Dutton Digest, September 2022, Part 1

Task Analysis Activities for Student Success

An excellent way to help students think about their own learning is to partner with them for some task analysis activities. Many students are over-confident about their knowledge of course content and underperform on assessments, so some work with task analysis can be helpful to identify areas of confusion and/or weakness and to help your students make plans for moving forward successfully. Task analysis activities employ reflective work, and typically, are not graded assignments. They  help students:

• evaluate their preparation and performance on certain tasks
• consider whether they've made simple mistakes or actually don't understand a concept
• set learning goals
• adjust their future preparatory practices to meet those goals

Task analysis is particularly useful when you follow it with tips for appropriate study strategies and when you offer clarification and assistance. 

For more information and examples of activities you can put to work right away, see the following articles from the Dutton Institute's Teaching & Learning Showcase: 

Using an Assignment Wrapper for Task Analysis

Using Post-assessment Activities for Task Analysis

Employing Metacognition (Thinking about Your Own Learning) As a Learning Tool

It's So Groovy When the Young Cats Dig 'Ya, Man

You may (or may not) be aware that many of this year's first-year students were born in 2004. They weren't here for 9/11. They still have COVID fatigue. They understand sustainability ... but do they practice it? What do they care about? What sorts of cultural references are familiar to them? Dive into the key factors influencing our first-years with the "Class of 2026" installment of the Marist Mindset List, an annual publication of Marist College. You'll find great fodder for discussion while preventing the dreaded disease hardening of the references!