As many classes and exams migrate online, many professors are increasingly concerned about an uptick in cheating. Preliminary numbers indicate those concerns are valid. In August 2020, Derek Newton in The Hechinger Report disclosed that at North Carolina State University, for example, 200 students in
Sometimes it’s good to step back and take a look at something from a distance. Meta-analyses provide some of that perspective. They take a bundle of individual studies, combine their findings, and offer an empirical view of a phenomenon—in this instance, students reviewing their peers.
One of the hallmarks of online learning is that students can engage in deeper discussion than they can in most face-to-face courses due to the additional think-time for crafting posts and responding to others. But many online instructors report disappointment in class discussions because students
Tests provide one measure of our students’ learning according to the standards of the instructor and the field. But tests also affect our students socially, emotionally, and financially and influence their science-minded identities for years to come. We owe it to students to create fair
A number of resources that we’ve published address student study strategies, particularly the ones they don’t use that research says do connect to learning. (See the links at the end of the article.) In a nutshell, students gravitate toward passive study strategies, and those don’t
Digital drawing tools are a powerful yet underused resource for online educators. They are helpful in quantitative courses with equations, art and other classes that are heavy on visual analysis, and interactive sessions such as videoconferences.
In the rural part of North Central Pennsylvania where I live, a lot of families have owned the same farmland for generations. Houses are handed down, with each new family adjusting the home to their needs—adding a porch here, a back bedroom there, an attachment
Making meaning is the key to deep understanding. One instructional strategy that helps students reach understanding is concept maps. Concept maps display information through various forms, including charts, timelines, tables, and graphic organizers.The benefits of concept maps include aiding students in establishing relationships between ideas,
If you were to compare the average college class with the average elementary school class, one thing you would immediately notice is that college students almost never move around after they have sat down, whereas elementary classes often involve hands-on activities that require movement. There
A question has been floating around in my head since I started teaching college students: are we supposed to act like swimming instructors or Olympic coaches? The analogy is not as odd as it might seem at first. Don’t we talk about whether students “sink
Magna Publications © 2023 All rights reserved
