February 3, 2021When Does Collaboration Hurt Memory?by David BuckTake six people and give them all a list of words to commit to memory individually. Next, have three of those people work as a group to recall as many words as they can. Have the other three people try…
January 29, 2021Why Letting Your Students Collaborate on Exams isn’t a Bad Ideaby David BuckCollaborative testing (aka team-based testing) is a collaborative learning technique that has received a fair amount of attention from researchers (LoGiudice, Pachai, and Kim 2015). It is a practice that typically involves students taking a test individually and then taking…
June 18, 2020Understanding HIPs through a Theoretical Modelby David BuckAs the next Center for Engaged Learning Scholar, I wanted to write my first post on something that we might take for granted – the definition of a High-Impact Practice (HIP). If you find yourself reading this blog, then you…
May 8, 2020Research on Immersive Learning: How to Know When Enough is Enough?by Phillip MotleyIn short order, I’ll have collected close to 25 interviews with colleagues who are involved in some way with immersive learning. Most of the interviews are with Elon faculty and staff, but a few are from colleagues at other institutions….
April 7, 2020Immersion is a Structure, and a Constructby Phillip MotleyThe coronavirus pandemic has slowed, but not stopped, my investigation of immersive learning practices in higher education. In particular, my plans to conduct in-person interviews of university teaching faculty about their experiences with immersive learning have been delayed. However, due…
April 2, 2020Critical Mentoring is Custom Fitted to the Studentby Buffie Longmire-AvitalThere is no shortage of research on the importance of mentorship within high impact practices for students from underrepresented minority backgrounds. We know that mentorship builds resilience (Inman, 2020; Ramos 2019) and facilitates retention (Davis, 2017; Wilson et al., 2012),…
March 10, 2020Defining the Characteristics of Immersive Learningby Phillip MotleyAttempting to fully define the characteristics of immersive learning is a distinct challenge. What pedagogies count and which ones don’t? Is there a specific line in the sand that demarcates what is and isn’t immersive learning, and if so, where…
February 19, 2020CEL Scholar Longmire-Avital Presents at HIPs in the StatesDr. Buffie Longmire-Avital presented her CEL Scholar work on historically underrepresented minority students and high-impact practices at HIPs in the States on February 19. Read her blog posts on the topic here. How to cite this post: CEL Scholar Longmire-Avital…
February 13, 2020Curricular Structures That Facilitate Immersive Learningby Phillip MotleyAs part of my exploration of pedagogies that constitute immersive learning, it is hard to ignore Elon University’s robust use of a specific curricular structure: our winter term. Every January at Elon, students can elect to enroll in a single,…
September 17, 2019International Service-Learningby Phillip MotleyImagine a group of college students, under the guidance of a professor, working on a community-driven project where the lived experience of members of that community and the problems they would like to solve are the driving force behind the…