The author explores an assumption evident in the literature that "most" college instructors grade participation in undergraduate courses. Instructors (N = 521) at a large, northeastern university were surveyed regarding their attitudes and practices in grading participation in undergraduate courses. A survey instrument was developed for the…

A large literature establishes the benefits of discussions for stimulating student engagement and critical thinking skills. However, we know considerably less about the differential effects of various discussion environments on student learning. In this study, we assess student perceptions concerning the benefits of discussions in an upper-level…

The national initiative that undergraduate students receive education in public health is well-aligned with the philosophy of liberal education which recommends that baccalaureate students receive a wide breadth of knowledge, adaptable skills, principled values, and a sense of societal responsibility. This article explores this new application of…

Several core competencies related to information literacy have been identified by the Association of College and Research Libraries. Students must learn to gather relevant information and communicate their findings effectively. The collaborative activity described here, which could easily be adapted for other disciplines, introduces first-semester…

The author studied the pedagogy of Socrates looking for teaching techniques that help maintain students' interest in an ongoing discussion. Socrates' use of such strategies as asking probing questions, expanding the discussion into its relationship to other ideas, assuming the role of the devil's advocate, and spending time on group maintenance…

Using data from eight academic departments and 361 courses taught during a semester, the author examined differences between full-time and part-time faculty in the areas of general demographic variables, student evaluation of teaching outcomes, and the distribution of grades earned. The author expected full-time faculty to exhibit higher teaching…

Although there are currently only a few undergraduate journals in economics, we expect their numbers to increase substantially in the future because of several developments: (1) research and writing activity is increasing in economics programs, (2) online publication is now more feasible and cost efficient than ever, and (3) students are…

Small private liberal arts colleges are increasingly tuition-dependent and mainly attract students by creating student-centered learning communities. On the other hand, larger universities tend to be trendsetters where its faculty tend to seek intellectual independence and are involved in career focused cutting-edge research. The Institutional…

An interdisciplinary professional development initiative targeted faculty teaching undergraduate liberal arts courses with the goal of enhancing the critical-thinking skills of learners. The authors emphasize innovative teaching strategies and educational technology. Results indicate that the institute promoted the adoption of learner-centered…

This article argues that the dominant invidious segmentation in American higher education between universities designated as "research" institutions and those relegated to "teaching" status is both erroneous and deleterious. Moreover, the trend of increasing research activities at master's institutions is not, as followers of the current…

Many instructors seek to improve student engagement, but determining how to achieve student engagement can be complex and complicated. The authors sought to explore how the implementation of active-learning strategies in undergraduate history courses at a metropolitan community college using graphic organizers and group discussion impacted student…

Within higher education, science departments have been making efforts to place more emphasis on improving discipline-specific teaching and learning. One such shift is the increased hiring of science faculty with educational specialties (SFES). Although SFES have begun to multiply in number, there is little published on their teaching ideologies…

Assessment of the efficacy of collaborative learning group techniques is frequently subjectively based and often relies on casual comments from students or faculty. Despite this shortcoming, instructors searching for new and effective ways of teaching quantitative courses continue to experiment with collaborative pedagogy. This study examined the…

Portfolios are used for many purposes; however, data describing their utility in promoting student engagement and learning in large undergraduate survey courses have not been reported. A large survey course presents a number of teaching and learning challenges that portfolios help to address, such as the ability of the teacher to maintain student…

Higher education faculty can and do teach courses delivered in a variety of ways. But, to date, little research has been done on the effectiveness of different delivery modes. This study sought to fill that void by comparing the effectiveness of three undergraduate course delivery modes: classroom, online, and video conference at a technical…