This word has appeared in 38 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence?
Improving College Student Outcomes with Course Policies that Support Autonomy (Part 1)
Cover image by Ulrich from Pixabay
By Megan Sumeracki
In today’s post, I want to share a cool, relatively new paper by Simon Cullen and Daniel Oppenheimer from Science Advances (1). The paper is titled, Choosing to Learn: The Importance of Student Autonomy in Higher Education. The methodology is neat, the results are interesting, and while this paper used a higher education sample, I think educators teaching other grade levels might be able to take something from this (even if not the exact intervention).
The authors (1) note that autonomy enhances student motivation and achievement, yet many policies that are frequently adopted and even recommended by university teaching and learning centers, like mandatory attendance, mandatory drafts, etc., can undermine feelings of autonomy. They went as far as to critically analyze 13 prominent centers for teaching and learning at well-known universities and found that there was very little, if any, discussion or recommendations related to student choice. Some even argued against meaningful student autonomy. The authors argue that autonomy may benefit college students.
The purpose of the studies in the paper was to test whether policies that support student autonomy improve student outcomes. They present two studies. One was a randomized controlled field study examining the effects of allowing students to choose whether their attendance was mandatory. The other was a multi-year cohort study examining the effects of allowing students to opt out of challenging, high-effort assessments.
Today, mandatory attendance.
Study 1: Mandatory vs. Optional Attendance
The Method
This study was a randomized controlled field study testing the effects of allowing students to choose whether to make their own attendance mandatory (i.e., part of their grade). The study was conducted with college students taking a large Gen-Ed Philosophy course at Carnegie Mellon University. Students in the course were enrolled in discussion sections taught by TAs (teaching assistants). Each TA had two discussion sections, one randomly assigned to have a mandatory attendance policy with the other having an optional-mandatory policy. The TAs did not know what the hypothesis for the study was.
In the mandatory attendance sections, the TAs told the students that attendance at recitations would count toward their final grade. They were permitted to miss up to three recitations, and if they missed only three sessions or fewer, they had 3% added to their final grade. If they missed more, they had 3% subtracted from their final grade.
In the optional-mandatory sections, the TAs told the students that they got to choose if you would like attendance at recitations to count toward their final grade. If they chose for it to count, then the policy was applied in the same way as the mandatory policy. They were permitted to miss up to three recitations, and if they missed only three sessions or fewer, they had 3% added to their final grade. If they missed more, they had 3% subtracted from their final grade.
3 tips for feeling more engaged at work
In our last issue, we continued our exploration of practical AI skills by looking at some simple but effective prompting methods that can help improve your generative AI results. Today, we’re taking a break from the tech talk to dive into some much-needed real talk about work. Specifically, we’re exploring tips for re-engaging with work when you’re feeling checked out.
First, let’s be clear: It’s totally normal to feel disengaged at work. According to Gallup, only 32 percent of surveyed workers in the U.S. report feeling fully engaged in their jobs, meaning the vast majority of workers in the country are at least somewhat disengaged during their work hours. What’s more, 16 percent say they’re actively disengaged in their jobs.
If disengagement feels like it may be an issue for you, it’s worth finding ways to re-engage. According to Gallup, engaged employees experience higher well-being and productivity levels than disengaged ones. So, what can you do when you’re feeling burnt out, stressed, or bored at work? Here are some ideas:
1. Set (and hold) your boundaries.
When you feel unfulfilled or stressed out by your job, it can be easy to carry negative feelings around with you outside the workplace. As these difficult emotions fill more of your professional and personal life, you might feel like totally disengaging from work is the only way to deal with it. While this approach may work occasionally, in the long run, it may just take you further away from your professional goals.
Setting and maintaining boundaries in the workplace is a more sustainable approach to managing negative feelings and can ultimately help you re-engage with your work. Rather than carrying stress from work into your personal life, give yourself space to disconnect from the office when you’re outside of it so that you can engage when you’re inside it.
set boundaries like consistent work hours and communication cut-off times that allow you
There are many ways to set boundaries at work, including:
- Setting consistent work hours (and sticking to them)
- Building breaks into your work schedule
- Only saying “yes” when you mean it
- Establishing healthy email communication hours
2. Prioritize tasks that matter.
Some people become disengaged at work when they feel their tasks are too unimportant or overwhelming to tackle. Whether you’re bored or exhausted by your work, it’s helpful to consider how important each task is and how much time and effort it requires. We only have so much time in a day, so it can be helpful to spend it on work that truly matters.
