Into the Driver's Seat

Abreena Tompkins, instruction specialist at Surry Community College, has developed a brain-based online course design model based on a meta-analysis of more than 300 articles. In this study, she distilled the following elements of brain-based course design:

Low-risk, nonthreatening learning environment Challenging, real-life, authentic assessments Rhythms, patterns, and cycles Appropriate chunking or grouping Learning as orchestration rather than lecture or facilitation Appropriate level of novelty Appropriately timed breaks and learning periods Purposeful assessments Learning that addresses visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners Active processing with mental models The use of universal examples, analogies, and parallel processing

Via Patty Ball, Louise Robinson-Lay, Jim Lerman