Learning for Workplace Success

…if one thing stands out about adult learning it is that a self-diagnosed need for learning produces much greater motivation to learn than does an externally diagnosed need.

—Malcolm Knowles

Assess

As you have probably noticed, there are a couple of consistent themes throughout the AcaciAa™ Model, one of which is self-regulation. The Assess Stage of the model is part of this same theme. Learners being able to effectively control their experience will require them to assess, for themselves, what they are doing and whether, or not, they are doing it effectively.

In order to become successful by today’s standards, learners must be able to systematically gather information pertaining to their performance so they can measure whether their methods and approaches are working. In connection with the information discussed in the Internalize Stage of the model, this will be a much more useful activity if the learner does this from within rather than if all evaluation and assessment of their learning occurs externally. According to Knowlton, generative self-evaluations can extend students’ thinking beyond the immediate content and engage them in issues of ontology and epistemology. They consider what they really do know and how they have come to know it. As students engage in generative self-evaluations, they are thinking about their own thinking (Knowlton 2009).

Until we as educators provide the means (information and training) for our learners to perform in this manner as well as the opportunity (created by our relinquish of control as mentioned specifically in the Adjust and Internalize Stages of the model) for them to do so, we do them a great injustice. Integrating opportunities for learners to begin evaluating their personal performance can begin with educators providing more useful feedback more frequently and holding learners accountable to change their performance based on that feedback. In addition, having them complete open-ended items that require them to speak to the quality of their performance or contribution to the class dynamic will help them develop the ability to Assess their overall performance independently. With each requirement to respond to our feedback or rate their own performance, they will become more comfortable and capable of operating in this manner.

NOTE: 

You may have noticed that the “a” that represents the Assess Stage in the AcaciAa™ Model is in superscript. This is intentional, as the author feels that an individual’s ability to assess his or her performance impacts their ability to successfully operate in all other stages of the model. A learner must nearly constantly engage in assessment of their behavior (cognitive strategy) if they want to reach their full learning potential.

Take Care,

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…seek learning conditions that enable each individual to reach the highest level of learning possible for her or him.

—Benjamin Bloom, Hastings, & Madaus

Ascend

Over 50 years ago, between 1949 and 1953, a group of more than 30 university-level educators began meeting to discuss the development of a framework to outline the different levels at which learners are required to process information. The result of their combined efforts was a book that presented the framework to the world. The framework was named after the editor of the book, Benjamin Bloom, and is referred to by most educators as Bloom’s Taxonomy. In 2001, David Krathwohl, a member of the original group, and a group of colleagues published an updated version of the taxonomy that better represents what we know today about the highest levels of thinking and learning (Anderson et al. 2001).

Nearly two decades ago I discovered for myself what a powerful tool Bloom’s Taxonomy is for educators in that it ensures that instructional objectives, content, and test or quiz items are aligned. But I also realized it would be just as powerful, if not more so, for learners if they understood the levels of cognitive processing represented by Bloom’s Taxonomy. As learning professionals we should support our learners in applying Bloom’s Taxonomy to their individual learning processes by explaining to them what takes place cognitively at each of the six levels and providing examples of what it would look like to operate at the higher levels of the taxonomy. In some cases it might be useful to provide examples specific to the material they are studying. It should be our hope that if they encounter courses later in life that were not designed with the appropriate levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy in mind, they will be able to effectively navigate the material using their personal knowledge of the model. If we take our commitment as learning professionals seriously, it should also be our hope that our learners will utilize this valuable model when engaged in workplace learning and job performance as well. Although few can state why from the cognitive perspective, employers are generally big fans of employees who can effectively operate at the appropriate cognitive levels while engaged in their day-to-day professional endeavors. Clark (2008) states that an advantage of any organization competing in a global talent pool is innovative and creative expertise. The ability to effectively utilize Bloom’s Taxonomy allows learners and employees to continue learning beyond what we attempt to teach them and enables them to reach their highest level of learning and performance.

Additional Notes:

In a post dated April 8, 2011 and titled Don't Settle for More of the Same I suggested that learners should ask and answer the following questions:

-- What does it take to complete the assigned learning tasks?

-- At which level does the assigned learning task align with the 6 levels of learning?

