Using the Decoding The Disciplines Framework for Learning Across the Disciplines

New Directions for Teaching and Learning, Number 150

Decoding the Disciplines, a program designed to help instructors increase learning in their courses, provides a framework for identifying and remedying course elements that are most problematic for students. Decoding is a seven-step process in which instructors:

1. identify a bottleneck of learning,
2. make explicit the mental operations required to overcome the obstacle,
3. model the required steps for students,
4. give them practice at these skills,
5. deal with emotional bottlenecks that interfere with learning,
6. assess the success of their efforts, and
7. share the results.

Providing detailed information so that readers may develop effective models of practice, this volume provides examples and evidence of the ways the framework has been applied across disciplines and used to inform teaching, curriculum, and pedagogical research initiatives. It outlines how various communities of practice got started, describes the analyses of three different collections of Decoding interviews, extends the Decoding framework using different theoretical lenses, and connects the learning to practical applications for teachers and scholars in higher education.

This is the 150th volume of this Jossey-Bass higher education series. It offers a comprehensive range of ideas and techniques for improving college teaching based on the experience of seasoned instructors and the latest findings of educational and psychological researchers.