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Learning/Teaching Principles
Design & Teach a Course
Solve a Teaching Problem
Students Don’t Come To Lecture
Use Educational Technology
Try Something New
Research Projects
Other Resources
Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence
Office of Technology for Education
Step 2: Identify Reasons

Identify possible reasons for the problem you have selected.
To find the most effective strategies, select the reason that best describes your situation, keeping in mind there may be multiple relevant reasons.

My students don’t come to lecture.

Students feel anonymous given the size of the class and do not believe that their presence matters.

The time of day is not appealing to students (e.g., early morning, late afternoon).

You put your PowerPoint slides on Blackboard, and so students assume that those notes are enough information for them to master the subject/topic.

Students assume they can copy notes from a peer and master the subject.

Students are bored because they are not innately interested in the content and they don’t see the relevance to their academic and/or professional goals.

Students are bored because they are not actively engaged in the lecture, which requires fifty minutes of focused attention.

The lecture reiterates what is in the textbook, and since many students learn more effectively from reading than listening because they can read at their own pace, re-read if confused, etc., they opt to do that rather than attend lecture.

Students have difficulty discerning the goals and/or organization of the lecture.

Students are feeling overwhelmed by other academic and/or non-academic demands.

Students whose first language is not English (who are not just international students) are having difficulty following the lecture.

This site supplements our 1-on-1 teaching consultations.
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  1. Prior knowledge can help or hinder learning.  |  MORE >
  2. Motivation generates, directs, and sustains learning behavior.   |  MORE >
  3. The way students organize knowledge determines how they use it.  |  MORE >
  4. Meaningful engagement is necessary for deeper learning.  |  MORE >
  5. Mastery involves developing component skills and knowledge, and synthesizing and applying them appropriately.  |  MORE >
  6. Goal-directed practice and targeted feedback are critical to learning.   |  MORE >
  7. Students must learn to monitor, evaluate and adjust their approaches to learning to become self-directed learners.  |  MORE >
  8. Students develop holistically and their learning is affected by the social and emotional aspects of the classroom climate.  |  MORE >

learning principles