June 21, 2018
WCU Academic Development Program Director Invited to be Lead Presenter in Dublin, Ireland To Discuss Growth Mindset & Metacognition
Director of WCU’s Academic Development Program John Craig has been invited by the foremost organization in academic advising, NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising (formerly the National Academic Advising Council), to lead a presentation on “Growth Mindset and Metacognition: Keys to Promoting Student Autonomy in the Advising Relationship” at NACADA’s International Conference in Dublin, Ireland in July. Co-presenting with Craig will be Ann Colgan, associate professor of educational development. The conference, which will be held at University College Dublin, provides a widely-respected forum for faculty leaders, academic advisors, and professional staff from throughout the world to share and present scholarly research.
An expert on how students can learn to take personal control of their academic college experience, Craig will lead a discussion about the specific ways that faculty advisors can use “growth mindset,” the process whereby students believe they can become smarter and therefore put in the extra effort to actually achieve success, and “metacognition,” the ability to control one’s thought process through the use of hands-on strategies, as a way to empower college students to be more autonomous. Used together, the principals of growth mindset and metacognition are essential to showing students how to be successful as they take active control of their own learning. The presenters will then share practical tactics and techniques using the growth mindset model and metacognition research in advising sessions.
“A tool in our shed as advisors is the ability to help students take inventory about their study habits, and how they engage with the work in their respective courses,” said Craig. “Using the properties of metacognition, which was coined by John Flavell in 1976, we can help students improve their study habits, and, thus, their grades. When, as advisors, we help students develop a growth mindset and improve the way they are engaging with their coursework, we will begin to see many more students tackling traditionally difficult courses like biology, chemistry, and physics.”
“WCU’s ultimate goal is to empower its students with what they need to be successful both in and out of the classroom,” said Jeffery Osgood, senior vice provost and dean, Interdisciplinary & Graduate Studies. “We are quite proud of Dr. Craig’s work to identify strategies that advisors can use every day to enhance students’ educational experiences and make them strong, independent learners. He and Dr. Colgan will be sharing important knowledge that can be used by our colleagues across the globe to help an increasing number of students.”
John B. Craig, is assistant professor of educational development and director of the Academic Development Program and ACT 101. Craig’s research interests include developmental education, access and equity, emotional intelligence, and effective educational and organizational leadership strategies. He is editor of the Journal of Access, Retention and Inclusion in Higher Education (formerly the ACT 101 Journal), and president of the Pennsylvania Black Conference on Higher Education, Inc. Craig has over 20 years of leadership experience in both the higher and K-12 education arenas. He earned a Doctor of Education degree in Educational and Organizational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education. His Master of Education degree in Interdisciplinary Urban Education Studies and Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education with a concentration in English are from Temple University.