Introduces the Mass Media Mistake, an exercise in which students engage in a healthy skepticism of chemistry in the printed world, rewrite the example correctly, and discuss the consequences of the original error on the unsuspecting reader. (Contains 13 references.) (ASK)

Incorporates a library component into an experimental section of the Environmental Science/Resource Planning course for nonscience majors in which students experience the scientific methods of researchers and learn some basic library skills. (ASK)

Uses environmental impact analysis as a unifying theme to provide students with real problem-solving experiences without neglecting the principles and theories of the basic scientific disciplines undergirding environmental science. Provides information about stressed stream analysis, which connects environmental impact analysis and Great Lakes…

Introduces a study conducted to establish the relevance and significance of a new model to describe individual differences in learning patterns among college students in the general chemistry program. Concludes that individual students learn and demonstrate understanding in different ways, and understanding those differences makes for more…

Discusses the implementation of an agriculture course through distance education technology that focuses on course development, its evaluation, advantages, and disadvantages. (Contains 11 references.) (ASK)

Provides an activity that focuses on the color changes of leaves and reinforces lectures in ecology, plant physiology, and the scientific method. (ASK)

Presents a statement from the Society for College Science Teachers (SCST) that provides guidance on the important processes of promotion and tenure, and to help college science teachers reflect on their own teaching and make improvements. (ASK)

A study in a graduate-level occupational therapy class found that questions asked by teachers and the instructional format in which they were asked influenced the frequency and level of student questioning. Subjects were 5 undergraduate and 15 graduate students. It was concluded that improved classroom questioning strategies may contribute to…

In a foundations-of-education course based on experiential learning, 120 college students formed partnerships with elementary school children and, using letters and interviews, asked them about teaching and learning. It was found that the students clarified their educational philosophies, enhanced communication skills, and overcame preconceptions…

Study profiled excellent lecturers and discussion leaders from the perspective of 30 undergraduate students. As predicted, level of instructor interpersonal skills, focus on student personal/professional growth and on encouraging independent thinking/research were rated highly and considered more characteristic of excellent discussion leaders than…

Presents nine teaching strategies to increase correspondence between visual and auditory modes of presentation. The techniques, focusing on presentation syntax, instructor placement/movement, and methods of eliciting students' input, were originally designed for students with hearing and visual impairments, but have proven to promote clarity for…

A four-year study followed teaching changes of an experienced economics professor as he participated in an informal faculty discussion group. Results are presented in three sections, each representing a different perspective: a narrative based on two interviews; a framework depicting teaching improvement as a dynamic process of conceptual and…

Highlights epistemological development of young adults, including the nature of problems commonly confronted by college students, by reporting on an investigation into the epistemic orientation of general education faculty, focusing on their assumptions about typical undergraduates' approaches to reasoning; and discusses implications for…

A three-year study evaluated the effectiveness of 10 systematic strategies for using humor as a teaching tool. Student ratings at the end of three undergraduate and five graduate statistics courses assessed the extent to which each strategy reduced anxiety, improved the ability to learn, and made it possible to perform one's best on problems and…

Reports on a two-year project in a biology course for nonmajors in which lectures were replaced with guided learning activities and weekly exams designed to help students gain the confidence to be independent learners, especially in science, assume responsibility for their own learning, improve study skills, and make more effective use of class…