CUMULATIVE EXAMS HELP LEARNING RETENTION Now is a great time to begin revising your final exam. If you are like me, your finals are cumulative and that means it is time to remind our students (again) that the material they learned at the beginning of the semester will be needed again soon. Dr. Maryellen Weimer tells us, "The evidence that students retain content longer and can apply it better when exams and finals are cumulative is compelling. When I pointed to the evidence in a recent workshop, a faculty member responded, “But I can’t use cumulative exams. My students would revolt.” Students don’t like cumulative exams for the very reason we should be using them: they force regular, repeated encounters with the content. And it’s those multiple interactions with the material that move learning from memorization to understanding." You can read more here.

SAVE THE DATES
There are some exciting faculty development opportunities planned for November. First up is the The Millennial Learner: Greatest Generation or Generation Me? workshop being held at 9:30 AM in room 100 at BRCC-Frazier. Registration is now open. The Canvas Series continues on November 19 with Creating Reports Using Gradebook. That workshop starts at 1:00 PM in 311 Magnolia Building at BRCC-Mid City. You can register here. Our final event in November occurs on Friday the 20th beginning at 2:00 PM. Copyrighted Materials: How to Analyze Any Copyright Question in Five Steps will be facilitated by Ms. Peggy Hoon, J.D., Director of Copyright Policy and Education for the LSU Libraries.  Ms. Hoon serves as a campus-wide copyright resource for LSU faculty, staff, and students, providing education, information, and assistance for both the lawful use of copyrighted materials as well as the responsible management of authors’ rights in their works. This event is co-sponsored by the BRCC Magnolia Library and the Teaching+Learning Center. You can register here.

BEING A GOOD TEACHER
At this point in the semester, Dr. Maryellen Weimer reminds us that caring for our students is very important for their success and their drive to complete their studies towards a degree or certificate. She writes, "Good teachers care about their students. We all know that, but sometimes over the course of a long semester, it’s easy to forget just how important it is to show our students we care about them. I was reminded of this importance by two recent studies, which I read and highlighted for the December issue of The Teaching Professor newsletter. In terms of research design, the studies couldn’t have been more different. In terms of results, they both came to the same conclusion. The interactions students have with their teachers and the kind of relationships that teachers establish with students profoundly affect students’ learning experiences. And it’s a finding that’s been established in study after study." Continue reading