What are the greatest challenges for students to stay motivated in class? How do personal habits and social influences shape their drive? How are the core ideas of Self-Determination Theory reflected in real student experiences? Join Rob and Jared as they chat with two students about their lives outside of class, which affects their motivation.

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Resources

• FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL

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• Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

What are some stressors that could influence a student’s motivation to be active in a course? How can instructors help students acclimate to higher education? How can an instructor connecting on a personal level influence student motivation? Join Rob and Jared as they chat with Dr. Michele Worley (Assistant Professor of Education at Liberty University).

View a transcript of this week's episode.

Resources

• FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL

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• Connect with us via LinkedIn
• Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

What information about their success can motivate a student’s learning? What shouldn’t be shared? What roles can learning mastery and Generative AI play in motivation? How much feedback is too much for students, and what type works best? Join Rob and Jared as they chat with Dr. Stephen Aguilar (Associate Professor of Education at USC) to answer these questions and more.

View a transcript of this week's episode.

Resources

• Authenticating Intelligence Podcast with Stephen Aguilar
• FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL

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• Connect with us via LinkedIn
• Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

What is the “Teaching Compass?” How can it be used as a tool to adjust our teaching to meet the needs of our students? Join Rob and Jared as they chat with Dr. Nathalie Aelterman (Co-founder of Impetus Academy, a spin-off from Ghent University) about how to provide pathways that motivate students to learn.

View a transcript of this week's episode.

Resources

• Toward an Integrative and Fine-Grained Insight in Motivating and Demotivating Teaching Styles: The Merits of a Circumplex Approach – N. Aelterman, M. Vansteenkiste, L. Haerens, B. Soenens, J. Fontaine & J. Reeve
• A Deeper Dive into the Teaching Compass – Nathalie Aelterman
• Need-Supportive and Need-Thwarting Socialization: A Circumplex Approach – Nathalie Aelterman & Maarten Vansteenkiste
• FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL

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• Connect with us via LinkedIn
• Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

How can the feedback we give to students increase their motivation? How can understanding how they receive it help teachers give better feedback? Join Rob as he chats with Dr. John Hattie (Honorary Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne) about effective types of feedback and why one of them is not the feedback sandwich.

View a transcript of this week's episode.

Resources

• Visible Learning – John Hattie
• The Power of Feedback – John Hattie and Helen Timperley
• FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL

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• Connect with us via LinkedIn
• Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

Is Bloom’s Taxonomy the best standard for creating learning objectives? What other taxonomies like Bloom’s exist, and where are they useful? Join Rob and Jared as they revisit the conversation on objectives with Jason Frieling (Instructional Designer with the Center for Teaching and Learning at Cedarville University).

View a transcript of this week's episode.

Resources

• FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL

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• Connect with us via LinkedIn
• Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

How can sleeping habits influence a student’s motivation? How does it affect cognitive abilities? What can instructors do to help? Join Rob and Jared as they chat with Dr. Chao Liu (Associate Professor of Psychology at Cedarville University) about the effects of sleep on motivation.

Please take this opportunity to fill out our 2025 wrap-up survey. This survey should take 5-10 minutes and your responses are anonymous. If you would like to be entered for the Uncommon Sense Teaching drawing, you can share your name and email address at the end of the survey. Even if you enter the drawing, your survey response will remain anonymous.

View a transcript of this week's episode.

Resources

• FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL

Chat with us!

• Connect with us via LinkedIn
• Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions

What is self-determination theory? What role do autonomy, competence, and relatedness have in driving motivation? How can giving students the right choices increase their motivation? Join Rob and Jared as they chat with Dr. Erika Patall (Professor of Education and Psychology at the University of Southern California).

Please take this opportunity to fill out our 2025 wrap-up survey. This survey should take 5-10 minutes and your responses are anonymous. If you would like to be entered for the Uncommon Sense Teaching drawing, you can share your name and email address at the end of the survey. Even if you enter the drawing, your survey response will remain anonymous.

View a transcript of this week's episode.

Resources

• FOCUS Blog - Cedarville University CTL

Chat with us!

• Connect with us via LinkedIn
• Contact us at ctlpodcast@cedarville.edu with any questions