UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence will present a free workshop for Penn State faculty members titled "Get Students to Focus on Learning Instead of Grades: Metacognition is Key!" on Feb. 12. The workshop will be offered twice, in two different formats: online via Zoom from noon to 1:15 p.m. and in person from 2:15 to 3:30 p.m. in Pattee Library’s Foster Auditorium at University Park.
Twenty-first century students come to college with widely varying academic skills, approaches to learning, and motivation levels. Faculty often lament that students are focused on achieving high grades, but are not willing to invest much time or effort in learning.
This session will focus on the importance of helping students acquire simple, but effective, learning strategies based on cognitive science principles. Participants will engage in interactive reflection activities that will allow them to experience strategies that significantly improve learning while transforming student attitudes about the meaning of learning.
The workshop will be presented by Saundra McGuire, director emerita of the Center for Academic Success and retired assistant vice chancellor and professor of chemistry at Louisiana State University. Prior to joining LSU, she spent 11 years at Cornell University, where she received the coveted Clark Distinguished Teaching Award. Her book, “Teach Students How to Learn,” was released in October 2015.
To register for the workshop, visit the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence online.