-- Am I just doing more on the same level or am I improving my ability to achieve more advanced thinking/learning? 

If you're a learner and you can't respond confidently to these questions when studying I still highly recommend that you call The College Network (1.800.395.1014) so that we can help you ensure that you get a great return on the time and money you invest in your education. We can help by showing you a better way to earn online degrees from top universities while becoming a more effective learner overall.

Take Care,

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Real power comes from within. —Charles Haanel

Internalize

If you will recall our brief discussion about the fact that reading isn’t learning, you will see that it is only through internalizing what is being read that the learner engages in learning while reading. To restate—meaningful learning only happens when the learner is fully engaged and brings his or her thoughts, questions, and feelings into the experience (Caine & Caine 2006). The problem with getting learners to internalize their learning is that every message we send them from kindergarten on demonstrates that they are not in control of their learning processes and that it’s all about what happens externally.

In order to facilitate a shift in thinking as it relates to who is to control the learning processes, we as designers and developers of the material, environments, and experiences must first relinquish control of the learning process and then help our learners develop more personal reasons for learning. 

Why?

Because learning, when defined as the construction of meaning, is a very personal experience. According to Caine and Caine (2006), one consequence of a new construction of meaning is a shift in perception—in how a person sees the world and himself or herself in it. They go on to state that in order for the necessary shift in perception to take place as learners construct meaning, the learner must have an adequate amount of relevant experience. In other words, the learner must internalize the learning experience and generate personal meaning based on what is relevant to them--as learners. A good place to begin is to help them determine why they are engaged in this learning experience and what they hope to gain from it.

There are many reasons why we engage in learning experiences. No one person has the exact same reason as another, especially when you consider the fact that many have multifaceted reasons for pursuing learning. The most important thing to keep in mind as it relates to effective learning is the fact that the more personal, or internal, the motivation the better. From there we should move to helping our learners identify and explore what they already know about the topic being studied before launching into new material or our agenda as educators.

Tips for Helping Learners Internalize their Experience:

- Help them identify their individual learning style(s)

- Talk with them about what it means to have an internal locus of control

- Share cognitive strategies and study methods for improving outcomes

- Create interactive content that requires their engagement

Of course, there are many other steps that can be taken. Be creative and explore what happens when learners are placed at the center of the learning experience.

Until Next Time,

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If adult learners are not given the opportunity to create such an experience or encouraged to find existing connections that they can build on, they may revert to treating the material as something to be memorized, rather than understood.

—Kathleen Taylor

Connect

According to Wolf (2006), when curricula, courses, and assignments focus on discrete parts of learning material rather than the big picture, adult learners have difficulty remembering and understanding because they do not see how everything fits together. I learned this firsthand during my days of classroom instruction while teaching in an Interactive Media program. One of the courses I most enjoyed teaching was Advanced Interactive Media. I liked teaching this course because it allowed students to effectively utilize the information they had learned in the prerequisite courses to design and develop meaningful and useful products. However, there was always a handful of students who had completed the lower-level courses successfully but were unable to make the necessary connections between what they had learned in previous courses and what they were required to do in the more advanced course. Not only were they not engaging in basic connection of information as it pertained to the material and skills they were supposed to be learning in their courses, but some were quite confused about the fact that I wasn’t going to re-teach them how to develop instructional graphics, design an interface, or effectively use a cuing mechanism. Rather, it was my duty in the advanced course to provide them the opportunity to utilize what they had learned previously to more complex and life-like situations. This was frustrating for both me and my students because as the instructor I needed to be able to operate on certain assumptions in order to effectively teach the course. 

As a method of addressing these issues, I began presenting a mini-lecture before delving into the material for the more advanced course. This mini-lecture advised them as to how they should approach the semester if they wanted to be successful in building a knowledge base and skill set that would serve them well professionally. 

The essence of the lecture:

Students who begin each course in their program as if they are starting at ground zero are missing a valuable opportunity to make meaningful connections that will serve to build their knowledge base over time. Everything you do and learn is connected to where you are heading professionally. The assignments in your classes aren’t just projects we assign to keep you busy. The projects are allowing you to learn and perform in a manner that allows you to make the necessary mental connections you will need as you progress in your program. You see, you aren’t just taking courses; you are actually completing a curriculum for which each of the courses is addressing certain objectives. Each of the courses included in the curriculum leads to the development of knowledge and skills that are not meant to stand alone but rather to build upon one another.

