View or download the Metacognitive Exercises Table (Acrobat (PDF) 93kB Mar27 23)

This exercise asks students to reflect on how they've navigated past projects and assignments. It can be used anytime or paired with Developing project management skills. The goal is to help them learn from those experiences and develop the independence necessary for a research project.

Building project management skills

This exercise asks students to reflect on how they are currently navigating their research project. It is best given after the research process has begun, but before the project has concluded.

Thinking about how to ask good questions

This exercise asks students to reflect on how they formulate questions as well as how they generate answers. This exercise can be used anytime or paired with Thinking about how to ask good research questions. The aim is to prompt students to think about disciplinary modes of thinking and what constitutes appropriate evidence.

Thinking about how to ask good research questions

This exercise asks students to reflect on how they formulate questions central to their research as well as what counts as adequate evidence. This exercise is best given at the beginning of the research process. The aim is to prompt students to connect disciplinary modes of thinking with research projects.

Building Resilience

This exercise is intended to help students reflect on how they can overcome obstacles. It asks them to think back to a prior experience and draw out lessons that might help them succeed in their research projects. This exercise can be used anytime or paired with Building research resilience.

Building research resilience

This exercise asks students to reflect on how they're coping with setbacks related to the research process. It is best given after the research process has begun, but before the project has concluded.

Reading with a purpose

This activity is designed to be used in conjunction with a reading assignment. The aim is to prompt students to read more intentionally and draw out lessons that might help them succeed in their research projects. This activity can be used more than once. It could, in principle, be given in conjunction with every reading assignment. It can also be used in conjunction with Reading for research.

Reading for research

This exercise asks students to reflect on how they're doing the reading related to their research project. It is best given towards the beginning of the research process.

Thinking about the self-assessment process

This exercise encourages students to think back on how they completed the self-assessment to consider whether it was fair and accurate.

Better together: teamwork and collaboration

This exercise asks students to reflect on how teams can function effectively as well ashow they can get collaborations back on track when they run into trouble. The aim is to prompt students to think about how to have a good research team experience. This exercise can be used anytime.

Thinking about how you communicate

This exercise asks students to reflect on how to effectively express your work to a disciplinary audience. The aim is to encourage students to develop clear, concise, and organized modes of communication. This exercise can be used anytime.

Thinking about how you communicate across audiences

This exercise asks students to reflect on how they communicate with others about their research project. The aim is to prompt students to express ideas in a clear and concise manner using discipline-specific language.