A literature search and survey of 259 Ohio State University faculty addressed advantages and disadvantages of large enrollment classes as well as factors in deciding appropriate class size. Results of both efforts found that the advantages of large classes included lowering of instructor costs, efficient use of faculty time and faculty talent,…

A sociology course on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and its societal context, taught at California State University, Long Beach, is described. The background, content, organization, administrative and emotional demands, teaching methods (including input from patients with AIDS), texts, and impact of the interdisciplinary course are…

The Freshman General Studies Thematic Program (GST) at California State University, Chico was established in 1973 to create a general education program for freshmen and to give faculty the opportunity to explore innovative teaching methods. What resulted was a 33-unit, year-long interdisciplinary course for 36 well-motivated, well-prepared…

Information to orient teaching assistants (TAs) at the University of California (U.C.), Berkeley, to their teaching responsibilities is presented. Written primarily by veteran TAs, pragmatic advice on teaching is offered, drawn from actual classroom experience. After exploring ways to resolve problems that occur in the earliest stage of the…

A handbook to help teaching assistants (TAs) define and implement teaching goals and to present materials effectively is presented as part of the Teaching Assistant Development Program at the University of California at San Diego. A checklist gives 20 skills that a TA needs to develop to be a good teacher. Behavioral learning goals and process…