Connecting the Disconnected

In the end, I couldn’t lay the entire burden at the feet of my students. Did my fellow colleagues and I do enough to help our students understand how the courses were interrelated? Were there ways in which we could have better supported students in making the proper connections between the courses and content? Could we have used technology to allow them to refresh or remediate as needed? Were we all teaching our courses as stand-alone entities that may or may not have supported the students’ abilities to understand and effectively complete the curriculum in a meaningful manner? As learning professionals, the manner in which we develop learning experiences must require and support learners so they can connect the portions of information they are learning. This is a very important part of the learning process, especially when engaged in self-directed (self-regulated) learning. Are we helping our learners develop strong knowledge structures, or as posed previously, are we approaching learning based on the knowledge we want to share with our students rather than starting with where they are in the development of their own knowledge structures (Zull 2006)?

We all have to answer these questions both as individuals and collectively if we truly want to have a positive impact on our students’ learning and lives.

Kind Regards,

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It’s not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. 

— Charles Darwin

There are many self-help books on the market today to assist people in changing their lives, careers, bodies, or relationships. Anyone who has made major changes in life and managed to sustain those changes over time knows that while it isn’t easy, it is possible. When it comes to learning, in order to ensure success in achieving sustainable learning, learners must be able to adjust their approach based on who they are as learners, what they need at different stages throughout the learning process, and whether, or not, they are on target to reach their learning goals. The Adjust Stage of The College Network's AcaciAa™ Model addresses what is necessary on the part of educators in order to support learners success in this stage of the model.

A group of teaching and learning professionals have discussed the value of self-regulation for decades. While there is still relatively little widespread support for the practice of varying instruction in the traditional classroom, many agree that students who become empowered to control their own learning experience become transformed as individuals and therefore more engaged in their own learning process (Boyer 2009; Moore & Kearsley 1996; Lane 1997; Palloff & Pratt 1999). Through the increasing use of online and eLearning courses we can better serve our learners in their development of the ability to monitor, manage, and adjust their approach throughout their learning experience. P.T. Northrup states that…self-regulating one’s own learning is an important aspect of online learning… students need to monitor their progress in an ongoing fashion and adjust their strategies for learning based on their progress (Northrup 2009). 

In order to support learners’ abilities to successfully address the Adjust Stage of the model, the following should be considered when designing and developing course materials and activities.

-Post lectures online for repeated use by those who need to hear the information more than once.

-Tie every assignment, lesson, and lecture to objectives that support course outcomes. Instructional objectives can serve as mile markers or landmarks that allow learners to ensure they are headed in the right direction.

-Provide multiple assignment options so that learners are required to make choices regarding how they address or complete course content based on their individual needs.

-Follow an andragogical rather than pedagogical approach to instruction. 

As stated previously in the Attend Stage of the model, designing learning experiences that provide multiple options for learners will initially require more effort but will lead to a better overall experience for learners.

Until Next Time,

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 Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.

— Albert Einstein

As both a learner and an educator, it has oftentimes amazed me how easy it is to fall into lazy habits of thinking. Unfortunately, many students have never been taught what it means to think or process information, so they aren’t actually falling into lazy habits; they have simply never been taught proper habits of thinking. The Consider Stage of the AcaciAa™ Model (The College Network's recently released cognitive strategy) continues to assist learners in understanding what it means to be an engaged learner.

One of my professors used to tell us, repeatedly, that telling isn’t teaching. Yet, so often we as educators behave as if dissemination of information is enough to support learners in achieving the required learning. Not so—we must develop instructional experiences that engage our learners and move them along the continuum of engagement. The Consider Stage of the AcaciAa™ model moves learners from attending to information to more deeply processing information by introducing them to the value of three primary functions of basic information processing: reflecting, questioning, and expounding.

