Dutton Digest, May 2022

Engaging Learners for Relevancy and Retention

As the semester comes to an end, this is a perfect time to reflect on the experience both you and your students have had over the past several months. You can start this reflection simply by asking, “How was my course a meaningful learning experience for my students?” If you find there may be some room for improvement, consider the concept of Active Learning. The Inside Higher Ed blog post Engaging Learners for Relevancy and Retention provides some considerations for enhancing your course next semester. 

Combating Learning Loss

According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, educators today are concerned about the concept of learning loss among their students. This is largely a result of the pandemic and feelings of being overwhelmed. To learn about strategies for re-engaging your students and combating learning loss, attend the free virtual event Countering Learning Loss on Thursday, April 21, at 2 pm Eastern Time (or register to receive a recording).

Rethinking Student Support

The number of academic integrity cases increased during the pandemic. Isolation caused more students than ever to seek support from well-known sites like Course Hero and Chegg (Young). These companies market themselves as fee-based “study” sites for students. In response, Arkansas State University offers an app that allows students to book an appointment with the university’s free tutoring services. This approach makes scheduling easier for students and for tutors, is improving student success, and has resulted in an expanded service portfolio for this university resource. This raises the question of whether it might be effective to replicate their approach of direct marketing, increased visibility, and convenient scheduling to help our own students find each other, tutors, study groups, and office hours. Read more in this EdSurge article: The Pandemic Is Changing How Colleges Offer Tutoring. Will Students Use It?

[Young, J.R. (2022, Oct. 6) With no study buddies, more college students turn to cheating. Edsurge. https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-10-06-with-no-study-buddies-more-college-students-turn-to-cheating]