Tag Archives: online learning

“Rich” or “Bland”: Which Diagrams Helps Students Learn Deeply? [Reposted]

Colorful diagrams might raise students’ interest. What do those diagrams do for their learning? Continue reading



Posted in L&B Blog | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Does Online Learning Work? Framing the Debate to Come…

I first published this blog post back in January. I’ve been seeing more and more discussion of this question on social media, so I thought it might be helpful to offer this perspective once again. With news that several very



Posted in L&B Blog | Tagged | Leave a comment

How to Capture Students’ Attention for Online Readings (tl;dr)

When do students focus while reading online? When do they lose focus and let their minds wander? Does the length of the passage being read influence the answer to these questions? Several researchers, including Dr. Noah Forrin, have been exploring this topic,



Posted in L&B Blog | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Students Switch Their Screens Every 19 Seconds.” Sort Of…

I recently read an arresting claim: when students have web browsers open, they switch their screens — on average — every 19 seconds. Such data boggle the mind with horror. As teachers, we want our students to devote sustained thought



Posted in L&B Blog | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Active Learning Online: Five Principles that Make Online Courses Come Alive by Stephen Kosslyn

The COVID-19 global pandemic has spurred a massive and rapid increase in online education. Although it is possible to design effective learning experiences in online classrooms, often online education fails to take advantage of the strengths of recent technologies and



Posted in Book Reviews | Tagged | 1 Comment

Does Online Learning Work? Framing the Debate to Come…

With news that several very effective vaccines will be increasingly available over the upcoming months, we teachers can now start thinking about “a return to normal”: that is — in person teaching as we (mostly) worked before February of 2020.



Posted in L&B Blog | Tagged | 1 Comment

“Rich” or “Bland”: Which Diagrams Helps Students Learn Deeply?

Colorful diagrams might raise students’ interest. What do those diagrams do for their learning? Continue reading



Posted in L&B Blog | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What’s the Ideal Size for Online Discussion Groups?

We’re all learning lots about online teaching these days: new software (Zoom), new vocabulary (“asynchronous”), new fads (teaching in pajamas). In many cases, we’re just going with our instincts here. Relying on our experience, we know to [insert technique here].



Posted in L&B Blog | Tagged | 2 Comments

Beyond “Tricks-n-Tips”: What does Cog Sci Tell Us About Online Learning?

When it comes to online learning, don’t just “do this thing.” Instead, “think this way.” Continue reading



Posted in L&B Blog | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Beyond the Mouse: Pointing in Online Learning [Repost]

As teachers across the country prepare to move our work online, I’ve been looking over previous posts that might offer practical guidance. This post — from July of last year — asks a simple question: in online teaching, does pointing matter? Happily,



Posted in L&B Blog | Tagged , | Leave a comment