Reflection, Questioning, and Expounding

Reflection, in the learning context, is the deliberate act of thinking back on information previously encountered so that as learners take in information they can make meaningful connections between the different pieces and portions of information. So often we as educators conceive of teaching as starting with our knowledge rather than that of the learner. We ignore what may be our best opportunity to change a brain by refining and exaggerating the valuable connections that are already there (Zull 2002). Reflection is a way for learners to tie what they are learning to their life experiences. This also leads to emotional connections to the learning that allow neurons to work together, thus creating the desired connections (Zull 2002). The question posed to learning professionals is this—do you structure your learning experiences so that learners are required to reflect while they learn? As much as I hate to admit it, we have all run into colleagues who seem more concerned with the quantity (which can lead to loosely connected or worse disconnected meaning), rather than the quality, of information they share with learners. 

Even if we are committed to changing our ways, how do we ensure that learners are integrating the act of reflection into their learning process? The answer to this question is so simple that it seems almost ridiculous. The answer? Require learners to stop reading or listening and think. That’s right. Provide activities and assignments that require them to stop and think about or question what they just heard or read. Have them restate in their own words what they’ve read. Once they can do that without too much effort, ask them what they think about what the author or speaker is saying and how it’s being said. Here are a few more items that you may want to include if you really want to be able to support learners in building a strong knowledge base. 

- What was this passage about?

- Why does it matter?

- To what other information is this passage connected?

- Identify the most important aspect of this topic or concept.

- If it is a concept, ensure you understand all aspects of it and how they are related. 

Notice that none of the items can be responded to with yes/no answers or without serious consideration of the material. These types of items don’t just get learners thinking; they lead them to expound on their initial thoughts. Too often our learners want to check the completed box before adequately expounding on what they are pondering. The reflective process, when done properly, leads to insight and has been shown to affect—and ultimately change—patterns in the brain (Ross 2006; Liggan & Kay 1999). The more a learner can reflect, question, and expound, the better they will be able to connect later in the learning process and avoid lazy habits of thinking. 

Take Care,

cd

Attention is the first step in this [and every] learning experience. — Pat Wolfe

Where does one begin when discussing/addressing/supporting cognitive strategy?

In my opinion, when it comes to successful learning, it all begins with the learners’ ability to focus their attention. This may seem like an overly simplistic way to suggest someone begin the process of learning and/or supporting a learner's application of cognitive strategy; but anyone familiar with Gagné’s Nine Events of Instruction is aware of the importance of attention in the learning process.

In the work titled Principles of Instructional Design, Gagné and his colleagues state that, skill at gaining the attention of students, involving insightful knowledge of the particular students involved, is part of the teacher’s art (Gagné, Wager, Golas, & Keller 2005).  This isn’t just the logical starting point. This initial event of gaining the learner’s attention supports the brain’s reception of information, which initiates the physical process of learning (defined as creation of neuronal networks). 

When training people who are new to the practice of designing and developing eLearning experiences, I often make the statement that reading isn’t learning. When I say this I am not trying to discount the value of reading. Reading definitely plays an important role in the learning process. Instead, I am trying to communicate that if learners are simply reading instructional material without attending to it, they aren’t fully engaged in the learning process. The difference between the two is fairly basic. Many people read without actually processing what they are reading. They see the words and they take them in, but they really don’t process beyond understanding what the words mean. Basically, they approach reading and learning independently of each other—as if it is simply a list of chores to be completed. An engaged learner is one who brings his or her thoughts and questions to a book (Caine & Caine 2006). To continue in the words of Caine and Caine (2006), they read differently than someone who simply surfs the overt meanings of the words. During the Attend Stage, learners should decide as they read what is most and least relevant and direct their attention accordingly.

Those making decisions regarding the design and development of instructional material, as well as the design of learning environments, should keep in mind that relevance is of great importance in engaging learners. Because adult learners don’t want to waste even an ounce of energy directed toward learning, we must ensure that every assignment, passage, and requirement can be tied directly to the lesson and course objectives. In addition, if there is any room for confusion we should continue working on the material until its purpose is crystal clear. This does not mean that you need to oversimplify the content. In fact, according to Wolfe (2006) there are two factors that greatly improve learner recall and understanding, both of which are controlled by the designer of the learning experience. The first is whether, or not, the information has meaning and the second factor is whether, or not, the information has an emotional hook. While designing learning experiences to meet these standards will initially require more effort of the designers, McLaren states that it is very important to acknowledge that learners will have a better experience if they are allowed to complete tasks that engage their minds rather than simply reading and listening to lectures (Hsi & Gale 2003, page 7). Providing learners with multiple options throughout the learning experience to include varying degrees of interaction will more likely ensure that they have a positive experience (Battalio 2009).

