PERSONALIZED LEARNING OPTION
Personalized Learning in History and Humanities Survey Courses, Dr. James Ross-Nazzal
For years I've been asking prospective students to take charge of their academic career by purposefully,
thoughtfully, and meaningfully selecting their professors. Each professor has his or her own teaching methodology,
pedagogy, and philosophy. Ultimately, students need to match their learning style, their academic interests, and
educational needs with like-minded professors. Failure to do so typically results in failing the class.
As I've told students, when you are hungry you wouldn't blindly walk into a restaurant and order "food" then
complain when the food is not what you wanted to eat! When you want BBQ you go to a BBQ restaurant. If you
want classical Italian you go to an Italian restaurant where the chef is from Italy. If you are a vegetarian you
wouldn't go to a steak house. Well, you need to put at least the same amount of time, energy, and thought into your
class and professor selection as you do to your meal choices.
However, some take classes not because of the professor, but because that class is the only time they can take a
class. Thus I have created a new model for success that I call the Personalized Learning Option.
My classes are part of a new, larger movement in undergraduate academia called Personalized Learning. In a
nutshell, Personalized Learning provides students with the opportunity to study the basic tenets of my courses
through a lens that most interests them as a way of increasing student success (ie passing). In my class students will
also be given the ability to select what kind of assignments they will submit in order to demonstrate learning and
deadlines for when you will demonstrate learning.
By the way, Personalized Learning was first introduced two centuries ago and is the traditional approach to graduate
studies. It just took this long for academia to embrace it at the undergraduate level.
Now it takes a special student to succeed in the Personalized Learning environment: you must be self-motivated,
self-disciplined, an excellent time manager, be positive and flexible in the face of change, and of course have an
interest in a particular theme or topic in history or the humanities. You must also be self-driven. The Personalized
Learning class is very much like independent study where the professor is more like a tutor or a guide than a teacher.
In addition, the successful student in a Personalized Learning environment is a very independent student: someone
who enjoys learning on his or her own and celebrates accomplishments. If you are the kind of student who needs
constant help from the professor at getting answers to questions that are already answered in the syllabus then you
are probably not a candidate for Personalized Learning. A successful Personalized Learning student is one who
seeks out answers him or herself and only goes to the professor to ensure that the answer is the correct one.
Here's how it works if you are interested in being in charge of your academic path.
1. You still need to examine the major state, institution, or discipline-mandated turning points from the British
colonial era to the Global War on Terrorism in my HIST 1301 and 1302 classes or the ancient Middle East and the
Greco-Roman world in my HUMA1301 classes, however you will do it through your hand picked lens or theme.
Select the theme or themes that most interest you. Here are a few possibilities. This list is not exhaustive.
Women.
Hispanics.
Pop Culture.
Geography.
African Americans
Immigrants
History through Hollywood
Medicine
Military.
Foreign Policy.
Constitutionalism.
Economics.
Politics.
Human Rights
Religion
Capitalism or Business
Liberty
Government
Class
Crime
Not all themes will apply to all classes! For example, you are not going to study African Americans in my HUMA
1301 class.
Once you select your theme(s) then let me know and I will select the resources (monographs, e extbook or other e
readings, etc) that you will secure and use, in addition to the textbook or lectures (your choice), to complete your
assignments.
2. Project Based Learning Assignments. Come up with your own assignments. 50% of the grade must come from
writing. These are just some ideas.
Book Review
Non Cumulative Essay Exam
Identifications Exam
Oral presentation
Blog
YouTube channel
Travel writing
Time Travel
Cumulative Essay Exam
PowerPoint presentation
Trifold Poster Display
Web page
Conference participation
Historical fiction
Video presentation
Fictional Family history
3. Pace. The third leg to the Personalized Learning stool is that students learn at their own paces. Thus, once you've
selected the theme and assignments, you need to come up with the due dates. However, your final assignment will
be due when the normally scheduled final exam takes place.
If you have what it takes to succeed in a Personalized Learning setting, please consider taking advantage of this
unique opportunity and contact me immediately if not sooner!