The What and Why
Our Mission
Nextstepuni was founded by Alex Linehan, a UCC Quercus Entrepreneurship student. Despite early academic struggles, failing his junior cert, Alex transformed his mindset and performance after recognising the need for change in fourth year of secondary school.
By studying scientific research on learning and how to build a growth mindset, he achieved the highest points his school had seen in over a decade. Now, through Nextstepuni, Alex shares these evidence-based techniques to help students unlock their potential. His course is already in use in multiple schools, and he has delivered talks across Ireland.
Why Choose Nextstepuni?
Nextstepuni's course pilots have been rolled out in schools around Ireland, and have proven the effectiveness of the course (37% increase in grades). We don't launch a course unless it is proven to boost grades.
Unlike grinds, where a student learns how to answer certain questions in a certain subject, a learn to learn course helps students understand the root cause of underperformance - Ineffective studying. Get better in all subjects, not just one.
Our courses are built on two core pillars. The first is that every piece of advice has been thoroughly tested and proven to be effective in the scientific literature. Secondly, past high-performing students help us to deliver expert advice specific to the JC and LC.
Proven Success
Getting to the Root of the Problem
Science + Students
Science Backed Courses
100's of hours worth of Scientific Research compacted down into bite-sized (but in-depth) courses, tailored to Second Level Education.
Take a look at some of the papers that have contributed to the development of our courses (Click the Link to take a Look).
01
Effective Learning
- The critical role of retrieval practice in long-term retention.
- Self-regulated learning: Beliefs, techniques, and illusions.
- Retrieval practice produces more learning than elaborative studying with concept mapping.
- The ICAP framework: Linking cognitive engagement to active learning outcomes.
02
Growth Mindset
- Self-theories: Their role in motivation, personality, and development.
- Mindset interventions are a scalable treatment for academic underachievement.
- Expanding minds: Growth mindsets of self-regulation and the influences on effort and perseverance.
- Growth mindset tempers the effects of poverty on academic achievement. (Great one to help DEIS Students).
03
Learning Mathmatics
- Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design.
- The shuffling of mathematics problems improves learning. (Basis for Interleaving Module)
- Designing knowledge scaffolds to support mathematical problem solving.
- Productive failure in learning math.
- The effects of feedback during exploratory math problem solving: Prior knowledge matters.
04
Learning Languages
- At the interface: Dynamic interactions of explicit and implicit language knowledge.
- Three functions of output in second language learning.
- Learning vocabulary in another language
- The psychology of the language learner: Individual differences in second language acquisition.
- Input processing and grammar instruction in second language acquisition.
- Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It
- The role of consciousness in second language learning.
- Incidental vocabulary acquisition in a second language: The construct of task-induced involvement.