Strategies for Increasing Student Learning and Performance

Madison, Wis.—Janury 22, 2008 — Learning research shows that learners remember more of what they are taught—and will apply more of what they are taught to their jobs—when they can practice in realistic or job-simulated settings. Situation-Based Learning Design (SBLD) affirms this finding by focusing on supporting learners in being able to perform on the job.

Compared to conventional topic-based learning, SBLD not only produces more effective learning outcomes but it creates opportunities to streamline learning events into more engaging sequences. As a result, employers have found SBLD to be a very helpful tool in designing learning experiences that go beyond topic-based approaches. SBLD is designed for online classrooms but applies to face-to-face teaching as well, and it is appropriate for all subject matter.

If you are looking for ways to improve the effectiveness of your instruction, you won’t want to miss our new, 90-minute online seminar being presented January 22. Led by Dr. Will Thalheimer, an internationally noted learning-and-performance authority, Transforming Your Online Class with Situation-Based Learning offers insights on how to make more effective learning-design decisions that positively impact the experiences of students.

During this informative, insightful seminar, Dr. Thalheimer draws on his extensive research experiences as well as his work with clients that include Rockwell, PPG, Pfizer, Boeing, Raytheon, Kodak, IBM and the U.S. Postal Service. He will help you:

• Understand how to build significantly more effective learning interventions.
• See the limitations of topic-based learning design.
• Utilize the SEDA (Situation-Evaluation-Decision-Action) model in analyzing instructional designs.
• Learn how to persuade stakeholders of the value of context alignment and retrieval practice.
• Minimize the forgetting curve.

In addition, Dr. Thalheimer shows you how to examine your current practices and brainstorm opportunities for utilizing SBLD in your organization. You will also be able to view visual models on learning and remembering, and to understand the significance of research in the area of learning and performance.

This is a superb opportunity to learn first-hand from a learning-and-performance expert on how SBLD can help your organization improve learning outcomes.

If you missed the seminar and would like to purchase it for your institution, you can order the program in CD or print transcript format, both of which include the presenter's handouts.

Magna Publications is a leading publisher of newsletters and other information products in the higher education segment. Magna also manages onsite and online conferences on topics of interest to higher education.

For more information please contact David Burns, Publisher, Magna Publications, Inc., at 608-227-8109, or dburns@magnapubs.com.