Success in Higher Education Class Activities - HEL-101 by Brooke Smoke

Learning Styles Station Rotation

brookesmoke — 2025-06-25 21:43:06 UTC

Create 4-5 learning stations that cater to different learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, reading/writing). Students rotate through each station, experiencing the same concept taught in different ways. They then reflect on which methods worked best for them and create a personal learning strategy plan.

Duration: 45 minutes
Materials: Various station materials
Setup: Small groups rotating through stations

Academic Resource Scavenger Hunt

brookesmoke — 2025-06-25 21:43:06 UTC

Teams complete a digital or physical scavenger hunt to locate and learn about various campus resources (library, writing center, tutoring services, etc.). Each team creates a resource guide to share with the class.

Duration: 45 minutes
Materials: Scavenger hunt checklist, smartphones/tablets
Setup: Small teams of 3-4

Note-Taking Methods Comparison

brookesmoke — 2025-06-25 21:43:07 UTC

Students practice different note-taking methods (Cornell, Mind Mapping, Outline) using the same lecture content. They compare effectiveness and share insights about which methods work best for different types of content and learning styles.

Duration: 40 minutes
Materials: Note-taking templates, sample lecture content
Setup: Individual work with group discussion

Academic Goal-Setting Workshop

brookesmoke — 2025-06-25 21:43:07 UTC

Students learn the SMART goal framework and apply it to create both short-term and long-term academic goals. They develop detailed action plans and identify potential obstacles and solutions.

Duration: 45 minutes
Materials: SMART goal worksheets, action plan templates
Setup: Individual work with peer review

Class Needs and Demographic Information

brookesmoke — 2025-06-25 21:49:58 UTC

This group ranges in age from 24-58. There are 18 women and 12 men.

Fostering Belonging: Reflection

brookesmoke — 2025-06-25 21:58:35 UTC

The goals of this class are not only to introduce students to the initial tools they will need in their higher education journey, but also to create a sense of belonging among the students. This sense of belonging supports self direction and a motivation and willingness to learn.

When it comes to adult learners, they primarily succeed in situations where they are highly motivated. (Manning, 2007) Self-Directed learning theory centers the student's ability to take charge of their learning, discovering what it means to them in the process.

Knowles's idea of andragogy also applies. As an individual matures, they begin to rely more heavily on self direction. (Loeng 2018). Adult learners may be influenced partially by outside pressures, but mostly by "internal pressure, motivation, and the desire for self-esteem and goal attainment." (Ozuah, 2005)

Our initial assignments supports this concept by asking students to self-asses their learning styles and goals.