Despite questions about academic rigor, undergraduates use Wikipedia for opportunistic learning: self-regulated study to learn, relearn, or be introduced to concepts. STEM topics are potentially immune from some of Wikipedia's criticism, as many are based on well-established facts. This article evaluates 28 articles from seven STEM disciplines on…

Pre-service and beginning in-service science teachers enrolled in a university teacher education program participated in a project to support their teaching through a lens of sustainability. While they demonstrated active and positive engagement, I considered the possibility of any students reacting negatively to the course material and doing so…

Wikipedia can serve as an effective, engaging tool for teaching key information literacy skills. This article examines the experience of seven faculty members and over four hundred students who edited Wikipedia as part of a first-year seminar. We review the literature surrounding the pedagogical value of Wikipedia and then discuss our goals in…

A literature review on approaches to a final course session reveals a dearth of attention to the issue. Options for last-day activities fall into three categories: professor-centered, activity-focused, and student-driven. Using the criterion that meaningful course closure calls for last-day activities that engage students in reflection not only…

Despite instructors' belief that class readings are integral to the learning process, only 20-30% of undergraduate students complete required readings. Failure to complete course reading has been associated with declines in exam and research performance. This article first offers a brief review of the literature on why students do not complete…

As many as 42% of first and second year students at post-secondary institutions fail to complete their degrees, and of those students, only 15-25% of them drop out due to poor academic performance or for financial reasons. The remainder of them leave college for reasons that are less clear (National Center for Education Statistics 2012). However,…

Through a review of the literature on the test-frequency effect, we identified several underlying factors that may determine student learning outcome beyond the number of tests administered in a course. A realignment of the conceptual framework of the test-frequency effect with these variables is therefore proposed for future research. However,…

The syllabus functions as a major communication device that provides details of how student learning will be assessed and about the roles of both students and instructors in the learning and assessment process. This analysis of actual course syllabi shows the inconsistency of such communication and, therefore, the corruption of the assessment…

Literature is examined for its metaphors for teaching and teachers, including the teacher as custodian and steward of knowledge, as sower of knowledge, and as "trickster," a picaresque, mythical figure who offers solutions, often inadvertently. The roles of kindness and cruelty in the learning/teaching process are also considered. (MSE)

Reviews research on student satisfaction levels in interactive televised courses (ITV). Finds that when other variables are held constant, students rate the effectiveness of the professor's teaching lower when ITV is involved. Offers recommendations regarding effective use of ITV. (EV)

A review of research on college student motivation and its relationship to learning looks at popular views of motivation, extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation, the effects of extrinsic rewards, similarities to learning orientation and grading orientation, evaluation methods, and the power structure in the classroom. (MSE)

Based on research on cognitive style and forms of intelligence, and in light of the new advantages offered by computer technology, this article proposes that college educators must investigate new ways of teaching and explore curricula that are very different from the traditional approach. (MSE)

Research on learning disabilities in students is reviewed, and classroom techniques for college instruction to support writing among these students are suggested. They include making an extra effort for clear classroom communication, dealing with errors in writing mechanics, helping students achieve coherence, giving hints for planning and…

A review of Charles Sykes' book "The Hollow Men: Politics and Corruption in Higher Education" focuses on the portion that chronicles the political history of Dartmouth College (New Hampshire) from 1769. It is found to be a comprehensive analysis of the college's decline resulting from a "radically politicized and…

A discussion of academic dishonesty among college students reviews research on cheating, then assesses dominant cognitive processes students use to rationalize cheating in one college and compares findings with previous studies. Faculty and administrators are encouraged to challenge student accounts of cheating and other questionable conduct found…