Noel Entwistle writes in the conclusion of an impressive chapter that provides an overview of key research findings about learning that the evidence leads to “seeing the purpose of higher education as going beyond the acquisition of knowledge and skills; to recognize that for the demands of current society and employment, graduates need to have acquired a personal conceptual understanding of the main ideas and ways of thinking in their area of study so as to experience ‘learning that lasts.’ Only this will provide flexibility in applying knowledge, skills, and understanding that will suffice at a time of rapid change and ‘super-complexity’ in dealing with emerging issues and new problems.” (p. 43)
Archive for February, 2010
Revisiting the Purpose of Higher Education and Courses
Posted Friday, February 26th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerCourse Planning
Posted Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerThe course planning activities of faculty have not been studied extensively. The most impressive studies done on the topic were completed 20 years ago. But then, I can’t think of any compelling reason why our planning processes might be different. Can you?
Office Hours and Participation
Posted Thursday, February 18th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerKiren Dosanjh Zucker makes a great suggestion in an article on office hours we’re publishing in the March issue of the newsletter. She says that if you grade participation, you might consider letting students “participate” by coming to see you during office hours.
Finding Motivation
Posted Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerIt’s that time of the academic year when enthusiasm for teaching and learning are harder to find. Spring semester or term courses are no longer new. Even though the feedback has clearly indicated that this course won’t be an easy A, many students have yet to buckle down and start studying seriously. The winter drags on … especially for those of us who are unaccustomed to major snowstorms and way behind due to cancelled classes.
Making a Difference
Posted Thursday, February 11th, 2010 by Maryellen Weimer“Teachers shouldn’t expect to make a difference in the life of every student. They don’t and won’t. But making a difference in one life is a powerful motivator. We never forget those students who tell we have, and we are further motivated by those teachers who once made a big difference in our lives.”
Problem-Based Learning: A Quick Review
Posted Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerI was looking something up and happened on this brief identification of the defining characteristics for problem-based learning (PBL). Not only does it offer a great review, but it reminds us why PBL is such a powerful pedagogical strategy.
Making the Pop Quiz More Positive
Posted Thursday, February 4th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerThere’s something about the unannounced quiz that’s awfully punitive, probably reinforced by the way many instructors use them. Pop quizzes occur when there aren’t many students in class or when the class doesn’t appear to be well-prepared. They do get more students coming to class having done the reading but students are preparing because there [...]
Replacing Lab Reports
Posted Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerWhen I took an ungraduate chemistry course a few years back, I loved lab, but I have to admit writing up the lab reports seemed like so much busy work. Each report had specified sections, and the lab manual offered advice on what to put in the sections, depending on the experiment. I remember trying [...]