The purpose of college may be different for every student, but according to Professor Terry Doyle, it’s about becoming lifelong learners who can have all the survival needs of a learner.

“It’s not enough that you got an A on a test. Can you use this knowledge?” Doyle said in a Sept. 9 lecture.

Student’s approach to learning has become about memorizing the material and hoping it lasts for the test. This approach doesn’t make us lifelong learners.  The successful approach is through emotions. 

“Our brain sees emotions as important. It’s the way the brain is built to prioritize,” Doyle said . 

Doyle took this approach to his own presentation. Students in the lecture seemed excited and upbeat about the material being covered. 

“I thought the lecture was very engaging. Usually at lectures, I find myself getting bored, but this lecture was interesting and he kept it fun,” junior Savannah Shilling said. 

A favorite part of the lecture was the video shown. This video made fun of the realistic approach of being a college student. Father Guido Sarducci’s five minute university idea explained how much college students really learn. 

“The idea is that in five minutes, you learn what the average college graduate remembers after five years after he or she is out of school,” Sarducci said. 

This five minute university would only cost $20 and teaches the necessary skills students really need after college. 

This five minute university may not exist, but the idea around it is. It’s important that teachers  take this new approach so students remember the information that is essential for life. 

“Everything about learning comes back to emotions,” Doyle said. 

Attaching our memories to previous experiences allow us to pay more attention to what is being taught. As a teacher, that means you must take use the student’s emotions to your advantage. 

“Teachers need to be passionate,” Doyle said.

Attaching our memories to previous experiences allow us to pay more attention to what is being taught. As a teacher, that means you must take use the student’s emotions to your advantage. 

When a teacher is passionate, students will be passionate as well.

“He brought up a lot of good points about how people learn and made me think about the ways I learn and how I can improve how I learn,” Shilling said.

Teachers use this knowledge to their advantage to make the information they are teaching stick with the students. But there are so many other factors in a student’s life that control how they learn it, making the teacher’s job that much harder. 

As college students, learning can take a back seat to activities, sports, Greek life and having a social life. According to Doyle, the four concepts to be a successful learner are not as complicated as they seem. 

The four key concepts to being a successful learner is to hydrate, diet, exercise and sleep.  These ideas are not hard to accomplish but become less important in the student’s life.  

If students can be successful in these four key concepts becoming a lifelong learner will become second nature.