Learning Process

Understanding Financial Aid for College Students

The start of a new school year for many college students is just around the corner.

For many, the cost of attending any higher level education is costly and at times, too high to pay out of pocket.

Jael Garcia from the University of Texas Pan American gave our Sunrise viewers many tips to fill out financial aid forms to help ease the cost of tuition.

If you’ve ever wondered, what the difference is between a loan and a grant or how do you apply for these benefits, she has those questions covered.

Don’t let the high cost keep you from achieving your degree, take advantage of the money that is set aside for you and apply for these grants and loans today.

New Director Named At UVU’s Capitol Reef Field Station Where Engaged Learning Opportunities Abound For Students

Undergraduate research and internship programs offered through the Capitol Reef Field Station offer Utah Valley University students and faculty unrivaled educational access to one of the more unique and scenic places on Earth. The field station encourages exploration of the cultural and natural history of the Capitol Reef National Park area through engaged learning experiences and interdisciplinary activities. Michael T. Stevens, a UVU associate professor of biology, will now lead those activities as the field station’s new director, replacing outgoing director Renee Van Buren. Stevens teaches plant ecology, teaching methods for future high school science teachers and general biology. He’s also a researcher and scientist in plant-herbivore interactions and science education, and has authored more than a dozen publications. He holds a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and prior to coming to UVU taught at California State University, Stanislaus.

“I’m excited to help connect a variety of students and faculty to the natural and cultural resources in Capitol Reef National Park,” Stevens said. “The fiel

Read more…

For medical students, dual degrees gain popularity

A lot of students aspire to be doctors or run businesses. Nico Grundmann refuses to choose.

The Stanford medical student’s plan to become a pediatrician shifted while he was in Africa, where he set up health clinics and studied ways to deliver HIV treatments at a low cost.

He became inspired by the possibility of working overseas full time and decided one degree was not enough. Two years after he enrolled in Stanford University’s School of Medicine, he also started working toward a master’s in business administration.

Grundmann, 27, isn’t the only overachiever out there.

Read more…

Envirothon seeks Michigan high school students

SAULT STE. MARIE — The 2012 Michigan Envirothon is looking for high school students to participate in the outdoor environmental competition.

The deadline to register for the event is February 8.  Regional competitions are held in March, with the state competition scheduled May 9 through May 11 at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie.

The event involves teams of five students who work with natural resources professionals, leading up to the various competitions.

The overall state winner will represent Michigan in July at the Canon North American Envirothon at Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania.

Students want more digital textbooks!

This school test-drove an e-book initiative, and students are raving about it.  

As part of its three-year mobile learning initiative, Abilene Christian University provided its students with iPads and, no surprise, the students got pretty attached to them by the end of the school year.

After using the devices, 75% of ACU freshman said they’d buy their own tablets if at least half their textbooks were available digitally.

But the popularity of the e-readers hasn’t yet translated to textbook sales. In 2010, digital books accounted for only 3% of textbook sales, according the National Association of College Stores.

One reason: poor-quality materials. Stude

Read more…

If you can’t build relationships with students

“Why is it,” Dr. Reedom mused recently, “that you can have a group of students in one teacher’s room and every student is engaged and on task and having success, but you can take that same group of kids and put them in a different teacher’s room and it is complete chaos? We have all seen this happen—what is behind this?

Really, it is more about what the teacher is doing than what the student is doing. And so as it turns out, what the teacher does matters a great deal.”

A former teacher and school administrator and currently a nationally acclaimed trainer, Dr. Reedom sees a direct correlation between the perhaps mundane classroom management strategies a teacher employs and the teacher’s capacity to deliver high-quality instruction.

“I don’t care how much you know about chemistry, or math, or literacy: if you can’t build relationships with students, you’re not going to have success as a teacher. When teachers know how to engage and motivate kids, it goes a long way with minimizing disruptions in the classroom; and when disruptions are minimized, real learning can happen.”

What she said.