Mindset Learning Project
The University System of Georgia and eCore are partnering with your institution to better understand what motivates students and helps them be successful. Over the course of the semester, students will be asked to complete four activities. The first and last activities will take about 10 minutes, whereas the middle activities will take about 20 minutes. In addition to the activities students engage in as a part of the MLP, there are concrete suggestions for small teaching practices that can help to support and foster a growth mindset among students in the companion professional development course for the Project.
What is the Mindset Learning Project?
The Mindset Learning Project (MLP) is an evidence-based intervention that was first deployed in online math courses in Georgia through eCore in a randomized controlled trial in 2018. The MLP is designed to support the development of Growth Mindset in students. The Project consists of four brief activities students engage in during the semester which are imported into a D2L course. Average time to complete all four Activities is around one hour.
Each Activity is embedded in a quiz in Brightspace/D2L and is conducted in Qualtrics, with a final item that provides a "completion code." Students click a link to visit the Qualtrics activities, complete them, and then enter the code in the quiz to indicate that they have participated. All Activities are delivered to faculty in a Brightspace Learning Package that can be imported into any course, with little to no additional set-up needed.
Mindset Learning Project Activity 1
Activity 1 begins with a pre-test designed to capture a sense of where students land on the growth mindset continuum at the outset of the course. After this short set of multiple choice questions, students are presented with a 4-minute video exposing them to the core concept of neuroplasticity and what it means to them (and all of us!) as learners, and an open-response question ("how would you explain this in your own words"). After students click Finish, and the Activity is submitted, they receive an email that contains their answer as well as a link to the video in case they want to revisit it.
This Activity takes about 15 minutes to complete and is delivered at the end of the first week of classes.
Mindset Learning Project Activity 2
Activity 2 opens with the core growth mindset questions (so we can track movement along the growth mindset continuum) and then presents a video that builds on the content of the previous lesson. In this 4-minute video, neuroplasticity and its implications for learning are reviewed en route to introducing metacognition and the distinction between knowing and know-how (“gaining knowledge is important, but doing something with that knowledge is equally so…”), which sets the stage for Activity 3 (learning to learn). The Activity ends with an open-response question that asks students to think about the role of practice in their learning and a hypothetical that has them imagine what they might say to a friend who is struggling with feelings of failure. As with Activity 1, students receive their answers and a link to the video in a follow-up email.
This Activity takes about 15 minutes to complete and is delivered at the end of the second week of classes (though faculty have the flexibility to move the deadline into Week 3 if needed).
Mindset Learning Project Activity 3
Activity 3 opens with the core growth mindset questions (so we can continue to track movement along the growth mindset continuum). The content of the Activity focuses on learning to learn. It includes opportunities for students to reflect on their study habits and study strategies (and encourages them to see the distinction) and on what they have learned about growth mindset. This Activity includes an infographic to help students visualize a path to success through attention to strategies for learning and practice as well as a playlist to allow them to learn more about strategies they find appealing.
This Activity takes about 20 minutes to complete and is optimally delivered bracketing an early assessment in the course, as it asks students to reflect on encountering challenge and difficulty and to apply lessons from Activity 2.
Mindset Learning Project Activity 4
Activity 4 is the post-test, taking the final measure of students’ location along the growth mindset continuum. It also provides students an opportunity to reflect on whether and how what they’ve learned through the MLP has benefitted them in the course and/or in other courses and how it might benefit them as they go forward.
This Activity takes about 10 minutes to complete, though some students have a lot to share about their experiences with and thoughts about the MLP, so it can take a bit longer. Activity 4 is intended to be delivered in the last weeks of the course, after students have had the opportunity to reflect on the lessons from Activities 2 and 3, and their experience with the course.
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Additionally, implementation of the MLP is fully supported by the USG Team, with an implementation guide, tips and suggestions for supporting student mindsets, and more.