Here are some things to keep in mind when deciding on what to prioritize:
- Consider deadline and impact: Prioritize tasks that have impending deadlines and/or are most impactful to achieving a particular organizational or personal goal.
- Plan tasks by effort level: Rank tasks by how much energy they’ll require, then plan them for times when you’re best able to tackle them.
- Keep your to-do list small: Save yourself from being overwhelmed at work by keeping your daily to-do list focused and manageable, such as only three to five tasks of varying effort levels a day. Keep a broader to-do list elsewhere.
3. Foster your own growth opportunities.
One common reason workers disengage from work is simply because their workplaces don’t actively engage them. After all, it can be difficult to feel engaged at work when you feel like you lack meaningful work relationships, career development opportunities, or projects that challenge you in just the right way. This is when it helps to get proactive: identify, build, and foster your own growth opportunities.
Some ways you might consider building your career opportunities include seeking a mentor at work, networking with other professionals in person or online (like here on LinkedIn), volunteering to help another team’s project, or pursuing a project of your own to build your skills.
Ready to re-engage?
For tips to manage stress at work, look into Yale’s Managing Emotions in Times of Uncertainty & Stress.
To learn how to get better results at work, consider the University of Michigan’s The Science of Success: What Researchers Know that You Should Know.
Finally, if you’re seeking guidance on accomplishing your goals, check out the University of Pennsylvania’s Achieving Personal and Professional Success Specialization.
Weekly Student News Quiz: Republican Win, Obesity Report, Rhesus Monkeys
Have you been paying attention to current events recently? See how many of these 10 questions you can get right.
What Special Community Rituals and Traditions Does Your Hometown Have?
Every year, Santa Fe, N.M., incinerates a giant puppet of Zozobra in a ritual meant to purge anxiety and promote a reset.
Teddy Bear Jeans
Would you wear 200 stuffed animals? What’s the most interesting outfit you’ve ever worn?
Word of the Day: mischievous
This word has appeared in 141 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence?
What Do You Hope to Get Out of College?
College is a big commitment, in terms of time and money. What do you think is the purpose of continuing your education after high school?
Word of the Day: gesticulate
This word has appeared in eight articles on NYTimes.com in the past year. Can you use it in a sentence?
The Highest-Paying IT Jobs of 2024 & How to Get Hired
There’s a high-paying, in-demand area of tech that you might be overlooking: information technology, or IT.
Broadly speaking, IT is technology that stores, organizes, and processes information and communication. There are tons of fascinating careers that you can have in IT — from Computer Information Systems Manager to Cybersecurity Analyst — with rewarding salaries.
The Skillsoft IT Skills and Salary survey is one of the largest studies of IT salaries, skills, and certifications. In 2024, more than 5,100 people who work in technology answered anonymous questions about their salaries, how they feel about work, the certifications they want to get, and more.
Here are the jobs in IT with the top highest annual salaries, according to the survey. Learn what it takes to get hired in these roles, plus discover resources and relevant courses and skill paths that will help launch your career in IT.
(FYI: This list focuses on the salaries of survey respondents in North America. To see how IT salaries pan out around the world, download the full report.)
DevOps
Average salary: $112,762
DevOps (short for “Development Operations”) is an industry-standard approach to building software that prioritizes collaboration. DevOps practices enable businesses to be responsive, develop products quickly, and continuously improve them. IT professionals who specialize in DevOps help organizations put DevOps practices, tools, and platforms in place.
DevOps Engineers need to know how to work with data management, cloud architecture, automation, and programming languages. You can master DevOps practices and get an overview of modern infrastructure management in our free course Introduction to DevOps. As you prep your DevOps resume and start applying to jobs, be sure to review this guide to answering DevOps interview questions.
Application development, programming
Average salary: $113,195
An app developer or programmer is responsible for designing, coding, and maintaining software applications. They work on creating user-friendly and efficient apps for various platforms, like mobile devices, desktops, or web browsers. Their role involves writing code, debugging issues, and collaborating with other team members to ensure the application meets user needs and performs well. If this type of job excites you, get started with our Front-End Engineer, Back-End Engineer, and Full-Stack Engineer career paths — you’ll learn all of the skills you need for this career from the ground up.
