A colleague just returned from AAC&U in D.C. very excited about the 4-day conference but especially jazzed about an IUPUI session led by Susan Kahn and Steve Ehrmann. During the presentation they shared some questions asked of students prior to creating their learning portfolio:

  • how do you learn
  • when do you learn
  • what type of learner are you
  • what do you learn

At first blush the questions seems pretty straightforward but how many of us really know our what our learning style is? Doesn’t it make sense for educators to pay real attention to style, both learning and teaching, to better help students navigate the rigors of academic life?

So what if we really stretched this idea where students were able to select classes based on their learning style. The content would still drive the curriculum but students could match the way they learn with the teaching style of a professor. Learning outcomes wouldn’t compromised, professors wouldn’t need to adapt their style, and students would be given an opportunity to succeed. This would put more responsibility on the student and provide them some choice in their education.