1. How Learning Works Yahya Lakys EE & CE 200 Fall 2014
Adapted from : Dimitrios Peroulis Associate Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering, Birck Nanotechnology Center
Center for Electronic Defense Systems, Director
Purdue University

2. How Learning Works Based on: Based on and Adapted from
Dr. Susan A. Ambrose
Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning
Professor of Education
Northeastern University
Frontiers of Engineering Education Symposium
National Academy of Engineering
October 2012

3. What is Learning?
Learning is a process that leads to change, which occurs as a result of experience and increases the potential for improved performance and future learning.
There are three critical components to this definition:
Learning is a process, not a product.
Learning involves change in knowledge, beliefs, behaviors and/or attitudes – and must have a lasting impact on how the student thinks and acts.
Learning is not something done to students, but rather something students themselves do.
Ambrose et. all. (2010) adapted from Mayer (2002)

4. Need to Adopt a Learner-Centered Approach
Learning results from what the student does and thinks and only from what the student does and thinks. The teacher can advance learning only by influencing what the student does to learn.
Herb Simon (2001)
Teachers possess the power to create conditions that can help students learn a great deal – or keep them from learning much at all. Teaching is the intentional act of creating such conditions.
Parker Palmer (1998)

5. Need to Adopt a Learner-Centered Approach
So what if your teacher does the wrong thing? Are you doomed?

6. Learning Principles at a Glance
Students’ prior knowledge can help or hinder learning.
How students organize knowledge influences how they learn and apply what they know.
Students’ motivation determines, directs, and sustains what they do to learn.
To develop mastery, students must acquire component skills, practice integrating them, and know when to apply them.
Goal-directed practice coupled with targeted feedback enhances the quality of students’ learning.
Students’ current level of development interacts with the social, emotional, and intellectual climate of the course to impact learning.
To become self-directed learners, students must learn to monitor and adjust their approaches to learning.

7. 1. Prior Knowledge: Helps or Hinders Knowledge
Students blank slates
“Students do not come to school as blank slates to be filled with instruction. Rather, they come to school with considerable knowledge, some correct and some not.”
Joan Lucariello, PhD, City University of New York,

8. 1. Prior Knowledge: Helps or Hinders Knowledge
Examine your prior knowledge and prejudice.
Heavy math is not needed to succeed because my uncle/aunt who has been an engineer for 30 years said so.
This course is not critical even though it is required because my senior friend said so.
Be open to new ideas regardless of how they are presented.
Bad professors teach useless concepts.
When new information conflicts with old one, ask yourself which one may not be correct.
Logo from

9. 2. Organization Influences How You Learn

10. 2. Organization Influences How You Learn
Learning
Fragmented
Inefficient
Time-consuming
Interlinked
Efficient
Time-efficient

11. 2. Organization Influences How You Learn
Make organization charts and concept maps of new concepts and ideas even if your professor does not do it.
Use textbooks, syllabus, and TAs/senior students to help your organization.
Build a big picture per concept (e.g. circuit analysis techniques), course (e.g. 201), and area (waves, solid-state, power electronics, etc.) and make sure you keep feeding it with information.

12. 3. Motivation Determines, Directs, Sustains Learning
Motivation is all about perception
Believe I have a reasonable expectation of attaining success.
Perceive the value (relevance, importance, utility) of a particular task or goal.

13. 3. Motivation Determines, Directs, Sustains Learning
Keep yourself motivated by reminding yourself:
I can succeed and people like me have succeed before. (expectancy)
The value and the benefits of the degree you will get. (value)

14. 4. Goal-directed Practice + Targeted Feedback

15. 4. Goal-directed Practice + Targeted Feedback
Does “practice make perfect”?
Think about practice in the context of sports or music: Do you “just play” when you want to be good?

16. 4. Goal-directed Practice + Targeted Feedback
Learning is a long-lasting change in existing neural networks.
This biological development takes repetition, practice, and time (e.g., most likely new dendrites must grow and new synaptic connections must form and fire repeatedly).
Zull (2002)

17. 4. Goal-directed Practice + Targeted Feedback
Practice, practice, practice – there is no magic, just hard work
Solve problems yourself – don’t always study in study groups.
Be fair and keep yourself accountable
Ask for help in keeping yourself accountable (e.g. keep journal with practice activities and share it with Profs, TAs, friends, family – do anything to succeed)
Link practice with learning goals
Use the class-provided learning objectives as a guide – they are there for a reason.
Don’t expect results immediately – do what’s right today and trust that results will come later.

18. 5. Mastery: Acquire  Practice  Apply

19. 5. Mastery: Acquire  Practice  Apply
As mastery develops and students gradually gain competence within a domain, they first gain and then lose conscious awareness of the skills and capabilities they are exercising.

20. 5. Mastery: Acquire  Practice  Apply
Most of your instructors suffer from “Expert Blind Spot”
These lead them to often:
Overestimate what novices can do
Underestimate how long novices will take
Do not see the steps/pieces novices must learn
Mis-predict where novices will have difficulty
Presume novices will do things the experts’ way
Hinds (1999); Nathan & Koedinger (2000); Nickerson (1999)

21. 5. Mastery: Acquire  Practice  Apply
Be aware of your instructors blind spot and ask for more complete clarifications often. Get it in office hours from your Profs and from TAs if you cannot from instructors.
Keep asking, don’t stop! Develop a “thick skin” if you are shy!
Keep asking for feedback – consider peer and honest feedback in a study group for example in addition to what you get in class.
Be particularly mindful of patterns in repeated mistakes.

22. 6. Be Aware of the Social, Emotional, Intellectual Climate
Undergraduate students are complex! For example, they are
Developing competence
Managing emotions
Developing autonomy
Establishing identity
Freeing interpersonal relationships
Developing purpose
Developing integrity
Chickering (1969; Chickering and Reisser (1993)

23. 6. Be Aware of the Social, Emotional, Intellectual Climate
Recognize that struggling with social, emotional, intellectual issue is part of life and should not hinder your learning ability.
You are not the only one doubting your ability to learn or struggling with self-confidence.
Do not ignore your needs for support and emotional stability even if it seems that your instructor do not care about them.
Tap on university or other resources if you need support.
Actively contribute to a positive environment in class even if it seems that no one else is.
Use inclusive and supporting language.
Focus on what is being said and not who says it or how it is being said.

24. 7. Monitor & Adjust Learning Approach

25. 7. Monitor & Adjust Learning Approach
Assess task: Do you read instructions/policies/syllabi?
Do you often find yourself staying up the night before to finish an assignment? Did you underestimate your strengths in doing this assignment?
Do you spend any time planning your approach or do you just try to apply any equation that comes to mind first?
Do you self-monitor your learning and progress? How do you reflect on your approach? Do you keep applying a strategy from high school that simply does not work in college?

26. Learning Principles at a Glance
Students’ prior knowledge can help or hinder learning.
How students organize knowledge influences how they learn and apply what they know.
Students’ motivation determines, directs, and sustains what they do to learn.
To develop mastery, students must acquire component skills, practice integrating them, and know when to apply them.
Goal-directed practice coupled with targeted feedback enhances the quality of students’ learning.
Students’ current level of development interacts with the social, emotional, and intellectual climate of the course to impact learning.
To become self-directed learners, students must learn to monitor and adjust their approaches to learning.

27. Thank you!