Next week, I'll share thoughts on the Consider Stage of The College Network's AcaciAa Model.

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Once we stretch our mind around a new idea, it never returns to its former shape. — Oliver Wendell Holmes

Becoming a strong, capable learner is one of the most rewarding accomplishments any person can achieve; however, individuals must claim this for themselves. No matter how much we would like to believe it, no one person can make this happen for another. This does not mean that we as learning professionals are without valuable influence in the process. It’s our responsibility to help our learners achieve greater heights in thinking and learning. They won’t have to look far to discover the value of developing learning skills and employing cognitive strategies, but they do have to know where to find information on how to develop and effectively utilize such skills and models.  Once we help them discover and develop in this area, we are then responsible to support their efforts through appropriate design and development of learning experiences. 

How we as learning professionals respond to this challenge will depend to a great extent on the population we work with, our professional training, and our understanding of the needs of our learners. At The College Network we agree with Taylor, Marienau, and Fiddler (2000) that experiences that have been skillfully designed to assist learners in developing skills that allow them to generate new ideas and theories are very powerful. The AcaciAa™ Model reflects our efforts to help our customers become effective, efficient learners so that they are well equipped to generate new ideas and theories. After all, being able to generate new ideas and theories doesn’t just help learners reach their formal education goals. Being able to generate new ideas and theories is at the core of better decision-making, which will impact their personal lives as well as their professional endeavors.

This visual represents the different stages of the model and what learners need to be able to manage for themselves in order to have the best learning experience possible. We don’t profess our approach to be without shortcomings or the answer to every learner’s needs. However, it does reflect our commitment to facilitate the development of capable learners and support them once they have achieved this status. 

In subsequent posts I will address each specific stage of the model.

Until Then,

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• Dental and medical appointments
• Create a list of things financial goals for the year
• Update my résumé and professional connections

This is a rather standard list of very basic tasks but you’d be surprised how many people don’t take care of their physical, financial, or professional wellbeing.

The medical appts probably don't surprise you and the review of financial goals probably makes sense to most people. But being proactive about your professional wellbeing is also one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your loved ones. So, every January I take an inventory of where I am professionally. This is a practice one of my mentors taught me long ago. Some years I am more on top of things than others but I try to ask myself these 4 questions every January. 

1. What did I achieve in the previous year?
2. What did I learn in the previous year?
3. Am I on the right path to reach my professional goals?
4. Am I still pursuing my professional ideal?

The answers to these questions tell me if I need to continue on the same path or make changes in order to reach my personal and professional goals. This approach has worked for me for many years. I have even passed this approach along to those I mentor so they can use it as a tool to help keep them on track.

Take a few minutes and ask yourself these 4 questions. Consider the answers thoroughly and determine if you are on the right track to reach your professional ideal. If you find that you haven’t achieved what you’d like or that you didn’t learn as much in the previous year as you needed to reach your goals, consider a change in direction. That change may mean returning to school or earning a professional certification.­ The College Network can help you earn your Six Sigma Green Belt, a Paralegal Certificate, or one of many degrees offered by our partner institutions.

Give The College Network a call at (1.800.395.1014) and talk with one of our Program Advisors about earning the education that will allow you to achieve the answers to these questions that will take you where you want to be professionally. 

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I recently conducted a webinar in which I grew annoyed with myself when I noticed that I was speaking in a strange manner. I used the word actually over and over again. It wasn’t misplaced use though. Each time I said the word it truly fit the situation. But I was very aware of the fact that in nearly every sentence I was saying the word actually. I tried to edit myself but I just couldn’t get it under control.

Never before had I noticed this behavior and yet, it was so obvious that I quickly became annoyed at myself. Here I was a professional who was supposed to be an experienced presenter and out of the clear blue I had developed what appeared to be a nervous tick of some sort; or was it?

As I replayed the day I was relieved to find that it wasn’t a nervous tick, at all.  Instead, it was an indicator of the underlying issue I was trying to address in my presentation.

