Make Learning Your Superpower (FNDS 3910)

Learning is a life-long process of acquiring new knowledge and skills while building upon what you already know.

You have been learning since the day you were born and may not give how you learn much thought, but consider these questions. Why is it that some things are easy to learn and others difficult? Or why can you remember some things you learned long ago but totally forget others? How is it possible you can cram for an exam and not recall the material a few weeks later? Why are you energized to learn in some circumstances and in others it is a real drag? Can you become a better learner or are you just stuck with the ability you have? How does learning happen?

These questions and more will be explored throughout the semester as we learn about learning. This is a theory-to-practice course, which means you will grow in your understanding of learning theories, processes, problems, and motivations while also practicing evidence-based strategies to become a more effective learner.

This course covers topics in the disciplines of psychology, communication, biology, sociology, and education.

Who should take this course?

Any student who wants to make learning their superpower!

More about this course

Course number: FNDS 3910

Number of Credits: 4

Search UM-Dearborn Class Schedule to find out more.

Meet your faculty member: Ellen Judge-Gonzalez, Lecturer II in Communication

One of the benefits of taking a Foundations course is gaining a faculty mentor that can support you throughout your college career. Get to know Ellen Judge-Gonzalez, faculty member for Make Learning Your Superpower.

I was one of the first in my family to go to college, initially next door at HFC (yay, transfer students!) and then, years later at UM-Dearborn completing my undergrad degree when I was thirty and a mom of young children. I earned my graduate degree at Wayne State eight years later. I got my teaching start at Washtenaw Community College in 2001 and have been teaching at UM-Dearborn since 2010.

While I was born and raised in Michigan, I moved to LA when I was nineteen with only my car, five hundred bucks, and boxes of books I could not live without. I have also lived in Australia which was just as cool as it sounds.

I love to learn new things and have new experiences. Lately that has included paddleboarding, vegan baking, belly-dancing, karaoke, and indoor rock climbing.

I like to grow things – tomatoes with cool names (Costoluto Genovese) and most vegetables, with a special affinity for pumpkins because they just take over the space without apology and have gorgeous yellow flowers. I have several wild, unkept gardens where I grow Michigan native plants to attract bees and butterflies. I like to grow minds, too.

Have questions about this course? Email Prof. Judge-Gonzalez at [email protected].