Christin Monroe, Cameron Pilato, and Ari Weinshenker write: “Have you ever had a student fail to submit a research assignment—even though you’re fairly certain they spent a great deal of time working on it? Have you worked with a student who asks what feels like too many questions, or none at all? Have you seen students dramatically undershoot—or overshoot—the expectations for an assignment? Too often, these moments are interpreted as signs of low motivation, poor time management, or disengagement. But our shared experience suggests something else: Many students aren’t underthinking their academic work. They’re overthinking it.”
