ҹӰԺ Launches “Seven Principles of Effective Learning” to Help Guide the Educational Experience at the College
Back in 2022, Erica Reed, ҹӰԺ’s Director of Learning and Development in Academic Affairs, along with a team of faculty members, started researching and developing the . This framework, which is still in progress, provides a comprehensive structure for providing faculty development in teaching and learning for ҹӰԺ faculty. It also sets out a list of Seven Principles of Effective Learning that offers a common definition of what it means to teach, work, and be educated at ҹӰԺ. All faculty and staff can follow the seven principles in their day-to-day work in an effort to create a high-quality educational experience for all ҹӰԺ students.
“While this framework was originally designed for faculty, everyone at ҹӰԺ, from support staff to administrators, plays a role in creating the environment we want students to experience while they’re here,” Erica says. “We also want staff to know that they likely already do things to live out these principles day-in and day-out. More than anything, the principles are simply a guide for how we can demonstrate ҹӰԺ’s Core Values to students.”
Some of the highlights of the seven principles include:
- Prepare students to reach their goals of academic success, graduation/transfer, and workforce success.
- Invite and welcome diversity of identity, experience, and learning by creating inclusive environments.
- Respect students as individuals with lived experiences to help enhance their sense of belonging and self-confidence.
- Incorporate class and college experiences that help students build cultural and interpersonal skills.
- Develop and deepen students’ potential by assisting students as they navigate their education and career pathway, and support students’ needs by centering student well-being.
Moving forward, Erica and the Presidential Fellow for the Framework for Quality Education, Corrie Andries, want to encourage staff and faculty to think about the things they already do that help promote the principles and then find new and expanded ways to embody them.
“Faculty and staff are already practicing these principles, so we really want the emphasis to be on how we can do more of those great things,” Corrie says. “For example, the operations staff does more than maintain our campus. They create a sense of peace, beauty, and belonging, which impacts the student experience. Everyone truly plays a role in executing these principles and I think that’s what makes them so special”
For more information about ҹӰԺ’s Seven Principles of Effective Learning, check out the Cooperative for Teaching and Learning ɱ貹.