At the University of Maryland University College, teaching portfolios are used for professional development of adjunct faculty in continuing education, and for determining annual teaching awards. The faculty development program offers workshops, information packets, and sample portfolios to potential award recipients and other faculty, provides…

An alternative method for college faculty to develop teaching portfolios is outlined, with the objective of minimizing professional risk. It is recommended that faculty work on course portfolios privately rather than in an organizational project, and that teaching philosophy be written last, not first. A two-year curriculum for developing a…

A framework for conducting discipline-related research through professor-student collaboration, developed at California State University, Dominguez Hills, is outlined and its application in one classroom project is described. Results of a survey of 225 undergraduate and graduate students in the clinical sciences, health sciences, and teacher…

An approach to developing college students' critical thinking skills, designed for freshman composition students but adaptable for other disciplines, is outlined. Components include: establishing bounds of analysis; using bibliography to foster scholarship; capitalizing on emotional response; learning the genre to be analyzed by writing in it;…

A performance-oriented approach to teaching William Shakespeare's literature has been found to be effective and enthusiastically received by college students. Ten years of teaching Shakespeare through full play production has shown that the rewards, eloquently expressed in the testimony of students, more than compensate for extra work required of…

One college history teacher finds lively and constructive classroom discussion in a survey course is primarily a result of the teacher's attitudes toward and assumptions about students. The teacher must create a safe atmosphere in which students can speak, and be direct and respectful with students, which clears the classroom of anxiety and…

Two studies, one quantitative and another qualitative, of learning style preferences of physical education majors are reviewed. The quantitative study investigated variation in relation to gender, age, and ethnicity and how preferences compared to those found in other disciplines. The qualitative study identified common themes in student…

Ways in which violating traditional expectations about teaching helps change, shape, and focus student ability to extract meaning from works of art are discussed. Alternative teaching modes include use of inquiry methods rather than lectures, in-class reading of the artwork as text instead of assigned readings about the artwork, and group…

Discussion of the culturally diverse college student population focuses on how teacher understanding of that diversity (in which the students are experts), and on how it can inform the classroom culture can help defuse tensions and become a source for teaching. Dynamics of the culturally and linguistically diverse classroom are outlined and…

Three beliefs college faculty have about teaching large classes, and five challenges associated with teaching them, are discussed. A survey of 126 college students concerning what enhances or detracts from learning in large classes is then reported. Discrepancies between teacher beliefs and student experience are examined, and recommendations for…

A study compared student outcomes in general education courses of 135 on-campus students; 22 students, remotely located, received simultaneous instruction via interactive television. Results found the process acceptable to both teachers and students and no apparent difference in achievement or attitude related to location. The importance of…

A study investigated the attitudes, beliefs, and intentions of college faculty regarding use of interactive television for distance education. Differences between faculty with a strong intent to use distance education technology and those with no such intent reveal potential barriers to implementation of distance learning programs. Results suggest…

Describes seven principles for developing a workable system for evaluation of college teaching, and provides both process and decision matrixes for groups interested in building such a system for their own evaluation. Argues that the system must be safe, explicit, manageable, formative, and satisfy environmental demands for accountability and…

Examines military and industrial research on peer assessment and discusses relevance to peer review of college teaching. Gives special attention to practical issues in assessing reliability and validity of peer evaluations, and discusses three characteristics of academic institutions (personal teaching styles/definition of "peer"/nature of…

Discusses problems with summative peer evaluation of college teaching, looking at conflicting interests and mixed metaphors of faculty evaluation that obscure its process and principles. Issues related to five kinds of evaluation (judging, critiquing, assessing, appraising, rating) are examined. Argues that peers can contribute to faculty…