Scholars recently have called for a more civic-based approach to education. In this article, we report on the use of a civic participation exercise in a large public speaking class. The assignment guides students to employ concepts from the course to organize a community event designed to productively affect a specific civic cause. Gaining…

Federal legislation has increased the participation of students with disabilities in higher education, but they are less likely to attain a postsecondary degree than students without disabilities. In this paper, I discuss reasons for academic failure and illustrate ten strategies that instructors can implement to increase the academic success of…

First introduced in the mid-1920s, student evaluation of instruction is a routine, mandatory part of teaching in colleges and universities in America. In this research, we summarized what is known about evaluating the effectiveness of instruction in postsecondary education and proposed areas for improvements, as well as considerations for future…

When I turned to asynchronous delivery of content for a recent educational research and evaluation course, I wanted to supplement threaded discussions with social interactions to better support meaningful learning and allow students to make knowledge their own. I incorporated synchronous small group discussions among peers to replace some of what…

Although the term "learning communities" may be familiar to some faculty, this article describes several types of learning communities and explains the benefits to both students and faculty. Fostering workforce skills, encouraging problem-solving skills, and increasing retention and success are some of the benefits for students and faculty. In…

A recent report by the National Council for Research on Women (2001) revealed that the number of women entering technology-driven careers has declined. Among the reasons cited is the sometimes chilly climate for women in college classrooms, particularly classrooms with technology-rich environments. In this article, I present strategies that…

Students increasingly are comfortable on the World Wide Web and turn to online resources for many of their research needs. All students can benefit, however, from being shown how to find the most appropriate resources and evaluate what they find. Regardless of their own familiarity with the Web, instructors can apply their knowledge of their…

In pedagogical literature, asynchronous, computer-mediated courses have been promoted as an interactive mode of course delivery. However, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of different teaching strategies in this medium. In this paper, I describe the development of my asynchronous course and outline the fundamental dilemmas in…

English teachers, as well as teachers within other disciplines, often boil down abstract principles to easily explainable bullet points. Students often pick up and retain these points but fail to grasp the broader contexts that make them relevant. It is therefore sometimes helpful to revisit some of the more common of these "rules of thumb" to…

In this study, we investigated the use of humor in college classrooms. We examined how students perceived professors' uses of various types of humor during class and the types of humor that students and faculty recommend for use in class. We also correlated the way professors incorporated humor into their class lectures with their perceived…

Mentoring is a process in which one person, usually of superior rank and outstanding achievement, guides the development of an entry-level individual. Colleges and universities historically have had new faculty orientation programs and methods to support new faculty matriculation. Mentorship programs, if well developed, can integrate new faculty…

Many institutions of higher education want to strengthen the town-gown relationship, as well as increase students' access to community resources. Colleges and universities traditionally have connected with their surrounding communities in various ways, including through school placements, internships, field trips, volunteerism, service-learning,…

Understanding one's cultural system leads to greater skills in appreciating other cultures. When students and teachers from diverse cultural backgrounds come together, they bring diversity that can either improve or break down the process of learning and teaching. If handled properly, cultural diversity can enrich the classroom; if ignored,…

In this article, we examine a new global studies program that departs from the traditional state-centric approach and uses a geocentric, or earth-centered, approach that emphasizes the roles of individuals, grassroots organizations, cultural groups, and international organizations in an attempt to help students conceptualize global events and…

The widespread acceptance of the phrase "grade inflation" poses a potentially damaging overstatement in reference to higher education. Grades are at an all-time high, but a review of the literature demonstrates that the improvement is not incongruous with a rise in faculty development programs and increased varieties of student support services.…