Student Learning

Exterior view of Washington State History Museum in Tacoma

Natural Science in a History Museum: An Exercise to Engage Interdisciplinary, Applied, and Career-Oriented Thinking

Laura L. Behling April 17, 2023

My upper-level course on writing in the natural sciences was filled with technical writing or communication majors developing and honing their skills in writing, presentation, visual communication, and user experience strategies. Most had limited, if any, college-level natural sciences coursework. Students are taught to

Creating the Constellation: Allowing Students to Make Meaning in Our Courses

Paul Hanstedt April 10, 2023

The best final exam question I’ve ever given is this: “I want you to write about one thing that you figured out in this class that matters.”

This sounds simple, I know. Perhaps even a little flaky. After all, we’re the instructors. We’re the

Getting beyond the Details: Helping Students Develop a Knowledge Framework

Amy B. Mulnix March 27, 2023

You’re teaching an intro class; it’s three weeks into the semester, and you’ve just returned a high-stakes assessment to the students. The next time you look at your inbox, there’s an abundance of email from students wanting to make appointments because “they worked really

The (Often Misconstrued) Relationship between Learning, Effort, and Difficulty

Stephen L. Chew March 20, 2023

Learning requires effort and is often difficult, but the exact relationship between learning, effort, and difficulty is complex and often misunderstood by both teachers and students. The misunderstanding can lead both groups to behave in ineffective and even counterproductive ways. In this essay, I

Maybe It’s Time to Stop Thinking About “Turf” and Design Meaningful Gen Ed?

Paul Hanstedt March 13, 2023

To begin with a statement that will surprise absolutely no one: one of the major challenges of general education reform is turf anxiety—the concern among various departments and disciplines that a new curriculum will not adequately represent their fields to ensure class enrollments that

The Importance of Making Students Teachable

Stephen L. Chew January 23, 2023

I’m a professor of psychology, and I’ve taught courses in behavioral statistics and research methods my entire career. No one decides to major in psychology for the chance to take statistics and research methods. Students usually choose the major because they want to help

Having Knowledge Is Not the Same as Using It

Stephen L. Chew December 12, 2022

One of the strongest predictors of how easily and well a person will learn a topic is their prior knowledge about it. The more one already knows, the easier it is to learn more. Because of this fact, students often struggle more with introductory courses,

Vintage engraving showing the Seasons of the Earth, 1891

When What We Think We Know Prevents Learning

Amy B. Mulnix December 12, 2022

If you’ve got 20 minutes, I’ve got a video that will change the way you think about teaching. It’s aimed at K–12 educators, was released in 1987, and explores basic concepts in astrophysics. But don’t let any of that deter you. The topic is timeless

My Dream Gen Ed: Rainbows, Unicorns, and One Hell of a First-Year Experience

Paul Hanstedt December 5, 2022

When I visit colleges to facilitate conversations on curricular reform, I always begin my presentations with a quotation from Jerry Gaff, the grandfather of contemporary thinking on general education:

A program for reforming general education should be designed around each institution’s character,

Student Learning

Natural Science in a History Museum: An Exercise to Engage Interdisciplinary, Applied, and Career-Oriented Thinking

Creating the Constellation: Allowing Students to Make Meaning in Our Courses

Getting beyond the Details: Helping Students Develop a Knowledge Framework

The (Often Misconstrued) Relationship between Learning, Effort, and Difficulty

Maybe It’s Time to Stop Thinking About “Turf” and Design Meaningful Gen Ed?

The Importance of Making Students Teachable

Having Knowledge Is Not the Same as Using It

When What We Think We Know Prevents Learning

My Dream Gen Ed: Rainbows, Unicorns, and One Hell of a First-Year Experience

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2718 Dryden Drive
Madison, WI 53704
1-800-433-0499

Student Learning

Archives

Get the Latest Updates

Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter

2718 Dryden Drive Madison, WI 53704 1-800-433-0499

2718 Dryden Drive
Madison, WI 53704
1-800-433-0499