Abstract
Few days in the life of a reflective educator go by without at least one opportunity to question the quality of his or her work. Difficult moments, especially, can prompt one to ask, “How could I have done better?” Authors in this issue of About Campus use insights based in evidence to suggest possible answers.
Educators at Miami University of Ohio harness the well–established power of learning partnerships in their curriculum and co–curriculum. As described by Taran Cardone, Elizabeth Stoll Turton, Gerald Olson, and Marcia Baxter Magolda, Miami challenges students to embrace critical thinking and self–authorship and employs learning partnerships to create a safe space for the challenge.
As Gregory S. Blimling writes, this sort of intense intellectual engagement is exactly the prescription neuroscientists would suggest for improving brain function. For the greatest positive effect on student development, the college student's experience should, according to Blimling, develop the capacity for self–regulatory cognitive control.
Evidence–based teaching and learning is what drives the approaches forwarded by Louis V. Macias; Helen E. Burn, Eric M. D. Baer, and Jennifer M. Wenner; and Kirsten Kennedy and John R. Purdie II. Macias's past experience as a child in a dropout prevention program and his scholarly understanding shape his recommendations for supporting the learning and success of first–generation students. Burn and her colleagues take on math—among the highest barriers to college–student success. These authors describe evidence–based instructional strategies that build context around math problems and offer hope to the math–averse. Skill development in context is also the subject of Kennedy and Purdie's piece, in which they suggest that learning for career success after college is enhanced when students are afforded opportunities to practice these skills in living and classroom environments.
Joseph L. Subbiondo concludes this issue by offering his perspective on the rightful place of scholarship in the academy and in our daily practice. His expanded definition of scholarship embraces nontraditional activities and new connections to the needs of the campus, the community, and the globe.
Ironic as it is, educators too often disregard research as they shape the college–student learning experience. These About Campus authors demonstrate that they do not.