Effective Learning Strategies in the History of Dress.
Many unDErgraDuatES have trepidation about survey of history courses.1 Student fears and occasional complaints may be based on the traditional methods of teaching survey courses, specifically the exclusive use of lectures, multiple-choice exams, and term papers for instruction and assessment.2 these instructor-centered approaches are convenient and use class time efficiently, but they do not actively engage students in the discovery of knowledge; prerequisites for meaningful learning environments.3 In contrast, learning-centered approaches actively involve students directly in course material. Learner-centered materials encourage students to gather and synthesize information and integrate it with the general skills of inquiry, communication, critical thinking, and problem solving. these are all necessary skills in the unpredictable global work-environments that many undergraduate students will experience in future careers.4 Learning strategies that foster active engagement with course material have been associated with greater retention and future application of the subject, the development of intrinsic motivation, and positive attitudes towards continued learning.5 Furthermore, experiential learning strategies are particularly useful in large courses in order to promote deeper, longerlasting learning.6 according to educational psychology, optimal learning occurs when students are interested in the subject matter, are motivated with challenging