A realistic and comprehensive program of faculty development must address key career decisions faced by faculty. Faculty "renewal" may be stimulated by changes in opportunities, in responsibilities, in location. Three decision points and some consequences of positive and negative answers to each question are discussed. (MLW)

It is determined what conclusions might be drawn from studies on improving college teaching, both for researchers and those who design and implement instructional improvement programs. Findings for interventions are summarized by confidence rating, showing the relative attention given to topics and the quality of research from topic to topic.…

On many campuses, student ratings of courses and teachers are routinely given to instructors as feedback about their teaching. This review applies meta-analytic techniques to 30 studies of the effectiveness of student ratings feedback. The studies met the following criteria: (1) they used student ratings as the primary source of feedback; (2) they…

Participants in interdisciplinary professional development workshops and reunions expressed satisfaction and reported positive effects on their teaching. Although the program met participants' expectations, sessions did not consistently reflect principles of effective teaching and learning. This discrepancy is discussed. (Author/MLW)

Implicit theories held by graduate teaching assistants were investigated. Information related to their theories-of-action was elicited through interview questions about what they mean by teaching, about how they respond to everyday classroom events, and about assumptions they make regarding those events. (MLW)

Students on many campuses regularly evaluate their courses, and reports of these evaluations are sent to their instructors. Such feedback should result in improved teaching and in more positive evaluations, yet neither informal observation nor systematic studies reveal sizable feedback effects. The true effects of feedback of this kind are modest,…

Traditional objections to student involvement and recent research supporting the validity of student comments are explored. The value of student comments depends upon asking appropriate questions: deciding what should be asked, what form the questions and results should take, and what use should be made of the information. (Author/MLW)

This study assessed the feedback-seeking behaviors of faculty in their third year of employment at five colleges and universities. A total of 121 faculty completed a mailed questionnaire on their feedback- and information-seeking behaviors, and a subset of 86 responded to interview questions about feedback. Statistical analyses of the survey and…