Coordinated by Beverly Roskos-Ewoldsen, Associate Dean
College of Arts & Sciences
University of Alabama
The Learner-Centered College
A Learner-Centered College focuses on the processes by which a student gains knowledge and understanding. These include active involvement in the learning experience, gathering and synthesizing information, using and developing critical thinking skills, and problem solving. Faculty seek not to passively instruct but to expand student understanding through an active learning partnership with the student. The emphasis is not on information delivery, but on facilitating understanding through dialog, frequent feedback, and direct involvement in the subject area. Regular, timely, and thorough assessment of student learning is a key component of the learner-centered college. A major goal of the College is to fully incorporate this paradigm into the college’s academic culture by addressing it in our curriculum, our assessments of student learning, and in faculty evaluations.
Key Points for Improving Students’ Learning
Teach less during class – emphasize key points to afford learning that lasts a lifetime
Incorporate ways to engage students during class
Incorporate ways to assess students’ understanding of the material during class – graded or not
Incorporate collaborative projects to build community among students:
in class or not; graded or not
Design assessments that afford practicing higher-order cognitive skills – gathering and synthesizing information, using and developing critical thinking skills, and problem solving:
in class or not; graded or not
Design assessments that afford students’ taking ownership of their own learning of material not covered in class
Give frequent and timely feedback—this is critical for student learning
Phases of Implementation
Phase I
Identify and include learning outcomes.
Include at least 2 of the University’s 6 higher-order learning outcomes.
Phase II
Identify and include outcome assessments.
Match outcome assessments to learning outcomes.
Incorporate active and collaborative learning activities.
Phase III
Identify baseline benchmarks for learning outcomes.
Evaluate outcome assessments for progress towards benchmarks.
Identify new benchmarks and/or revise activities and outcome assessments.
Phase IV
Document the process using the QEP Matrix.
Write narratives to accompany the matrix to be included in the teaching portfolio
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Coordinated by Beverly Roskos-Ewoldsen, Associate Dean
