Studying vs. Learning

Troy Dvorak, the RockinPsychProf on social media, holds a Master’s degree in clinical psychology and is a psychology professor at Minneapolis Community & Technical College. Prior to becoming a college professor in 2005, Troy provided psychological assessment and treatment services for children, teenagers, and families at an outpatient mental health clinic in Canada for seven years. As a clinician, his areas of expertise included behavioral and emotional disorders in childhood and adolescence, family therapy, and school counseling. As a college professor, Troy's expertise lies in the area of student success. With the growing popularity of "grit" and mindsets, Troy began reviewing the research on psychological factors related to student success in 2009. After combing through over 600 peer-reviewed articles, he wrote Psychological Keys to Student Success, published in 2014. The book was written for students, giving them insights into the thinking skills and personal characteristics commonly associated with college success. In addition to the essential thinking skills described in the Psychological Keys, Studying vs. Learning: The Psychology of Student Success, is a practical guide to developing more effective learning and studying strategies, those supported by psychological and educational research. It further describes five important psychological principles that students can use to develop the personal habits associated with success, not just in school, but in life. Troy is a self-taught drummer and loves the pounding beats, rockin' guitar riffs, and vocal hooks in hard rock music. He is a fan of 80's hard rock and "hair metal" and describes himself as "pathetically monogamous to the genre." Whether at home, in the car, at the gym, or in his office, hard rock music is almost always cranking. He even plays it before his classes start. For Troy, psychology truly ROCKS!