The authors describe several types of classroom assessment techniques (CATs) and cognitive scaffolding procedures that they have developed over the years. They then bring the procedures together in a sample lecture/group learning class presentation.

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional method where student learning occurs in the context of solving an authentic problem. PBL was initially developed out of an instructional need to help medical school students learn their basic sciences knowledge in a way that would be more lasting while helping to develop clinical skills…

Fostering students' intellectual curiosity is a common goal of first-year seminar programs--especially in liberal arts settings. The authors propose an alternative method to assess this ambiguous, value-laden concept. Relying on data gathered from pre- and posttest in-depth interviews of 34 students enrolled in first-year seminars, they…

Constructivist approaches to education embrace students' prior learning experiences and preference for learning in social environments. However, many postsecondary classes continue to embrace lecture-styles of teaching. This study sought to understand first-year students' perceptions of the mistakes instructors make in large lecture…

The author chronicles his experiments with inquiry-based learning (IBL) as he applied lessons from the literature and assessed the results. He describes a difficult journey with the result that, with the help of the literature, supportive colleagues and patient, creative students, he learned how to design courses that invite undergraduates to…

The authors focused on how a personalized response system ("clickers") could be used to promote more complex thinking in two sections of an intermediate college-level Spanish class. Using Bloom's Revised Taxonomy (2001), they designed questions to go beyond Bloom's lower-order thinking levels (recalling, understanding, and applying) to the…

Student evaluation of instruction in college and university courses has been a routine and mandatory part of undergraduate and graduate education for some time. A major shortcoming of the process is that it relies exclusively on the opinions or qualitative judgments of students rather than on assessing the learning or transfer of knowledge that…

The authors created a valid and reliable teaching statement scoring rubric to investigate and document the progression of graduate student instructors as scholarly teachers. Using the rubric, they detected significant positive changes between students' draft and final teaching statements, particularly in criteria related to describing teaching…

The author details the implementation of team-based learning (TBL) in a graduate-level special education class. TBL use has grown in popularity in colleges of business and in the sciences; however, few applications of TBL in other areas of higher education are documented in the literature. A traditional lecture format was replaced by individual…

The literature on college examination practices is relatively sparse, which is surprising given their importance for student learning and motivation. The authors investigated the examination practices of 215 faculty at a comprehensive university in order to identify which practices are normative and to examine relationships among key variables.…

In a reflective essay about experiential learning in the classroom, the author discusses a spontaneous student protest movement and how embracing student resistance as engagement can enhance the learning experience and foster a critical pedagogy. Students in an anthropology class attempted to organize a boycott of a scheduled quiz and, in doing…

Examined the overall effect of change to a plus/minus grading system on management students and faculty at one public university, using mathematical analysis of grade distribution and a questionnaire. Results indicated that both students and faculty had negative perceptions of the plus/minus system, and that the new system had virtually no effect…

Argues that new "learning" paradigms are needed to assess new kinds of educational practices. Uses Instruction Model-Learning Model Questionnaire and the Student Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness to compare traditional vs. interactive teaching methods in a graduate (n=94) public policy analysis course; finds neither effectively measures…

Introduces the seven articles in this issue, noting that four focus on unusual methods for encouraging and assessing the learning of college student and three explore pedagogical methods for understanding and assisting students' learning. (DB)

Describes the use of poster presentations as an alternative to written assignments for assessing student learning in a family and marital therapy in social work class at Anglia Polytechnic University (England). Reports positive responses by both students and instructors. Includes two poster examples. (DB)