Metacognition refers to thinking about one’s own thinking or being mindful of one’s thinking processes. Research studies have shown that metacognition is one of the most effective ways to improve students’ academic performance and to help students achieve their academic potential (Wilson and Conyers 110).
For all of the tangible ways that faculty work to help students succeed at CSU, it might be the intangible sense of belonging that most underscores a student’s pathway to success.
Carol Dweck, a Social and Developmental Psychologist from Stanford, has developed a framework to aid our understanding of why some students (and, in fact, people in general,) fail to reach their potential while others go on to achieve amazing things.
Student evaluations of instructors have come under significant scrutiny because of their tendency to promote unconscious biases. Unfortunately, evaluations might often tell you more about how popular you are (or how well you fit into normative identity categories) than how effective of a teacher you are.
“Do not take what I say as if I were merely playing, for you see the subject of our discussion—and on what subject should even a man of slight intelligence be more serious?—namely, what kind of life should one live . . .” – Socrates
Final Exams are stressful to make, to give, to take, and to grade—not to mention, a critical element in the evaluation of students. Typically comprehensive, they carry more weight than mid-terms and other tests given throughout they semester, and provide that “final” opportunity for students to demonstrate what they’ve learned.
