Faculty Focus

HIGHER ED TEACHING STRATEGIES FROM MAGNA PUBLICATIONS

Online Education

robotic teacher presents information in front of chalkboard

I Am Not a Robot

When students enroll in online classes, they are often wary and a bit intimidated by the experience. There are a multitude of concerns such as

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Student watches course online and laughs at the content

Encouragement for Online Learners

This article is featured in the resource guide, Effective Online Teaching Strategies. Prior to every course, faculty should consider how they can connect with their

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Online classrooms and their associated technological tools are constantly evolving

Desirable Difficulties in Convenient Coursework

The phrase “desirable difficulties” was first coined in the nineties by psychologist Robert Bjork to describe learning conditions that introduced inconveniences to yield greater learner retention of material. According to the literature, the more work that is required to learn a concept, the greater the mastery (Sparks, 2011). To illustrate, a classical example of a desirable difficulty is found in the use of flashcards as study tools. Flashcards typically display only partial information, as a cue for the user to recall a more complete set of facts. When compared to lecture notes, flashcards require a student to work harder in recalling materials and are therefore especially effective study tools. As such, flashcards have been popular among students for decades.

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