CPE SESSION 38 - Wednesday, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Student Characteristics and Learning: What We Know about Students and How We Can Use That Information to Enhance Learning

Description/Objectives:
Every semester we develop our syllabi around the knowledge and skills we hope students will master during our courses. Unfortunately, students often run into problems meeting our expectations, and we sometimes struggle to understand the reasons behind their difficulties. We often bemoan the fact that students in today's classes don't seem to be as prepared or motivated as students in the "old days." How can we improve our students' learning?

This workshop will focus on the role student characteristics play in successfully meeting course and program expectations. Using a case-study format you will analyze common learning obstacles faced by college students from the perspective of several different models of understanding student characteristics and their impact on learning. You will learn about and apply models of the following types of characteristics: self and identity, motivation, interaction with the environment, ways of knowing, learning styles and preferences, and self-regulation and goal setting. Then you'll have the opportunity to take a step further to explore the implications of understanding student characteristics for how we structure our students' learning environments and experiences.

Format/Structure:
Using a workshop format, this session will involve participants in analysis of case examples, discussion of outcomes, and application of learning theory frameworks.

Intended Audience:
Attendees should be interested in exploring various mechanisms for understanding how students' characteristics affect their approaches to learning, and implications for how courses and assignments are structured.

Presenters:
Tracey E. Sutherland, American Accounting Association
Susan Wolcott, WolcottLynch Associates

Sponsor:
American Accounting Association