Charles Sykes' book "The Hollow Men: Politics and Corruption in Higher Education" is criticized as overreacting to trends in higher education and the college curriculum but also seen as potentially prompting educators to ask questions about the dominant politics on their campuses. (MSE)

A review of Charles Sykes' book "The Hollow Men: Politics and Corruption in Higher Education" focuses on the portion that chronicles the political history of Dartmouth College (New Hampshire) from 1769. It is found to be a comprehensive analysis of the college's decline resulting from a "radically politicized and self-regarding" faculty. (MSE)

An anthropology professor required students to compose essay questions that they felt summarized the principal issues and objectives of the course, based on lecture content. In the final examination, students were given several of their own questions to answer. Students felt they learned more from this format. (MSE)

When college teachers are explicit about specific methods and strategies involved in effective thinking, students are more likely to learn and use these skills. Labeling test questions with the thinking skills required can help students refocus their study methods, resulting in more effective thinking, problem-solving, or decision-making skills.…

The experiences of a number of institutions using a variety of approaches show that distance education by television can be both instructionally effective and cost effective. Careful attention to five steps in course development (planning, preparation, rehearsal, presentation, and review) can help colleges save time and avoid pitfalls. (MSE)

College faculty are not trained for intensely emotional discussion of non-Eurocentric topics that may arise in a diversified curriculum. They must learn to teach students to separate facts from cultural assumptions; shift perspective and acknowledge the validity of other viewpoints; and differentiate between personal discomfort and intellectual…

Two University of Rhode Island teachers, of journalism and economics, designed student projects simulating real interactions between professional journalists and economists. The projects increased both groups' ability to communicate, awareness of communication needs, interdisciplinary understanding, and mutual respect. (MSE)

One college teacher's use of mock trials in sociology instruction is described. Students are assigned roles as petitioner, respondent, attorneys, judge, courtroom staff, witnesses, reporters, and jurors. Pretrial investigations provide experience in information-gathering and critical thinking. Posttrial debriefing reveals others' thinking…

A discussion of the use of sign language interpreters for deaf college students looks at the interpreter's role, classroom organization, pacing of speech, testing, and class discussion. Teachers are encouraged to use the interpreter's presence and expertise as an opportunity to reassess and enhance classroom communication dynamics. (MSE)

A survey of 365 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University faculty investigated undergraduate grading policies and practices across disciplines. Results reveal patterns in teacher treatment of absolute vs. relative standards, grade recording and averaging, unexcused absences, late work, class participation, and non-achievement-related…

Discussion of student assessment at the college level looks at the relationship between grading and student learning and proposes an alternative system in which letter grades would be replaced with a two-part evaluation by the student and teacher. A practical compromise using letter grades is also outlined. (MSE)

A study of 15 Messiah College (Pennsylvania) courses that students rated exemplary for testing looked at external and internal characteristics that distinguished them. External characteristics included class size, grading patterns, course type, and teacher experience. Internal factors included teaching and evaluation strategies. Lack of peer…

A white woman professor teaching a black theater history course describes her experiences in the classroom, including the realization of students' expectations of her, her own fears of miscommunicating, the perspectives expressed by students in their journals, differences in white and African American student responses to the same material, and…

Techniques for managing college classroom discussions about cultural diversity and oppression are offered, using a model of social identity development that helps to understand student responses and classroom dynamics. The model posits five stages of social identity development experienced by individuals in both disadvantaged and advantaged…

This article proposes that within the discipline of logic, college students can learn the important elements of persuasive writing. Characteristics of and distinctions between deductive and inductive logic are outlined, and the appropriateness and usefulness of each for different kinds of persuasion are discussed. (MSE)