The Program Schedule Credits Travel Registration

Cost is $2,195 per person through May 28, 2027 and $2,395 per person after May 28, 2027. Save $200 per person when registering a group of 3 or more.

Join Us This Summer in Santa Barbara for a Hands-on Workshop

From July 19 - 23, 2027, Learning & the Brain is offering a Summer Institute on the oceanside campus of UCSB.

What does it take for students to genuinely learn—and how can educators use what we know about the mind and memory to make learning more effective? This institute explores the science behind learning and teaching, translating findings from cognitive science and educational psychology into concrete decisions about curriculum, instruction, practice, and assessment.

Across the week, participants will examine the factors that shape learning, beginning with motivation and Self-Determination Theory and moving into working memory, prior knowledge, expertise, and the development of durable knowledge. We’ll explore how educators can help students build understanding through elaboration, concrete examples, and dual coding, and how they can strengthen long-term retention through retrieval, spacing, and feedback. We’ll also consider what these principles mean for creating equitable learning environments in a neurodiverse world. The week will culminate with a look at artificial intelligence and the ways it can either strengthen learning or bypass the cognitive work that learning requires.

Rather than simply discussing these ideas, participants will put them to work on a course, unit, or learning experience of their own. Beginning on the first day, each participant will identify an area for improvement and revisit it throughout the week as new principles are introduced. Through demonstrations, discussion, collaborative activities, and guided design work, participants will develop a before-and-after course redesign that reflects what they have learned. By the end of the institute, you’ll have a clearer understanding of how learning works and a practical framework for making better instructional decisions, including decisions about when and how to use AI.

This institute is hands-on and is limited to 45 participants.

At This Institute, You Will

Explain key principles from the science of learning and use them to make informed decisions about instructional and course design.

Apply Self-Determination Theory to identify ways that instructional environments can support students' autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Describe the roles of working memory, long-term memory, prior knowledge, and expertise in learning and use this knowledge to identify and reduce unnecessary cognitive barriers.

Design instruction that supports the acquisition of durable knowledge using strategies such as elaboration, concrete examples, dual coding, retrieval practice, and effective scaffolding.

Design learning experiences that promote long-term retention and transfer through spacing, interleaving, feedback, and reinforcement.

Evaluate the potential benefits and costs of AI for learning and make informed decisions about when AI should support learning, when it should be constrained, and when its use may replace necessary cognitive work.

Use principles of learning science to redesign an existing course, unit, lesson, or learning experience.

The Summer Institute Is For

Educators at All Levels and Across Disciplines

K–12 Teachers

Higher Education Faculty

Instructional Designers

Academic Support Professionals

School and University Leaders

Professionals Involved in Teaching and Learning

About the Institute

This Learning & the Brain Summer Institute will be led by Dr. Cynthia L. Nebel. Designed for educators and administrators across the educational sector, the program develops deep understanding of the core principles of human learning, memory, and attention. Participants will explore how these principles can be applied in practice and learn how to gather evidence to inform ongoing instructional and organizational decision-making.

The Institute offers an intensive professional development experience spanning introductory, intermediate, and advanced topics. Drawing on emerging research from neuroscience, psychology, and education, the program supports participants in building meaningful expertise in the Science of Learning.

Active participation is expected throughout this Institute. Class sessions will begin Monday afternoon after a lunch with the other participants. On subsequent days, classes will be held in the morning with afternoons free to explore Santa Barbara.

Attendees will be housed and all sessions will take place at the Sierra Madre complex on the Goleta, CA side of the UC Santa Barbara campus. Lodging, some meals, and course materials are provided. See the online schedule for meals provided.

Professional Development Credit

Earn up to 20 hours toward professional development credit for various professionals. For details on credit offered, visit our CE credit page or call our office at 857-444-1500 ext. 1. Note: credits are not provided by the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Accommodations and Meals

Interaction between faculty and participants outside the classroom is an integral part of the Institute. To foster this total immersion learning environment, participants are housed in undergraduate dormitory accommodations on the UC Santa Barbara campus. The dormitory rooms are located in the recently opened Sierra Madre complex located on the Goleta side of the UC Santa Barbara campus. Participants are assigned to their own bedroom in a shared two-bedroom apartment with each participant having their own bathroom. Linens are provided. All facilities are ADA compliant. The Institute provides four nights lodging with an arrival date of July 19 and a departure date of July 23. If you would like to arrange for an early arrival and stay over on the night of Sunday, July 18, the extra cost would be $125. If you are interested in making your own accommodations off-campus, please call us at 857-444-1500 x1. Please check the online schedule for information on the meals provided. Note: The UCSB campus is a smoke-free campus.

Cynthia L. Nebel, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychiatry; Director of Learning Services, St. Louis University School of Medicine; National Steering Committee Member, researchED; Distinct Interest Group Executive Committee Member, Association of Medical Education Learning Specialists; Author, “The Impact of Confidence on Anxiety and Motivation” (2025, The Learning Scientists), “Help Students Believe in Themselves: Self-Efficacy Boosts Exam Scores” (2022, The Learning Scientists), and “Considerations for Applying Six Strategies for Effective Learning to Instruction” (2020, Medical Science Educator); Co-Author, Ace That Test: A Student’s Guide to Learning Better (2023)