September 15, 2023
Pitt is an R1 Research University - What Does that Mean for You?
There are many answers to that question, from being at the forefront of research and innovation to being recognized as one of the best research universities in the country. At Pitt, a R1 Research University means applying "advances in the learning sciences to improve the learning and teaching outcomes for all students." With the September 15 release of "From Research to Practice: The LRDC Learning Sciences Video Series," those advances are now easily accessible to the entire Pitt community.
Pitt's Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) is leading the effort to curate a number of videos that highlight the importance of research for improving the classroom environment and learning outcomes for all. LRDC, in collaboration with the University Center for Teaching and Learning (UCTL), has identified a number of topics that are particularly germane to the student experience. The inaugural class of videos draws on recent research in the learning sciences and focuses on peer review, study strategies, and equity & engagement in the classroom. This collaboration draws on UCTL's strengths of excellence and innovation in teaching, learning and scholarly activities, and LRDC's cutting-edge learning sciences research.
What are the Learning Sciences?
Early psychological research on learning was often conducted in a lab with artificial tasks and then applied to more realistic educational activities and settings. Over the past 30 years, the learning sciences has become a growing research field that examines the processes and factors that shape successful learning. Researchers in this interdisciplinary field still study learning as it happens in the lab, but they also study learning as it occurs in many environments — schools, online, in the workplace, at home, and in informal settings, such as museums.
Benefits for teaching and learning
The videos present the "basics" from research that can be translated into practices and used in the classroom. One goal of the series is to highlight the importance of research for improving classrooms. Each video is accompanied by a section on Further Resources focuses on the theory behind the research .
First class of videos
In "Using Peer Review as a Transformational Learning Tool," Christian Schunn, Professor, Psychology and LRDC Senior Scientist, presents recent research on the effectiveness of peer review. Schunn, colleagues Kirill Kiselyob, Biological Sciences, and Jennifer Granger, Psychology, offer insights into the effectiveness of peer review and provide some suggestions for incorporating it into classroom writing.
"Study Strategies and Self-regulated Learning" provides insight into what makes for an effective study strategy. Presented by Scott Fraundorf, Assoc iate Professor, Psychology and LRDC Research Scientist, he is joined by his graduate student from the cognitive psychology program, Jessica Macaluso.
Angela Stewart, assistant professor in the School of Computing and Information (SCI) and LRDC Research Scientist, presents "Equity and Engagement Students in the STEM Classroom." Stewart offers a variety of ways instructors can create an equitable classroom where students of many identities can express their engagement in ways that are authentic to them.
Four additional videos, developed in 2022 for the Student Success Hub, round out the inaugural class. In "Fostering a Sense of Belonging in the Classroom," Kevin Binning, associate professor, Psychology, and LRDC Research Scientist, explains how students' questions of belonging are often at the forefront of their minds during transitions, such as the start of their college careers.
"Fostering a Growth Mindset among Students" features Omid Fotuhi, LRDC Research Associate. In two videos, one for instructors and one for students, Fotuhi describes how our beliefs about our intelligence play out in important ways.
The LRDC Learning Sciences Video Series offers an insightful glimpse not only into the inner-workings of the research behind the LRDC, but also the Learning Sciences as a research field itself.
The LRDC Learning Sciences Video Series was featured in the September 22 University Times.
LRDC offers the Learning Sciences Transcript Distinction as well, a novel academic program for undergraduate students that combines both in-classroom and out-of-the-classroom education to strengthen one's understanding of the Learning Sciences. Click here to learn more about the Transcript Distinction or scan the QR code below.