The topic being presented was the effective design of eLearning solutions. The goal was to help people understand that presenting information isn’t enough to ensure that employees truly learn and can apply that information. There is a big difference in being exposed to information and actually learning information. This difference is the reason I kept saying the word actually.

The truth of the matter is:

--  Many students/learners are reading, but they aren’t actually learning.
-- Many employees are performing but they aren’t actually performing well.
-- Instructional content can present information without actually supporting the learning process.

In short, thinking and learning are processes that can look like they’re taking place without actually taking place at all. If a learner doesn’t know how to ensure they are learning they might actually be wasting their time, energy, and resources. 

What can be done to ensure this is not the case with you and your learning activities?  If you want to ensure that you are truly learning what you need to learn to reach your educational and professional goals, call The College Network (1.800.395.1014) and talk to one of our representatives about what we do to help our customers learn effectively and efficiently.

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Can you believe August has already rolled around and the start of fall semester is right around the corner? It seems like just yesterday we were all talking about our New Year’s resolutions and what we wanted to achieve this year. Now here we are, 8 months into the year with 2012 coming quickly around the bend.

All of this brought to mind some words I heard when I was a kid. I used to spend a lot of time with my grandmother and her friends. I guess I was one of those kids who was a bit older than my years. Anyway, I remember one of my grandmother’s friends telling me that as we grow older time seems to go by faster. At the time this made absolutely no sense to me. The words fell on young and confused ears.

But as I grow older I’m beginning to understand. A week is still a week and has the same number of days and hours but my how they fly by now that my time is stretched between so many commitments and responsibilities. As a kid, a month used to feel more like three months; but now feels like only two weeks.

Hhhhhmmmm, a month; what could I accomplish in a month?

I recently watched this brief video of a gentleman named Matt Cutts talking for a few minutes about the value of 30 days and how he changed his life by challenging himself 30 days at a time.

Stop reading and watch the video…you won’t regret it.

...

Did you watch it?

...

What would you like to change in 30 days? Are there things you wanted to achieve this year that have fallen by the wayside?

There are still 5 months left in this year. What could you accomplish in that time? What could you do in just 30 days?

If while reading this post, or watching Matt’s talk you found yourself thinking about your educational goals and the fact that you’d like to complete an advanced nursing degree, become a BSN, or learn more about online degrees from leading universities, call The College Network (1.800. 395.1014).

Challenge yourself. Let’s see what you can accomplish before the end of 2011.

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Returning to school to earn a degree is an experience that often brings about such moments; especially when studying something that is enjoyed beyond the classroom. It can be formal or informal; required for credit or pursued for pleasure; enjoyed with friends or personal and private; instructor-led or self-directed. No matter how it’s packaged learning can be life changing.

Look for opportunities to learn. You may stumble upon a life-changing moment.

Call The College Network (1.800.395.1014) to learn more about certificate programs and degree programs that can lead you to a life-changing moment.

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…it’s hard on some days to keep your head above water. How do you keep everything moving forward when so many people need so much from you?

If you have ever had this thought—let’s face it, we all have at one point or another—then you probably need to take a quick inventory of what you’re balancing on your proverbial plate by engaging in this simple exercise.

The Exercise

1. Stop everything. I know this seems impossible, but make it happen or the suffering continues.
2. Examine what's on your plate. Really think about how you spend your time and what truly matters to you.
3. Remove anything that shouldn't be on your plate. This might honk some people off initially, but those who care about you will understand. Everyone else will get over it. :-D
4. Now, consider how you approach work. Are you approaching work, tasks, and life with a plan? Do you know how to develop a plan that puts you where you want to be in life?
5. Develop a plan to get the things that matter done and done well.
6. Approach life with renewed energy as you put your plan into action.

If you get stuck on item 4 you're like many people (young and old) who are being limited by the way they think or how they approach situations that require reasoning skills.

In order to accomplish MORE, BETTER, FASTER, a person has to have strong cognitive skills so that they can effectively examine, evaluate, sort, decide, plan, implement, review, and revise.

