Recency, frequency and potency are three psychological tools teachers can harness to help students cram less and remember more. Click here to download a brief essay that describes how….Continue Reading Break the Cramming Cycle
Welcome to the fifth week of the semester. By this time, students are dealing with the reality of just how much they have to do for their courses. Those who successfully navigate their busy course loads will likely have developed approaches to managing their time and learning. In the Learning Commons, we’re training our peer…Continue Reading It’s About Time
Do you wonder why some students eligible for accommodations through accessible education services (AES) do not actually use their accommodations? In a recent qualitative study, students identified six key reasons: Desire for self-sufficiency Desire to avoid negative social reactions Insufficient knowledge about their accommodations Quality and usefulness of DSS and accommodations Negative experiences with professors Fear…Continue Reading Helping Students Use AES Services
Likely across the past few months, America’s election has worked its way into your classroom, if not your curriculum. After a divisive election, can the classroom be one of America’s few productive contact zones for the meeting of politically diverse citizens? If news, social media, and our own neighborhoods have increasingly become politically segregated, might…Continue Reading Students (and Instructors) as Political Animals
Once a year. Maybe twice. I have always viewed my office hours as the product of an implicit contract to be there for my students, so I am loath to miss them for any reason. But my preferences have recently been overridden by the arrival of my son; his mucous membranes have introduced a level…Continue Reading Rethinking How Office Hours Are Kept