simple: A Practical Guide for Institutions, Departments, and General Education by Barbara E. Walvoord and states that student learning outcomes assessment is “the systematic collection of information about student learning, using time, knowledge, expertise, and resources available in order to inform decisions about how to improve learning.”
August 23 - The Benefits of Making the Shift to Student-Centered Teaching
By: Mary Bart in Effective Teaching Strategies
Would you let your students decide when you hold office hours?
How about whether projects are worth more points than exams, or vice versa?
Would you let your students decide some of the topics that will be covered in the course?
July 20 - Student Learning: Six Causes of Resistance
By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Effective Teaching Strategies
A lot of students just don’t seem all that interested in learning. Most faculty work hard to help students find that missing motivation. They try a wide range of active learning strategies, and those approaches are successful with a lot of students but not all students.
July 2 - Tips for Improving Student Thinking and Learning
By: Maryellen Weimer, PhD in Teaching and Learning
Here’s a list of some practical suggestions taken from a neat, “miniature guide for those who teach on how to improve student learning.” (reference below) The guide was prepared by Richard Paul and Linda Elder, both well-known experts on critical thinking. “Focus on fundamental and powerful concepts with high generalizability. Don’t cover more than 50
