Increasing Academic Performance Through Mark Withholding
By Carolina Kuepper-TetzelI have recently published a paper (with co-author Paul Gardner) on the effects of temporary mark withholding on academic performance and feedback views in university students (1). Temporary mark withholding is a feedback strategy whereby on assignments students are provided with the feedback first without their marks – then, a few days later,…
SQ3R or Read, Recite, Review
What is SQ3R?SQ3R stands for survey, question (or query), read, recite, review. It is a method designed in the 1940s to improve reading comprehension. Here is the brief overview of each step:Survey: First, go through and get a lay of the land. Look at headings and subheadings, graphics, highlighted words, maybe summary paragraphs. Get an…
Can You Avoid Burnout?
By Althea Need KaminskeIt’s January 2021! A new year and a fresh start. Given the general stress last year between the on-going COVID-19 pandemic and the switch online learning in order to avoid exposure to COVID-19, I think it’s safe to assume that most of us were feeling pretty burned out by the end of…
Retrieval Mapping
While concept mapping is popular, some research has shown that creating concept maps, when students have the material in front of them, is not as effective as retrieval practice (1). Other scholars have noted that it takes time to teach students to make concept maps in order for their use to be effective at enhancing…
Digest #149: Mind-Wandering
Despite our best intentions to stay focused, we may find our mind wandering from time to time. While there may be good reason for your mind to wander (see below!), It can certainly affect your ability to pay attention at crucial times. This week we've gathered resources on mind wandering.
VLOG: How To Take Notes In Class – A Video for Students
For further reading on note taking, check out some of our previous posts:How Should Students Take Notes?Factors of Effective Note-Taking: Application of Cognitive Load TheoryIf you would like to read some of the research that was mentioned in the video, then check out these articles:Jansen, R. S., Lakens, D., & IJsselsteijn, W. A. (2017). An…
Digest #148: Engaging Students in Online Learning
Online learning and teaching is the new normal in most educational institutions. Maybe your institution is taking a blended approach with a mix of online and face-to-face delivery or went all the way online teaching. Either way, with an increasing amount of teaching happening online the question is: How can we engage our students? In…
Teaching APA Style: 7th Edition Template Papers
Note, APA now has two separate title page formats: one for students and one for professionals. These templates reflect the format for students. For professional papers, a running head needs to be added (though the first page does not need to say “Running head” anymore… thank goodness!) as well as an author note.When creating the…
Can We Boost Elaboration with Retrieval Practice?
The other interesting thing they did was changing up the conditions of retrieval practice. Some students took an open-book test, where they literally had the text sitting in front of them while they answered the questions. Some took a closed-book test (no text available), but some were in a closed/open switch task. Essentially, students could…
GUEST POST: An Interview with an Elementary School Teacher and Doctoral Student
Quincey Farmer is an elementary teacher and administrator who has taught both domestically and abroad. He is an advocate of data-based instruction and evidence-based approaches. Quincey finds data particularly important as he transitions to a specialized role focused on identifying and nurturing academically and intellectually gifted learners in grades 3-5 and talent development in grades…













