To succeed as tomorrow's workers in the knowledge society of the new century--a world characterized by ceaseless change, boundless knowledge and endless doubt, today's business writing students must develop the skills and traits needed to become creative problem-solvers, flexible team-players and risk-taking life-time learners (Bereiter, 2002a).…

Information and communication technology (ICT) programs like Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote have become the norm for large university lecture classes, but their record in terms of student engagement and active learning is mixed at best. Here, the author presents the merits of a "populist" lecture style that takes full advantage of the…

The cAcL[subscript 2] approach (concept Advancement through chemistry Lab-Lecture) incorporates three major educational methodologies into one: a student-centered approach, the full integration of lecture and laboratory formats, and hands-on activity based-instruction. This format has been tested for cognitive and attitudinal gains in students and…

Students (n = 797) from 36 4th-grade classrooms were taught the control of variables strategy for designing experiments. In the instruct condition, classes were taught in an interactive lecture format. In the manipulate condition, students worked in groups to design and run experiments to determine the effects of four variables. In the both…

Active learning has been championed in academic circles as the pedagogical fix to boring lectures typically found in introduction to information systems courses. However, the literature on active learning is mixed. In this paper, we critically examine active learning research and discover a misplaced emphasis leading to paradoxical findings in…

Research indicates that student achievement improves when teachers provide opportunities for active engagement. Guided notes have been suggested as a way to increase active student responding during teacher-directed lectures. The purpose of this review was to summarize research on the effectiveness of guided notes. Specifically, we sought to…

In recent years, faculty have seen an increase in latecomers, sleepers, cell phone addicts, and downright disruptive students in their courses. Classroom incivility is the disruptive behavior that occurs in higher education learning environments at an alarming rate. Incivility is often a reciprocal process; both students and faculty may contribute…

A systematic approach to preparation of successful college lectures is outlined, including four stages: anticipation (of content and expectations); preparation (selection, acquisition, design, and construction); execution (attention to speech habits, demeanor, and body language); and support (evaluation, maintenance, and enhancement). (MSE)

A recent survey examining student learning in the college classroom found disruptive student behavior to be a major learning inhibitor. Compounding this is the realization that most college faculty are ill prepared to handle this problem. This article discusses the results of the survey as well as identifies the various types of disruptive…

The reduction of lecture time and its replacement with small group sessions in an undergraduate political theory course is described and possible problems associated with this kind of instructional change are discussed. (MSE)

The purpose of this study was to conduct a preliminary examination of the efficacy of two teaching methodologies: traditional lecture versus cooperative learning. A sample of 50 students was taken from a mid-size, southern, metropolitan university. The subjects were divided into 2 groups: 27 who learned course material via the traditional lecture…

A study investigated to what extent, if any, the modularization and individualization of composition instruction benefited students with severe skill deficiencies. Gain in writing skills--as measured by pretest/posttest differences--was compared with regard to two groups of students: those taught by a traditional lecture-discussion method of…

In a classroom research project, one college teacher experimented with a variation on conventional lecture method to improve student understanding of content. At logical points in the lecture, approximately 15-20 minutes apart, the lecturer pauses and directs students to review the material and paraphrase it in writing. Analysis of student notes…

Findings are presented from a study of the effectiveness of a training program designed to increase nonverbal expressiveness, during expository teaching/lecturing, in the nonverbal channels: voice delivery, eye expression, gaze, facial expression, gesturing, posture, and movement. The program includes laboratory practice sessions, characterized by…

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in the sciences are a common feature of U.S. universities that have a prominent mission of research. During the past 2 decades, increased attention has been paid to the professional development of GTAs as instructors. As a result, universities have created training programs to assist GTAs in selecting…