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Learning/Teaching Principles
Design & Teach a Course
Solve a Teaching Problem
Students performed poorly on an exam
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.

Students performed poorly on an exam.

Exam was not aligned with instructional activities.

Exam questions or instructions are ambiguous or confusing.

Students don’t have enough time to thoughtfully complete the exam.

Students lack effective exam-taking strategies.

Students suffer from some form of anxiety or stereotype.

Format of exam was unfamiliar.

Students didn’t prepare appropriately.

Students lack pre-requisite knowledge and skills.

This site supplements our 1-on-1 teaching consultations.
CONTACT US to talk with an Eberly colleague in person!
  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