In this article we describe a long-term departmental change effort in one mathematics department. The change began with one instructor adopting the Extreme Apprenticeship instructional model. This modest shift served as the catalyst for a series of subsequent, systemic improvements. We believe that this innovation and the resultant change…

An English program like English For Holiday (EFH), is concerned with helping children to learn English. In relation to English Education Department of Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, the department has employed an EFH program to help children with English learning during their school break. To accomplish the continuous improvement of the program, it…

Instruction in analog electronics is an integral component of many physics and engineering programs, and is typically covered in courses beyond the first year. While extensive research has been conducted on student understanding of introductory electric circuits, to date there has been relatively little research on student learning of analog…

Following the release of the Degree Qualifications Profile (DQP) in 2011, many institutions of various types tried out different ways to use the DQP. Although over 680 institutions have used the DQP to date, until now the impact of the DQP on institutions and students has not been documented in a systematic manner. To determine the effects of DQP…

In the late 1990s, the physics department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had a problem. The department was responsible for teaching the two required physics courses that are part of the General Institute Requirements (GIRs), MIT's core curriculum--Physics I (mechanics, or in MIT parlance, 8.01) and Physics II (electricity and…

This article reports on a systematic revision of our psychology department's advising system. Assessment results indicate a change from 38% to 70% of our seniors endorsing advising as "good" or "high quality" from 1993 to 2003. We present the individual components of our advising plan and recommendations for improving advising.

The most effective means for obtaining knowledge about how students learn requires having two faculty members working together--one teaches and the other observes. Both the teacher and the observer interview students. These interviews yield information about how the students conceive the subject matter and how they respond to it. (MLW)

Knowing how students reason and how to foster discipline-specific skills in critical thinking helps chairpersons respond positively to faculty concerns about students' reasoning deficiencies. The challenge of teaching thinking, critical-thinking abilities, beliefs about knowledge, overcoming students' limitations, and developing faculty interest…

The value of student evaluation depends on whether appropriate questions are asked. Students are in a good position to describe the teacher's ability to communicate at their level, the teacher's professional and ethical behavior in the classroom, student-teacher relationships, what has been learned in the course, etc. (MLW)

The National Institute of Education report, "Involvement in Learning: Realizing the Potential of American Higher Education," is discussed. The study group highlighted the outcomes of an undergraduate education--student learning and the implications of student learning--and concluded the appropriate source of curriculum reform is the…