The Dennis Learning Center facilitates professional development for staff, instructors, and administrators. All of our sessions are grounded in theoretical frameworks and empirical evidence from educational psychology and related fields. Our available topics are listed below. Depending on the needs of the audience, each session is tailored to a length of 1-2 hours and addresses secondary, postsecondary, or lifelong learning.
For questions about professional development pricing and scheduling, contact Interim Director Jackie von Spiegel.
Helping Students Choose and Use Effective Study Strategies
When students struggle with the college transition, many proclaim they never learned how to study in high school. That’s about to change. In this session, you will learn about the information processing model to develop a firm grasp of what distinguishes effective study strategies from ineffective ones. As you learn more about how memory works and what causes forgetting, you will be equipped to help students choose and use the study strategies that work best. This workshop also includes hands-on practice to see for yourself what supports—and interferes with—memory.
Developing Self-Regulated Learning Skills to Support Academic Success
Students who are the most likely to struggle are often the least prepared to recognize their lack of understanding. Even top students may have never learned to assess and adjust their approaches to learning, which can lead to challenges down the road. Fortunately, self-regulation is a skill all students can strengthen. In this session, you will learn about the cycle of self-regulated learning and how to support students as they plan, monitor, control, and reflect on their learning. This workshop will emphasize broad techniques for self-regulation that can be applied across multiple subject areas. You will review tools that help students develop self-regulated learning skills and have time to apply ideas individually and in groups.
Got Motivation? Strategies for Empowering Students in their Academics
When students find value in what they are learning, believe they are capable of improvement, and act resiliently in the face of challenge, academic success is a likely outcome. At times, however, students are disinterested, doubtful of their capabilities, and poised to stop trying altogether. Although many factors contribute to these differences, a key component that varies across students and contexts is motivation. All students are capable of developing their motivation for learning, and instructors play an important role in this process. In this session, you will learn key motivational principles from the field of educational psychology. You will then consider how to apply these insights to practice in order to empower students with greater confidence in and ownership of their learning.
Helping Students Reduce Procrastination and Boost Time Management
Procrastination and poor time management are major threats to students’ learning and academic success. This session will unpack the problematic nature of procrastination and examine the claim that students work better under pressure. You will gain a deeper grasp of the reasons underlying students’ procrastination and the psychology behind effective planning. To support students’ academic outcomes and college readiness, you will learn both general principles and practical tips to reduce procrastination and boost time management.