Psychological Science: It CAN Inform SoTL

Over the last 20+ years, we have understood more about how students can learn effectively. Much of this work has come out of psychological and learning sciences and has focussed on lab-based studies that have demonstrated optimal conditions for learning. As we have begun to translate that work into the classroom, it has become abundantly clear that there are numerous variables that really guide the effectiveness of such practices. In many ways, psychology and the learning sciences have done a great job of providing us with the techniques. It's up to us, as practitioners of SoTL, to develop the boundary conditions of those learning strategies so we can identify the variables at play and implement them effectively in our courses. In this workshop, we will talk about learning sciences and discuss the varied ways we can utilize SoTL to better implement these strategies into our learning experiences for students. The session will be highly interactive and members of the audience are encouraged to come with ideas, thoughts and questions about the science of learning to better maximize our time to develop effective SoTL strategies for our unique contexts.

Chris Hakala, Ph.D.

Director
Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship
Professor of Psychology
Springfield College

Chris Hakala has over 20 years’ experience as a professor and Center Director in higher education institutions. Over the years, his research has focused on reading comprehension, teaching and learning, effective faculty development and assessment. In addition, Chris has been invited to present at many conferences around the country as well as dozens of colleges and universities on topics ranging from reading narrative text to how to effectively manage large classes, or how to engage students in ways that maximize student learning. At Springfield College, Chris runs the Center for Excellence on Teaching, Learning and Scholarship and teaches courses in the psychology department. Chris  also hosts a podcast interviewing faculty developers across the country.