The Overconfident Professor: “I Know I Taught You Better Than That!”

Clearly we are not always accurate in predicting students' learning. Of equal concern, though, is the certainty of our belief that students are learning. The roots of these cognitive errors may lie in the common phenomenon of overconfidence bias that social psychologists have written about extensively. People (and that includes professors) tend to be more confident than correct when assessing the accuracy of their beliefs and judgments. On the bright side, there are ways of managing this overconfidence bias.

To continue reading, you must be a Teaching Professor Subscriber. Please log in or sign up for full access.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

I have two loves: teaching and learning. Although I love them for different reasons, I’ve been passionate about...
Here are some selected highlights from my long history of using educational technology:
  • When I started in academia,...
  • When generative AI (GenAI) appeared on the higher education landscape, the general reaction ranged from enthusiasm and curiosity...
    Not one. Not two. Eleven. That’s how many times my fellow panelists and I touted our university’s low...
    The flipped classroom has become something of a buzzword in higher education, often praised as a silver bullet...
    The integration of generative AI into education is an exciting opportunity to transform how we learn and teach....

    Create a free account, or log in.

    Gain access to limited free articles, news alerts, and select newsletters

    Login here

    Get unlimited access to The Teaching Professor

    Stay informed. Subscribe Now.

    WELCOME OFFER

    $19.00 $14.00/month

    for your first 6 months. Use coupon code TP6MO.

    $19.00 thereafter. Cancel anytime.

    Enjoy unlimited access to all of The Teaching Professor

    You only have  free article views remaining.

    WELCOME OFFER

    $19.00 $14.00/month

    for your first 6 months. Use coupon code TP6MO.

    $19.00 a month thereafter. Cancel anytime.