By now, you probably see where I’m headed with this post. Everything we do in life is affected by how we think. In the very near future, The College Network is going to launch a powerful new web site to help our customers become more skilled in the area of thinking and learning. If you would like to know more about how to hone your skills and increase your ability to achieve more, better, faster call The College Network (1.800.395.1014) and speak with one of our Program Advisors about steps you can take to complete your education online or earn a certificate from a leading university.

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At some point in your K-12 education, you probably found value in the use of flashcards. But have you thought about using them now that you’re an adult learner?

Flashcards are a GREAT tool for committing almost anything to memory. And let’s face it, when you begin any type of academic or training program, there is quite a bit of information that needs to be memorized before you can do anything more with it.

To ensure that you get the most out of your stack of flashcards, watch this brief video of Dr. Katherine Rawson (of Kent State University) as she provides tips on how to use flashcards effectively and efficiently based on what she and her team have learned via their research: http://www.kent.edu/news/video/rawsonvideo.cfm.

Dr. Rawson was recently recognized by U.S. President Obama and given the honor of being a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

Why does this matter to you? Well, for those of you who aren’t sure about the value and/or quality of online learning, it may make your decision to enter an online program a little easier.

The report, which was released in November 2010 and is titled Class Differences: Online Education in the United States, reveals the following:  

In addition to being of equal or greater instructional quality, online courses also provide the following benefits:

-- They take the pressure off of having to be in a traditional classroom; instead, you can study in the privacy of your home or wherever you are most comfortable. If you have trouble responding to questions in the classroom or you deal with test anxiety, learning online allows you to answer questions and take exams via computer rather than face-to-face. Some learners find this quite helpful, especially early on in their program, until they build up their confidence. NOTE: Research studies have shown that responses to study questions submitted online are often of a higher quality than those provided in a more traditional, face-to-face dialog.

-- They allow you to study at the time of day or on the days that fit you best. As long as you get your work turned in on time, when you complete the work is up to you.

-- They provide access to resources that can be viewed or completed repeatedly. This is especially helpful if you have been out of school for a while and want to ramp up your study skills by putting in some extra time and effort.

-- They increase your ability to use technology in a meaningful manner. This could turn out to be a professional benefit in the long run as online courses utilize many software packages that are also common in the workplace.

I could continue with this list, but I think you get the point. Stop putting off what could be the most important decision you’ve made in a long time. Call The College Network (1.800.395.1014) and let us help you get started completing your degree online.

So many times when we want to change where we are in life, we end up doing more of the same thing we’re already doing. I’m sure there’s a formal name for this but I generally refer to it as human nature because in most situations, people just don’t know what it is they don’t know.

The same is true when people want to improve their ability to learn. Generally, they begin by doing more of the same thing they were already doing. So, if they were already operating at the Comprehension Level they will try to comprehend more. If they have been operating at the Analysis Level they will try to analyze more. This can lead to serious frustration when the learner is exerting more effort but seeing little return on their investment from the learning perspective.  

Rather than simply doing more of the same thing, learners should ask and answer the following questions to be sure they're on target.

-- What does it take to complete the assigned learning tasks?

-- At which level does the assigned learning task align with the 6 levels of learning?

-- Am I just doing more on the same level or am I improving my ability to achieve more advanced thinking/learning? 

If you aren’t sure you know the answers to these questions as they relate to your education goals, call The College Network (1.800.395.1014) so that we can help you ensure that you get a great return on the time and money you invest in your education. We can help by showing you a better way to earn online degrees from top universities while becoming a more effective learner overall.

Books that tell you how to bring about change in your life are a dime a dozen these days. But if you’re pursuing that type of information, and you purchase and read several of those books, you will begin to see a pattern emerge.

You see, whether you’re trying to lose weight, make more money, or master a new form of expression through the arts, you have to do one single thing to initiate each of these changes in your life. You must first make a commitment to the process required to achieve your goal. 

It’s no different if you want to become more skilled in the area of learning. It will require a commitment to the process. There are no shortcuts to becoming the best learner you can be.

Depending on where you are in life, you may wonder why learning would matter to anyone over a certain age. After all, doesn’t all of that school stuff fall by the wayside once you graduate high school or college?

The answer is, DEFINITELY NOT if you want to advance in your chosen career. If you disagree with my stance on this, consider the following: