Formative feedback is information given to a learner during the learning activity to help them improve by modifying their thinking or behavior. Feedback is best delivered using a variety of channels: learner-instructor, learner-peer, and learner-self. Effective formative feedback: Clarifies good performance and behaviors through goals and criteria Facilitates self-assessment and reflection Delivers high quality information about learning Encourages instructor-peer dialogue Encourages positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem Gives opportunities to close performance gap Provides information to instructors to shape their teaching Learn more about the research on Formative Feedback below! ... View more

Authentic assessment is relevant, skill-based assessment that is challenging, evokes reflection, encourages collaboration, and transfers to real-world contexts. Primary skills that are assessed include higher-order, critical thinking skills as well as self-regulated learning skills; there is often also an emphasis on human-focused workplace skills such as communication, collaboration, and problem solving. Learn more about the research on Authentic Assessment below! ... View more

Metacognition refers to our knowledge and self-awareness of our cognitive processes—in other words, the way we “think about our thinking.” When a learner uses metacognition to improve their learning, they adapt different strategies to bolster their self-awareness about their knowledge. A subset of this is known as self-regulated learning, a set of interrelated skills and motivations that control learning. Self-regulated learning can consist of up to three stages: Planning: forethought, where learners set goals, identify critical features around tasks, and plan strategies Monitoring: performance, where learners track their current state and monitor their progress towards a goal Evaluating: self-reflection, where learners assess their solutions, determine whether they met their goal, and review the strategies used. Learn more about the research on Metacognition (Self-regulated Learning) below! ... View more

Active learning is the practical application of the theory of constructivist learning, in which students use new information and lived experience to form or modify their mental models. Instead of traditional lecture, which is a form of passive learning, active learning focuses on engaging students in the process of learning. Students engage in active learning when they reflect on their ideas and how they are using them regularly assess their comprehension, and gain knowledge through participation. This is accomplished through class discussion, group work, and problem-solving activities. Successful active learning in classrooms requires students to use metacognitive skills and critical thinking skills in order to judge their understanding and activate higher orders of thinking. Learn more about the research on Active Learning below! ... View more

The two basic types of motivation are intrinsic, or doing an activity for its inherent satisfaction, and extrinsic, or doing an activity for a separate, external outcome. Extrinsic motivation can range in quality. The more a student can internalize external values and integrate them into their behaviors, the higher quality their extrinsic motivation becomes. Learn more about the research on Motivation: Self-Determination Theory below! ... View more

Productive involvement with an academic activity is at the core of academic engagement. This includes both observable and unobservable qualities of student interactions with learning activities. Engagement is multidimensional including (but not limited to): Behavioral: involvement in academic tasks and class-based activities including effort, persistence, attention, concentration, and help-seeking. Cognitive: self-regulating, setting learning goals, persisting on challenging tasks. Emotional: positive emotional reactions to teachers, peers, and classroom activities, as well as valuing learning and having interest in the learning content Learn more about the research on Academic Engagement below! ... View more

Backwards design is a three-stage approach to designing learning experiences: Identify desired results, or what students should be able to know, understand and do. Examples: learning objectives, discipline-wide standards Determine acceptable evidence, or how we will know when desired results have been attained. Examples: assessment, performance tasks Plan learning experiences and instruction, or what content and methods will enable these desired results. Examples: texts, activities Rather than content development occurring first, learning objectives should be the first stage of developing a class or learning experience. Assessments can be constructed to cover a specific objective, and content can be developed to support those assessments. Learn more about the research on Backwards Design below! ... View more

Learning objectives are granular, specific statements of what a learner should be able to know, think, or be able to do as part of a learning experience. Learning objectives should be measurable by multiple forms of assessment; include specific, observable behaviors that describe success; and be appropriately challenging. Effective learning objectives are created in a hierarchy, with broad top-level learning objectives describing cognitively complex outcomes after completing a learning experience, and more specific lower-level learning objectives that provide the building blocks for the top-level objectives. Learn more about the research on Learning Objectives below! ... View more

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a design framework for creating learning experiences that are equitable, flexible, and accessible to all learners. UDL is built upon three principles: providing multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression to meet the needs of all learners. UDL principles inform implementation guidelines that promote high level learning goals of self-regulation, comprehension, and executive function; strategies to build these areas of expertise; and methods to remove unnecessary barriers to learning. Through this lens, there are no “right” types of assessments, methods, or materials; instead, design focus should be on having multiple options for diverse learners. Learn more about the research on Universal Design for Learning below! ... View more

Sense of belonging in college settings refers to how students understand their role and their social fit in a college environment and what behaviors they exhibit in response. Students’ sense of belonging can be enhanced through both social and academic interactions in their classrooms and institutions; examples of interactions include diverse peer group interactions, faculty and staff support, lack of social isolation, and a campus environment that promotes cultural integrity and engagement as well as a commitment to diversity. Learn more about the research on Sense of Belonging below! ... View more

A major goal for higher education is for students to gain the knowledge and skills to become lifelong learners in order to be successful in college and beyond. In order to reach this goal, students must have an understanding of what they know and what they don’t know. This understanding is formed in large part by practicing particular knowledge and skills, receiving scaffolded feedback, and adapting when needed. Feedback can be given in a variety of forms including through instructors, classmates, digital tools, or the learner themselves through self-evaluation.  Learn more about the research on Homework with Feedback below!     ... View more

In order to be successful in higher education, students must have an understanding of what they know and what they don’t know. This understanding is formed in large part by feedback they receive in various academic settings. Feedback can be given in a variety of formats including through instructors, classmates, digital tools, or the learner themselves through self-evaluation.  Learn more about the research on LearningCurve here.  ... View more

Success in higher education is highly dependent on skills that go beyond cognition and prior knowledge, including strategy and motivational skills. Students must set goals, engage in instruction, enact effective strategies, monitor progress, and seek help and resources when needed (Zimmerman & Schunk, 2001, 2018; Schunk & Ertmer, 2000). The ability to regulate one’s learning in new learning environments has been referred to as self-regulated learning. Students commonly struggle with the self-awareness required to think about their own thinking (i.e., metacognition) that self-regulated learning requires. This is particularly true in online learning environments (Winters et al., 2008). With the goal of supporting students’ self-regulated learning and metacognitive skills, Macmillan Learning developed a self-regulated learning tool called Goal Setting and Reflection Surveys. This tool was incorporated into the digital full course solution Achieve. The Goal Setting and Reflection Surveys include both support and instruction for three identified phases of metacognition: planning (includes goal setting and planning of strategies), monitoring (includes attention focusing and progress tracking), and evaluating (includes self-evaluation and help-seeking). Macmillan Learning funded a series of research studies, across five semesters (2019-2021) and 115 institutions, to examine the impact of the surveys. Participating instructors were given implementation recommendations but use of the Goal Setting and Reflection Surveys was not required to participate in the study and implementation choices varied by instructor. Learn more about the research on Goal Setting and Reflection Surveys here. ... View more

The intent of this literature review was to identify sense of belonging and metacognitive interventions in postsecondary education that lead to student success among BLI-LI students, and identify overlaps in interventions between the two. Based on these findings, this summary offers practical recommendations for designers and practitioners to implement when developing educational products and services to specifically improve postsecondary success outcomes among this cohort of students. Furthermore, we give detailed solutions that we designed and tested with BLI-LI students over the course of two semesters. Read more about our findings below. ... View more

In the fall of 2020, we conducted research with 29 unique instructors at 26 institutions, teaching 67 sections to 2,670 students about how Achieve worked for them. ... View more