Data Science, Analytics, and Business Intelligence
Average salary: $116,463
If you’re fascinated by data science and enjoy translating data into actionable business insights, you might thrive as a Business Intelligence Analyst. In these types of jobs, you’d use technologies like SQL, Python, or R to perform advanced data analysis and querying; you’d also work with data visualization dashboards like Tableau and Looker. You can learn all of these technical skills and get job-ready with our career path Data Scientist: Analytics Specialist.
Want to learn more about data and business? Check out our Business Intelligence Data Analyst career path to start analyzing data for business-advancing insights. And be sure to browse all of our data science courses to fill out your knowledge gaps — you can even start learning for free with Learn SQL and Getting Started Off-Platform for Data Science.
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Cybersecurity, Information Security
Average salary: $120,449
There’s a huge demand for cybersecurity professionals who can protect an organization’s computer systems and networks from bad actors, attacks, and security breaches. Information Security (aka “InfoSec”) is a highly sought-after cybersecurity specialty that focuses on protecting information and data from unauthorized access and attacks.
Brand new to cybersecurity? Start with our beginner-friendly free course Introduction to Cybersecurity. If you want to explore further and learn to identify cyber attacks (and prevent them from happening), you can check out the path Fundamentals of Cybersecurity. And if you’re interested in pursuing a certification in cybersecurity, we just launched several test prep skill paths that prepare you for the top industry exams.
Business Operations
Average salary: $127,324
Business Operations Managers handle a company’s most important logistics and administrative systems, often reporting to the Chief Operations Officer (COO). A Business Operations Manager focuses on streamlining an organization’s internal operations and activities so they’re efficient and productive.
IT Auditing or Governance, Risk, and Compliance
Average salary: $128,355
Governance, Risk, and Compliance (or “GRC”) is the part of an organization that establishes best practices and security frameworks, and makes sure that team members follow them. An IT audit is essentially an investigation of an organization’s technologies and systems to make sure that they’re safe and meet regulatory requirements. Risk management is not only a lucrative specialty within cybersecurity, but it’s also in demand. To learn more about how companies establish secure practices and policies, try our path Fundamentals of Cyber Resilience and Risk Management.
Project Management
Average salary: $129,750
A Project Manager in a tech company oversees the day-to-day tasks required to make projects successful, ensuring that teams meet deadlines and work within budget constraints. They bring a blend of hard and soft skills, like risk management, communication, and leadership, to guide their teams towards achieving specific goals and deliverables. Project Managers often transition from other roles within the tech industry, but it’s also possible to enter the field with a willingness to learn new skills and tools.
You can start learning project management skills by taking the course Introduction to Project Management. If you decide to pursue a Project Manager career, you can also take our new skill path Certified Associate in Project Management, which prepares you for an industry-recognized certification exam.
Cloud
Average salary: $142,902
The vast world of cloud computing involves storing and accessing data and programs on the internet. There are plenty of job opportunities for folks with technical skills to work with the cloud. Some of the highest-paying cloud careers include Cloud Engineer and Computer and Information Systems Manager. We have lots of cloud computing courses for all levels that you can take, from free video-based courses to in-depth certification prep skill paths.
IT Architecture and Design
Average salary: $156,147
Enterprise Architect is a high-paying leadership role that deals with overall IT architecture and design. These IT pros are responsible for making high-level decisions about an organization’s overall IT strategy. An Enterprise Architect’s tasks can include things like setting up and creating a network infrastructure, maintaining software and hardware, communicating with business stakeholders, and managing cybersecurity systems.
You need a fair amount of professional experience under your belt to become an Enterprise Architect. Inspired to start working towards this career? Take a look at the beginner-friendly IT courses to learn the key skills used in IT architecture and design. Aspects of computer science and IT often overlap, so consider taking our Computer Science career path — you’ll learn how to code like a professional and understand the theory behind programming.
Executive
Average salary: $163,611
Dream of running a tech company someday? Unsurprisingly, C-Suite Executives — like Chief Executive Officer and Chief Information Officer — had the highest salaries in Skillsoft’s 2024 IT Skills and Salaries survey. Executives are responsible for calling the shots, making major decisions for the company, and often acting as the face of an organization (think Apple’s Tim Cook or Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg). In short, that’s why they get paid the big bucks.
Want to read more of the survey findings? Download the 2024 Skillsoft IT Skills and Salaries report here.
If you’re not sure which tech career is right for you, start by taking our programming personality quiz. You’ll answer questions about your personal preferences and get custom recommendations for programming languages and courses you might want to try.
This blog was originally published on November 1, 2022 and has been updated with information from the 2024 IT Skills and Salary Report.
