The purpose of this manuscript is to present strategies and resources for advisors of doctoral students in online programs. The strategies include an approach to creating a community of doctoral students, a video initiative to provide encouragement to students in the doctoral program, and assignments that enhance students' writing skills to…

This guide for college teachers, written from a British perspective, focuses on economic and efficient practices for assessing students. The guide groups various practices under 10 major strategies: (1) decide whose interests assessment is serving; (2) avoid over-sampling the course; (3) avoid over-questioning; (4) avoid over-reading student work;…

Teachers as readers would have a more pleasant and stimulating job if they were reading essays that interested them. The step to reading a good paper is designing a good assignment. Some areas that need to be defined for students before they begin to write are outlined. (MLW)

The 10 editions of the newsletter provide a forum for the sharing of research findings, observations, instructional strategies, and opinions on subjects pertaining to college level teaching and college faculty. Multiple subjects are discussed in each issue and are often based on recent books. Among the topics covered and the issues in which they…

When the teacher does writing assignments along with students, students see four things: how the teacher would approach the assignment; how to do revisions; how even the teacher makes grammatical and spelling errors in the first draft; and how those errors get corrected. (MLW)

Arguing that the primary means of integrating the library with classroom instruction is the library assignment or research paper, this paper takes a practical look at what constitutes an effective library assignment. It begins by debunking various misconceptions about the library and students' library skills which tend to undermine library…

Suggests specific approaches to critiquing A student's paper motivates THE student to produce better papers and to improve writing skills. Warns against overemphasis on the mechanics of writing, and points out steps the instructor may follow to involve students in the editing process. (NL)

The purpose of this newsletter, published six times yearly during Western Michigan University's (WMU) fall and winter semesters, is to provide a forum for the exchange of information about instruction at the university. The first of six issues collected here looks at the contribution and role of adjunct professors. This issue includes a list of…

Argues that college teachers will have an easier and more productive experience with student writing if they make and communicate the distinction between high-stakes and low-stakes assignments and between high- and low-stakes ways of responding to student writing. Specific suggestions are made for communicating assignments and commenting on them.…

This brief report summarizes a longer document with the same title. It reviews literature on the importance of using active learning teaching techniques in the classroom, describes what active learning is, discusses how this technique can be incorporated into the classroom and identifies barriers to the use of this approach. Strategies that…

This document presents a collection of specific ideas addressing 24 teaching practices appropriate for developing Personal Teaching Improvement Guides, an individualized approach to improving teaching in colleges and universities. The ideas came from teachers at the University of California (Berkeley) whose teaching was highly rated by students.…

These two documents present (1) a user's guide to the Personal Teaching Improvement Guides Program developed at the University of California, Berkeley and (2) a sample guide. The program uses results of student evaluations (keyed to 24 teaching practices) and descriptions of successful teaching practices to individualize instructional improvement…

A survey of 365 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University faculty investigated undergraduate grading policies and practices across disciplines. Results reveal patterns in teacher treatment of absolute vs. relative standards, grade recording and averaging, unexcused absences, late work, class participation, and non-achievement-related…

Perspectives of academic staff who have been involved in teaching externally are presented in three papers. In "Teaching Students Externally: The First Twelve Years," Frank Molloy examines three aspects of teaching by the external mode: preparing materials, making assignments, and providing educational experiences for students at the…

This paper presents three vignettes to help teachers engage students in self-regulated learning. "Vignette One: Strengthening Your Will Power--Taking Charge of Your Life" explains how to help students take charge of themselves by "working smarter, not harder," i.e., by developing the habit of using such strategies as…