Failure can be an effective tool for learning, but it comes with negative consequences. Educators and learners should practice strategies that leverage the benefits of failure while managing its negative consequences on learners' motivation and persistence. Towards that goal, this paper examines the biological effects of failure on learning to (1)…

The aim of this study was to delve into the barriers to learning experienced by 2e students with autism through in-depth interviews with seven 2e students and four professors from a northeastern university. All participants were in a specialized program for 2e students with autism and took classes with the general student population. Results…

Increasing college participation rates, and diversity in student population, is posing a challenge to colleges in their attempts to facilitate learners achieve their full academic potential. Learning analytics is an evolving discipline with capability for educational data analysis that could enable better understanding of learning process, and…

The central place of the learning environment and the personal characteristics of the learner in influencing whether students adopt deep or surface approaches to learning is well evidenced in the literature (for example, Marton & Saljo, 1976; Biggs, 1987; Entwhistle, 2001; Ramsden, 2003). For this reason, tertiary educators are constantly…

Likens a circus performer's varied responsibilities to the learning tasks required of undergraduates. Suggests that students' inability to perform many of these tasks results from confusion about instructors' expectations and the appropriateness of various learning strategies to different tasks. Recommends that students be presented with clear…

The effect of an inability to purchase computers for home use and a lack of computers and instruction at public schools has had on the ability of Hispanic students to develop technology skills related to computer and Internet use is discussed. This article asks if the nation's emphasis on technology in schools has hindered Hispanic access to…

Introducing exemplary theory and research findings bearing upon adult experiential learning, this article describes three emerging learning models that are "active" oriented. Implications for the future in terms of individual learning and postsecondary institutions are highlighted. (Author/DS)

The survey of about 1,000 students at a Hong Kong University found a decrease in students' use of a deep approach to study and an increased tendency to adopt a surface approach between their first and final years. Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation, surface demands, workload, and teaching style are given as possible explanations. (Author/MLW)

Information in this paper is presented to help college instructors identify and assist learning disabled (LD) students. The paper first explains what learning disabilities are, emphasizing that while LD students exhibit a discrepancy between apparent learning ability and actual academic achievement, they are not mentally retarded or emotionally…

This discussion of questions related to the most appropriate role for the computer in undergraduate postsecondary education begins by describing the Educational Testing Service's evaluations of two large-scale funded projects intended to stimulate the incorporation of computer assisted instruction (CAI) into undergraduate instruction--the…

To determine the effects of instruction and practice in a self-instructional program that had previously proven to be effective, 52 undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups. One received the entire instructional program, the second received only instructional cues and examples, the third only the practice portion, and…

Presents the background, methods, and findings of a study contrasting the levels of cognitive development of community college and university students. Reveals that 48% of both student groups tested were incapable of performing at the formal-operational level (as described in Piaget's Cognitive Development Model). Discusses implications for…

This manual describes the theory behind the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) and explains what the subscale and scale scores mean. The SPQ is a 42-item self-report questionnaire used in Australia to assess the extent to which a tertiary student at a college or university endorses different approaches to learning and the motives and strategies…

P. Ia. Gal'perin was involved in the beginnings of the formation of a new psychological theory based on ideas of social-historical and activity-oriented approaches to the understanding of the mind, its origin, functions, and development. In his works, Gal'perin made use of the genetic method in the form of experimental instruction that made it…

Mastery learning is an approach to learning whereby students are expected to demonstrate competence of one level, or unit, of learning objectives before advancing to the next level. Most junior college instruction is group-paced, with the instructor determining the rate with which units are presented. One compromise between existing instruction…