Resources for Students
I've set-up this page for students to provide some places to go and explore to help you along during your collegiate journey. Please remember that this is just a starting place and that there are helpful and knowledgable people here at Loyola (e.g., the faculty), as well as other weblinks to help you find out about things.
The writing letters of recommendation is an important faculty responsibility. Not only are letters required for application to graduate / professional schools, for entry into research or educational programs, to receive scholarships and fellowships, and to be hired into a job -- they are often one of the most important factors in any application process. I take this responsibility very seriously. To write a strong, positive, and effective letter requires that the letter-writer truly know the person they are writing for and about. Visit the link below to see my thoughts on serving as a reference and what I need from you to consider writing you a letter.
Finding out about ... Health Professions
Critical Thinking and Content -- for decades researchers "at the cutting edge" of teaching and learning have argued that the so-called "traditional" approaches to teaching (focus on content, delivered by lecturing) are inadequate and that we should teach much less content in a more active, engaged way. This has led to the misconception that students do not need to learn content or develop skill sets that might, indeed, be best learned through lecture-formats or even through drill-and-practice exercises. However, studies on Critical Thinking, Active Learning, Just-in-time-teaching, and so on, state that it is imperative that students gain mastery of content of a field of study as a prerequisite to developing higher order critical thinking. It is not possible to think like a biologist and have the skills of a biologist without having mastery of content (especially theoretical concepts). The link below is an adaptation of the work by Richard Paul & Linda Elder on Critical Thinking (see the URL to their website) that appropriately frames an approach to content. I urge my students to read and reflect on this.
Critical Thinking and Grading -- I am not an assessment fanatic, but assessing what one has learned and how one can perform is an important part of the learning process. Although evaluating mastery of content using objective tests is relatively easy to do, evaluating application of that knowledge (problem-solving) and of critical thinking skills are much more difficult. The link below is an adaptation of the work by Richard Paul & Linda Elder on Critical Thinking (see the URL to their website) on assessing critical thinking. Clearly, one can apply this to an individual assignment, or for grading a course for the semester, or for evaluating a graduating student. I urge my students to read and reflect on this.
Illustrations by Jean Cassels (jean-cassels.com)