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James Mapes

The motivational magic of values

At Colorado State University (CSU), research isn’t just an academic pursuit—it’s a driving force for innovation and real-world impact. A standout example of CSU’s commitment to innovation is the Center for the Analytics of Learning and Teaching (C-ALT). Situated within the College of Health and Human Sciences and the School of Education, C-ALT isn’t just another research center; it’s a dynamic hub where groundbreaking research is seamlessly integrated into practical applications in the classroom.The science of learning is very clear—practice behaviors play a crucial role in improving performance because they directly influence how effectively knowledge is acquired, retained, and applied. In our classroom-based research, we found that most students fail to engage in these science-backed practice behaviors. Given this fact, C-ALT faculty set out to build a method for behavior change.Behavior change, however, is notoriously difficult. Ingrained habits and routines can be hard to break without external guidance and support. Just as many people struggle to start and maintain a workout routine, they often turn to tools like a Fitbit exercise tracking device that provides the feedback needed to stay on track. Similarly, changing how one learns, such as incorporating regular self-testing or spaced practice, requires consistent effort and feedback to develop and reinforce these new habits. This is where U-BehaviorTM (see nduralearn.com for more information on U-BehaviorTM) comes in—it acts as a “Fitbit for learning behaviors,” tracking students’ practice activities and providing real-time visual feedback. By highlighting patterns in their learning behaviors, U-BehaviorTM helps students recognize and adjust their study habits, ultimately leading to more effective learning and better performance.Research at C-ALT has provided compelling evidence that U-BehaviorTM is revolutionizing how students approach their studies. By encouraging students to shift away from “cramming” and instead adopt strategies such as spaced practice and interleaving, U-BehaviorTM facilitates rapid and meaningful changes in learning behavior. The impact is striking, with 75–85 percent of students in these courses altering their study habits, yielding an effect size of 1.2 (Cohen’s d). These changes are not just statistically significant—they translate into tangible performance gains, often improving final course grades by more than one letter grade.What makes U-BehaviorTM particularly unique is its integration into the Organizational Learning Performance and Change (OLPC) master’s program at CSU. Students enrolled in the OLPC program are deeply invested in driving performance improvement through innovative training and development solutions. These students aren’t just passive recipients of knowledge about learning behavior; they are actively engaged in the research activities at C-ALT. By experiencing U-BehaviorTM firsthand in their coursework, they not only observe how the intervention affects their own behaviors, but they learn how these changes enhance the durability of their learning.This immersive approach offers OLPC students a rare opportunity to see the real-world impact of research-based methods. By participating in this process, they acquire the insights necessary to design and implement similar solutions in their own professional settings. The ability to translate research into actionable strategies is a hallmark of the OLPC program and a testament to the synergy between research and teaching at CSU.For graduate students in the field of training and development, the OLPC program at CSU offers a unique, research-based pathway to mastering the skills of innovation in the learning space. The program not only prepares students to affect performance through evidence-based interventions but also equips them with the tools to lead in the ever-evolving landscape of education and training. As one OLPC graduate put it, “It earned me a seat at the table. They’re now seeing me as a thinker, not just a doer, because of what the program provided me. That ability to think critically and help plan things out and direct the course of the company has been extremely valuable.”In the end, C-ALT and the OLPC program exemplify how research at CSU is driving innovation in learning and teaching, helping students and professionals alike make meaningful, lasting changes in their practice behaviors—changes that lead to greater success both in the classroom and beyond.

Revolutionizing Learning at CSU: How C-ALT and U-Behavior Are Transforming Study Habits and Driving Student Success 

We all know what makes a great story: an intriguing cast of characters, a moment of tension, triumph or defeat, and some sort of takeaway. Take this framework and apply it to the stories you tell yourself.

Humans Are Great Storytellers

A recent Bersin survey pointed out that just 28 percent of organizations have “good” or “very good” levels of proficiency in basic data literacy skills. And that makes sense, because it often feels like you need a statistics degree to understand HR analytics. But the truth is, you don’t need a degree. You just need to know what to look for and how to turn that into meaningful conclusions. Degreed and Watershed are here to help.
Join us for Data Fluency for Dummies. This webcast will bring together data experts from both organizations to help you understand important learning analytics to look for and how to draw insights from data sets.
 

Data Fluency for Dummies

James Bennett discusses why the advent of adaptive learning makes it an exciting time to be involved in the learning profession.

Adapt to the Future

Expand the minds of everyone in your organization to conceive and successfully execute innovative strategies. Based on his forthcoming book, Rock Your Industry: Lead Waves of Innovation While the Competition Makes Ripples, Jim Bandrowski will present his revolutionary yet practical Wave Thinking process. At the heart of this process is the single factor that distinguishes good leaders from great innovators. It integrates with existing leadership models, and can increase the results of your action learning initiatives.
This webcast will help you to:

Understand the core competency of great leaders and innovators.
Learn a step-by-step process every team can use to conceive and implement game-changing strategies.
Amplify your team’s creative thinking to identify and solve the problem of unmet market and organizational needs.


Leading Strategic Innovation at All Levels of the Organization

Our shift to a knowledge economy gives learning and development professionals a powerful opportunity to increase the value they provide their employer. Management is being pressured to deliver ever-increasing results, and L&D professionals are now in a unique position to help them increase the productivity of their knowledge workers.
How?
Research has revealed the effectiveness of new methods for improving knowledge worker productivity. Because knowledge work differs in fundamental ways from traditional manual work, improving knowledge worker performance requires different methods. Yet, many of the learning and development, management, and job design practices still in use are based on the needs of traditional manual work, and not on the requirements of knowledge work.
This webcast will help L&D professionals create solutions for knowledge worker engagement and productivity, while also demonstrating enhanced credibility and potential into the learning function. David Lee of HumanNature@Work and Jim Pepitone of DesignedWork will explain how this knowledge-worker opportunity emerged, what it entails, and how L&D professionals can seize it. 
Upon completion, you will:

identify opportunities to provide even greater value to your employer, and know how to discuss these with managers
indicate for yourself what makes knowledge work so different and what is required to increase the quality and quantity of knowledge workers’ output
describe the principal process and methods involved, and why they are effective
recognize the factors that indicate a manager’s readiness for this new opportunity. 


Increasing Knowledge Worker Productivity: A New Opportunity for L&D Professionals

What makes digital learning games work and how do you design one? Learning game expert Sharon Boller shares four truths that novice learning game designers frequently ignore.

Lessons from the Trenches of Digital Game Design

Paradigm Learning amplifies the business acumen and strategic alignment of leaders, managers, employees and sales teams to achieve real business results. Our award-winning business games, simulations and Discovery Maps® empower learning and development leaders to revolutionize their organizations.

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