Having enjoyed teaching during my active career, I continued to teach summer school following retirement. Self-observed sensory and cognitive impairments, although not mentioned by students in their evaluations, induced me to consider the pros and cons of continuing to teach. My hope is that this list of benefits and problems will be of assistance…

Surveys in 2 undergraduate psychology classes (N = 86) found that students felt less comfortable taking all-essay tests than taking multiple-choice or short-answer tests. The dominant examination format for students in university and in high school had been multiple-choice tests. We describe measures to encourage essay writing in large classes.…

A survey in 2 undergraduate psychology classes (N = 93) found ambivalent attitudes toward credit for classroom participation. Although students viewed credit as a way to increase interaction and improve attendance, they also believed it could stimulate irrelevant comments and penalize shy students. The following year, in a class of 49 students,…

A hands-on lab for a lower division research methods course used an online format with Web page, Web forms, an e-mail listproc, and chat room. The virtual section received a higher rating for overall value than did the in-person labs. Students liked its convenience and flexibility. There were no significant differences in examination performance…

Presents a case study of one college level psychology instructor's (the author's) teaching evaluations over a 20 year period. He discusses how his teaching has been affected by the evaluation process and how he has been able to use teaching evaluations in the academic review process. (RM)

Proposes use of prepublication student evaluations of textbooks. Feedback from students helps to improve comprehensibility and interest and is most useful when done on a chapter-by-chapter basis using a systematic evaluation procedure. (Author/KC)

Explores six methods for incorporating into courses published autobiographies written by individuals suffering from mental disorders: (1) outside readings; (2) examples for classroom lectures; (3) primary texts for discussion sections; (4) remedial or extra-credit assignments; (5) information resources; and (6) source books for topical seminars.…

Discusses the teaching of psychology at the Tallinn Pedagogical Institute in Estonia (Soviet Union). Suggests that teaching occurs without textbooks, library books, handouts, copying machines, or office meetings with students. Reports that students' views of intergroup relations were unlike the views of Western students. Concludes that much of…

Describes the development and content of a freshman seminar titled "The Psychology of Mushrooms," which teaches psychology as natural history. This approach allowed the course to proceed from concrete experience to general principals of perception, learning, social, and abnormal psychology. (Author/LS)

Reports that variation in textbook prices is not correlated with textbook quality as judged by instructors and that university faculty are less price conscious when selecting textbooks than are community college faculty. States that, if faculty had greater access to price information, textbook prices would decrease. Makes recommendations for…