Using structural equation modeling, this study identifies the direct and indirect relationships among campus diversity climate, faculty attitudes, student--faculty interaction, and cognitive skills development, examining how the relationships differ by students' race/ethnicity. With data from the University of California Undergraduate Experience…

Groupwork is a useful classroom tool, but may not fully benefit students who are ostracized by peers due to nonacademic factors, like weight. Here, undergraduate students estimated GPAs of hypothetical student peers who were described as "overweight" or "normal-weight" and judged how much they wanted to work with them. We found…

This qualitative, narrative study explores the experiences of college students with disabilities before and during the remote learning period. Three main themes emerged as critical influences on student perceptions of institutional access and inclusion: accommodations and accessibility; building relationships and community and course structure and…

The development of undergraduate students' soft skills is crucial because their chances to satisfactorily deal with the demands of various environments and interlocutors increases with the development of their soft skills. Based on the achievement goal theory, this study aimed to examine the role of the school environment in fostering students'…

Many believe college instructors resist new teaching practices. In this article, the author develops a hypothesis to understand resistant faculty members, focusing on their likely educational experiences and on insights from psychology. Using Dweck's conception of self-theories and Fischer's conception of dynamic skill-theory, she defends the…

This article describes the investigation of four first-year faculty at a comprehensive state university. We each explored and evaluated our teaching philosophies, strategies, and roles as educators and researchers, using Bain's definition of authentic teaching and learning, the "natural critical learning environment." We identified four…

Lesson study is a professional-development process in which teachers collaboratively plan, execute, observe, and discuss lessons in the classroom. Lesson study can be implemented in a college environment to develop and improve the teaching skills of both new and experienced faculty. Focusing on a single lesson allows the lesson study participants…

An environmental intervention model to improve the learning environment in Black colleges is proposed, including a skill development component, revitalized testing, an integrated reading program, junior-level comprehensive examinations, and an analytical reasoning course. (MSE)

Four competencies of superior teachers are seen as a basis for the ideal environment to nurture excellence. They are: a student-centered orientation, value for the learning process, a need to influence individual behavior, and a belief that they possess the power to produce a desired effect in the learner. (MLW)

A university-educated art historian examines her transition to teaching at a small southern college. Challenges faced included a new clientele of students, the metamorphosis from graduate student to content expert, committee demands and overcommitment, and finding a personal niche. Significant benefits of small-college professional life are also…

The gap between the daily life of the urban college student and urban faculty member has widened considerably; the two groups tend to come from different cultures. The situation potentially compromises teaching effectiveness. Activities to promote better faculty understanding of students and develop curricula building on student strengths are…

A discussion of concerns of gay and lesbian college students, based on interviews on one campus, focuses on these issues: understanding and articulating sexual identity; campus and classroom experiences; communication with faculty; and the effects of learning style, classroom content, and research on their lives. Recommendations are made for…

The problems presented by alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and abuse among college students are varied and sometimes complex. College student health services should continue to take a leadership role in addressing substance abuse issues on campus, through efforts to change both behavior and environment. (MSE)

Nine strategies for opening and sustaining discussion of cultural pluralism in the college classroom are offered, including use of powerful evocative quotations, evocative visuals, student self-identification in cultural terms, pictographic autobiographies, student personal narratives, metaphors for America, concentric identity circles exercise,…

Reluctance of college faculty to teach critical thinking may be due to many factors. Proactive strategies for reducing resistance include creating a positive context for change, communicating expertness and credibility, creating a sense of safety and trust, countering sources of student resistance, and creating high hopes and expectations for…