This article chronicles the experience of a higher education administration professor who, without prior training in teaching methodology or special education, taught a deaf graduate student in four courses. It discusses the professor's expectations and reactions, introduction to deaf culture, and interactions with the student and deaf…

This study investigated the use of videotaped versus live student presentations in a graduate career counseling course. The results of a survey administered to the students indicated a preference for videotaped over live presentations. The advantages and disadvantages of videotaped presentations are also discussed. (MDM)

This article explains how to use learning-centered course portfolios to improve teaching and learning in the college classroom. It discusses how such portfolios can be used to document and assess the substance and complexity of teaching; connect assessment of teaching with assessment of learning; and foster better teaching and learning. (MDM)

Two distinguished college professors discuss how they learned the art and craft of teaching. It focuses on elementary and secondary teachers who inspired them as students, their experiences as college students, and their early attempts at college teaching. Qualities that make a good teacher are identified. (MDM)

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…

A study explored the impact of structured team problem solving (STEPS) on 15 cognitive and social skills and examined learning outcomes among 26 undergraduates in a health science course. Results suggest STEPS can enhance problem-based learning (PBL) by improving task completion and group processes and may enable implementation of PBL in larger…

A study investigated the effect of classroom assessment techniques (CATs) on both content and process of college students' learning. Instructors ask students to provide regular, anonymous feedback about their understanding of course material and the effectiveness of class structure. Comments of students in biology, business management, political…

A study at one school of business administration investigated the use, in a survey of graduating seniors, of open-ended questions to elicit information to help evaluate and improve teaching. Student concerns and faculty responses, methodology for textual analysis of student responses, and a comparison of this approach with more conventional…

In a college course on diversity in the workplace, students' experiences with conducting a cultural audit of the university as a workplace illustrate the dilemmas that can arise when students conduct action research in a real client system. Despite the inherent problems, the project resulted in significant student learning about the subject and…

A University of South Carolina program provides marine science students with learning opportunities that merge research and undergraduate study. In three semesters, students mastered complex scientific concepts and important professional skills such as critical and independent thinking, teamwork, and problem solving. Student/faculty and…

Few college teachers understand the process learners go through during periods of insight, large or small. Many treat this transition from one paradigm of knowledge to another as purely cognitive when, in fact, it is also highly emotional. A model of the transition is presented and a reflective guide is offered to help teachers facilitate this…

Describes a schedule for college classroom "preventive maintenance" that focuses on four classroom components: classroom community; students; course content; and faculty. A checklist allows assessment of these components during specific time periods in the semester, and a tune-up kit that includes diagnostic questions, sources of relevant…