Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
John Draeger, Director
SUNY – Buffalo State
Did you know…
draegejd@buffalostate.edu
that the ability to make connections between seemingly
disparate pieces of knowledge is central to becoming a lifelong learner (Cronon, 1998). Many
industries want their workers to be able to apply what they know to new and ever evolving
situations (https://www.aacu.org/nchems-report). Bu while the ability to transfer learning from one
context to the next is central to what we do, it doesn’t happen as often as it should.
As students walk from one class to the next, they can be forgiven for thinking that they are taking
a “random” collection courses. Academic subjects, as such as art history, biology, psychology,
philosophy, and college writing, share deep similarities as modes of intellectual inquiry, but how
are students supposed to know that? From their point of view, the content in these courses is very
different and it isn’t obvious that the skills being learned in one class will transfer to the one down
the hall. Moreover, there is often little institutional coordination across campuses (Laird, NiskodeDossett & Kuh, 2009) and instructors do not often teach in ways that support transfer learning
(Benader & Lightner, 2005). Under such conditions, it should come as no surprise that students
have problems transferring what they learn from one context to the next.
What can be done?
First, instructors must be explicit about the importance of “connecting the dots.” Students take
their cues from us. If we are as clear as we can be about the importance of applying what we learn
in one context to the next, then students are more likely to follow. This is not simply something
that we mention on the first day of class. Rather, it should be reflected in our course design and
day-to-day instruction.
Second, instructors should reflect on the various elements of their course (e.g., class time, outside
assignments) with an eye towards the difference between surface learning and deep learning
(Trigwell & Prosser, 1991). The former involves collecting and recalling discrete bits of
information (e.g., the distance between planetary bodies, dates of famous historical battles,
important terms in a particular field, particular citation formats). Deep learning, by contrast,
encourages students to make connections between seemingly disparate bits of knowledge within
and across content areas. It is not simply the ability to identify the trees in the forest, but
recognizing that the trees are in an ecosystem affected by various economic policies and patterns
of human consumption. Deep learning requires that students transfer what they learn from one
context to the next and recognize connections along the way. College course should contain
opportunities for both surface and deep learning. However, instructors must recognize that these
are very different modes of learning. If we want to help students learn to make important
connections and apply what they’ve learned from one context to the next, then we need to
acknowledge when, where and how they are being asked to make those connections. And we need
offer support.
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Third, learning a new skill requires lots of practice. “Low stakes” assignments are often useful in
giving students opportunities to practice various skills and reinforcing course content. For
example, Just-in-Time teaching techniques have been used in a variety of disciplines (e.g., math,
physics, psychology, engineering, history philosophy). They have been shown to increase the
likelihood that students will complete their reading assignments, read more carefully, and take
ownership over their learning (Novak 1999; Simkins & Maier, 2009; Schraff et al. 2011). In each
case, students submit short assignments prior to class (e.g., the night before a class). Students
might be asked to answer reading comprehension questions or submit answers to short sets of
problems in math and science. Because student responses arrive before class begins, instructors
can use the result to structure class discussion (e.g., around common misunderstandings, points of
interest). However, these assignments can also be used to help students to explore connections
within the course (e.g., how particular readings my fit together) and across courses (e.g., how one
course is related to another). Such assignments can give students regular practice developing a
variety of skills, including how to transfer learning from one context to another (Draeger, 2014).
In short, both educators and employers want students to learn how to apply what they learn in one
context to another. To achieve this goal, instructors need to be explicit importance of this skill and
organize the learning environment in ways that supports it (e.g., being explicit about opportunities
for deep learning, plenty of opportunities to practice and receive feedback). If we do, then students
are less likely to see their time with us as “random” and more likely to be prepared for lifetime of
employment and unending learning.
References
Benander, R., & Lightner, R. (2005). Promoting transfer of learning: Connecting general
education courses. The Journal of General Education, 54(3), 199-208.
Cronon, W. (1998). " Only Connect..." The Goals of a Liberal Education. The American Scholar,
73-80.
Draeger, J. (2014). “Just-in-Time for Metacognition.” Retrieved from
http://www.improvewithmetacognition.com/
Laird, T. F. N., Niskode-Dossett, A. S., & Kuh, G. (2009). What general education courses
contribute to essential learning outcomes. Journal of General Education, 58(2), 65–84.
Novak, G., Patterson, E., Gavrin, A., & Christian, W. (1999). Just-in-time teaching: Blending
active learning with web technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Scharff, L., Rolf, J. Novotny, S. and Lee, R. (2011). “Factors impacting completion of pre-class
assignments (JiTT) in Physics, Math, and Behavioral Sciences.” In C. Rust
(ed.), Improving Student Learning: Improving Student Learning Global Theories and
Local Practices: Institutional, Disciplinary and Cultural Variations. Oxford Brookes
University, UK
Simkins, S. & Maier, M. (2009). Just-in-time teaching: Across the disciplines, across
the academy. Stylus Publishing, LLC.
Trigwell, K., & Prosser, M. (1991). Improving the quality of student learning: The influence of
learning context and student approaches to learning on learning outcomes. Higher
Education, 22(3), 251–66.
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