The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

10/27/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/27/2025 09:45

Monday Morning Mentor: How Can You Use Retrieval Practice to Make Learning More Effective

Note: Contact the Teaching and Learning Center to view this week's session to receive password and link by emailing [email protected].
In this 20-Minute Mentor program, Michelle Blank Rentz, PhD, Director of Academic Success at Goshen College, explores why retrieval practice is so effective and shares strategies that can be implemented immediately in any course. This program highlights methods such as brain dumps to expose areas of weakness, spaced practice to turn forgetting into a tool for retention, self-quizzing to encourage active recall and accurate self-assessment, and structured study plans that promote consistent review. Retrieval practice is not just a tool for assessment - the act of retrieving itself is the learning process.
LEARNING GOALS
After viewing this Magna 20-Minute Mentor, participants will be able to:
  • Explain the cognitive science behind retrieval practice and its role in memory retention
  • Compare retrieval practice strategies for their effectiveness in different teaching contexts
  • Design retrieval-based activities for immediate use in courses
  • Implement methods to teach students how to apply retrieval practice in their study habits
  • Evaluate the impact of retrieval practice on student learning and engagement
TOPICS COVERED
  • How retrieval practice improves memory and learning
  • Key retrieval strategies: self-quizzing, spaced repetition, and brain dumps
  • Teaching students to use retrieval practice effectively
  • Designing activities that reinforce learning through recall
  • Building a classroom culture of active learning

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The University of Tennessee Health Science Center published this content on October 27, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 27, 2025 at 15:45 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]