REFRESH | New Perspectives on Teaching

REFRESH | New Perspectives on Teaching is an annual event hosted by the LSU Learning and Teaching Collaborative, held just before the start of the fall semester. Designed to energize and inspire faculty for the year ahead, REFRESH features a keynote speaker who addresses current and practical topics in teaching, offering concrete strategies to enhance classroom practice. The event also includes an interactive workshop where participants can dive deeper into the theme and explore new techniques, followed by a lunch that provides time for networking and informal discussion. REFRESH is a chance to gain fresh ideas, connect with colleagues, and start the academic year with renewed focus and purpose.

 

REFRESH 2025

 

Keynote Topic: Teach LSU Students HOW to Learn: Metacognition is the Key!
Date: Friday, August 22, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Location: Harrison Boardroom, LSU Foundation

About the Keynote

LSU students come to the university with widely varying academic skills, approaches to learning, and motivation levels. Faculty often lament that students are focused on achieving high grades but are not willing to invest much time or effort in learning. This session will focus on the importance of helping students acquire simple, but effective, learning strategies based on cognitive science principles. We will engage in interactive reflection activities that will allow attendees to experience strategies that significantly improve student success by transforming students’ attitudes about the meaning of learning.

 

About the Speaker

Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire is the Director Emerita of the Center for Academic Success and retired Assistant Vice Chancellor and Professor of Chemistry at LSU. Prior to joining LSU, she spent eleven years at Cornell University, where she received the coveted Clark Distinguished Teaching Award. She has delivered keynote addresses or presented workshops at over 400 institutions in 46 states and ten countries. Her book, Teach Students How to Learn: Strategies You Can Incorporate into Any Course to Improve Student Metacognition, Study Skills, and Motivation, was released in October 2015 and is a Stylus Publishing bestseller. The student version of this book, Teach Yourself How to Learn: Strategies You Can Use to Ace Any Course at Any Level, was released in January 2018.

The most recent of her honors include the 2017 American Chemical Society (ACS) Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students to Pursue Careers in the Chemical Sciences and induction into the LSU College of Science Hall of Distinction. She also received the 2015 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Lifetime Mentor Award and the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE). She is an elected Fellow of the ACS, AAAS, and Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations (CLADEA). In November 2007 the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring was presented to her in a White House Oval Office Ceremony. Additionally, she has achieved Level Four Lifetime Learning Center Leadership Certification through the National College Learning Center Association (NCLCA).

She received her B.S. degree, magna cum laude, from Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA, her Master's degree from Cornell and her Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where she received the Chancellor's Citation for Exceptional Professional Promise. She is married to Dr. Stephen C. McGuire, a professor of physics at Southern. They are the parents of Dr. Carla McGuire Davis and Dr. Stephanie McGuire, and the doting grandparents of Joshua, Ruth, Daniel, and Joseph Davis.

Registration

Accessibility Statement

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact Baylee Zeringue at bzeringue@lsu.edu. At least two weeks' advance notice will help us to provide seamless access.