Imagine students who fail an exam, struggle with competing deadlines, or feel daunted by a complex project. What skills do students need to address these common academic challenges? Self-regulated learning is a skill set that involves planning when and how to learn, monitoring progress, and reflecting on successes and failures to guide future learning efforts. Although these skills are critical to academic achievement and lifelong learning, they are often assumed and rarely taught. In this interactive workshop, we will unpack a self-regulated learning framework and design teaching practices, class activities, and assessments that help students guide their own learning.

Ruthann C. Thomas, Ph.D. is a cognitive scientist, an educational developer, and a seasoned university teacher. She is Associate Director of Teaching and Learning at MIT’s Teaching + Learning Lab, where she develops and collaborates on initiatives for MIT educators to promote equitable and inclusive teaching practices and learning environments. She also teaches in a program for MIT graduate students and postdocs on evidence-based teaching techniques grounded in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Ruthann previously held roles as an Associate Professor (with tenure) of Psychology at Hendrix College and a postdoctoral research scientist at Washington University in St. Louis where she conducted research applying cognitive psychology to enhance educational practice. She earned her Ph.D. in Cognition, Perception, and Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Toronto. Her work is anchored in a deep commitment to fostering inclusive and equitable learning experiences and sharing teaching strategies based in the science of learning.