What is Executive Functioning?
Executive functioning refers to a collection of abilities controlled by the brain’s prefrontal cortex. Unfortunately, this part of the brain does not fully develop until age 25! Skills such as organization, time management, prioritization of tasks, etc. are often lacking in college students. To help them, I have created a buffet of resources which I am happy to share with other instructors. I hope you will browse these resources, download them, modify them, and share them with others.
Badging
Badging is a way of rewarding students for behaviors that promote student success. Below are several badges that I use to promote organization, getting help, and studying in groups. I also have an attendance badge which is described in the first document, “Badge Overview and Rewards.” There is a list of possible rewards students can choose from in this document. What behaviors do you want to promote in your classroom?
Documents:
Grade Forms
Grade forms are an excellent way to increase student awareness of their progress in their course and help them plan for success before it is too late! I require my students to complete this form after every exam. This provides the opportunity for self-reflection as students see which parts of their grade (Online Homework, Written Homework, Quizzes, Exams) needs improvement. I then teach students how to write SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time sensitive) goals to improve these areas.
Online Homework Notebooks
What are they?
Every semester I buy composition books for all my students and paste a table of contents at the front. Students are required to complete all of the work associated with online homework assignments in these notebooks. Students number each page and update the table of contents as they go. I collect and grade these notebooks every time there is an exam. The online homework notebook is worth 5% of the student’s grade and the online homework (grade generated by the software) is also worth 5% of the grade.
Why are they important?
The purpose of online homework notebooks is to encourage students to house all their work in a single, organized location. By creating and maintaining this notebook, students create for themselves another study resource. All of the problems should be correct since the online homework software gives students immediate feedback and since students have unlimited attempts on each question before the test.
How to Pass with Flying Colors
I created the video below to help students develop excellent study habits. This video explains where their grade comes from and then goes on to give them specific advice on how to study for the course and prepare for exams.