The Department of Psychology launches the Cognitive Science-Based Learning Hub, an initiative aimed at enhancing educational outcomes among undergraduate students. The hub's mission is to fundamentally improve teaching methodologies and student learning through the application of cutting-edge research in cognitive sciences. Through this hub, students will gain access to specialized educational training aimed at improving their learning strategies, with an emphasis on note-taking skills, comprehension of complex texts, and refining exam preparation practices. Importantly, the Hub is intended to have a physical presence, utilizing a dedicated room within Gilmer's building that accommodates 10 people, where the program's activities will be conducted. At the end of the project, online learning protocols will be developed using open-source large language models to expand the scalability of the educational intervention. Its pedagogical structure will be derived from the latest cognitive science research. This approach leverages insights from D.T. Willingham's 2023 work, "Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy,”.

The project will initially involve 40 first-year students that will participate in eight tailored training sessions, designed to directly apply cognitive science principles for immediate learning improvement. Concurrently, the Learning Hub will conduct assessments on a broader scale, involving 200 students from the College of Arts and Sciences, to understand their learning strategies and associated academic performance. This comprehensive approach will not only pinpoint students who could greatly benefit from the Hub’s interventions but also tailor future offerings to meet diverse learning needs. As the project progresses, the development of online learning protocols using open-source large language models will further enhance our ability to scale these educational interventions. This initiative represents a strategic shift towards evidence-based educational practices, aiming to significantly improve student outcomes and establish a scalable model for broader application within the university community.