Learning takes place mostly through communication. This is why teachers employ different types of interaction in the classroom in order to provide a varied environment for the students. Apart from the commonly used Student-Teacher-Talk or Teacher-Student-Talk, presentations or lectures may offer advantages with regard to the promotion of…

We present findings from a study exploring student and staff perceptions of the use of webnotes, and whether their availability affects attendance at lectures. A questionnaire survey gathered data from 162 undergraduate and masters students and 20 staff. Students and staff agree that webnotes have become an expected supplement to lecture delivery,…

Providing students with supplementary course materials such as audio podcasts, enhanced podcasts, video podcasts and other forms of lecture-capture video files after a lecture is now a common occurrence in many post-secondary courses. We used an online questionnaire to ask students how helpful enhanced podcasts were for a variety of course…

Teaching students to write persuasive messages is a critical feature of any undergraduate business communications course. For the persuasive writing module in the author's course, students write a persuasive message on the basis of the four-part indirect pattern often used for sales or fund-raising messages. The course text she uses identifies…

Students attending a lecture usually have a wide range of prior knowledge about the topic in question. Rather than seeing this as a problem, lecturers can take advantage of such differences. This article shows how students' misconceptions about old age were used to inform a lecture on the topic. Prior knowledge can thus be used to aid teaching and…

This paper aims to investigate students' likes and dislikes of the teaching that they have experienced and its effects on students' perceptions of the learning environment, student learning and academic performance. The study compares a lecture-based setting to a student-activating learning/teaching environment, considering both instructional and…

Formal use of cooperative learning techniques proved effective in improving student performance and retention in a freshman level statistics course. Lectures interspersed with group activities proved effective in increasing conceptual understanding and overall class performance. (11 references) (Author)

A guide to good lecturing is presented for medical school teachers. It is suggested that the first step in encouraging active listening is to fulfill a clearly stated purpose. The lecturer is advised to ask the following questions: What is the listener supposed to know as a result of the lecture? What is the listener supposed to feel, value, or…

Reports survey results of 126 students enrolled in first- or second-year biology courses concerning the effectiveness of different teaching methods within the lecture format. Indicates that the traditional, didactic lecture, although perceived as least effective, was regarded as highly effective when enhanced by active student involvement.…

These two documents present (1) a user's guide to the Personal Teaching Improvement Guides Program developed at the University of California, Berkeley and (2) a sample guide. The program uses results of student evaluations (keyed to 24 teaching practices) and descriptions of successful teaching practices to individualize instructional improvement…

The Large Class Analysis Project was undertaken to provide instructors, administrators, and researchers with an in-depth look at the teaching techniques used in a variety of large (defined as having over 100 or more students) classes taught at The University of Texas at Austin. Data were collected concerning student attitudes toward such large…

A guide for group discussion leaders that may be useful for medical school teachers is presented. One objective is to help the teacher know when group discussion is appropriate. It is suggested that both the lecture method and group discussion can facilitate cognitive learning but at different levels, and that group discussions are helpful if…

Compares differences in successive pretest/posttest scores for 46 undergraduate volunteers following the application of distinct teaching formats to each of 3 consecutive subsections of a human physiology course. Indicates scores increased favorably for audio-visual lecture and self-study tutorial formats but no significant increase for didactic…

Suggestions for graduate teaching assistants (TA) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, are offered. Information is provided on: the TA as a university employee, the instructor as a teacher/adviser, course management, classroom and evaluation concerns, and teaching resources. Definitions are offered for the graduate teaching assistant,…

An overview of the field of adult education is presented, and the nature of adult learners and eight basic instructional modes are discussed. The focus is skills that make people better teachers and the intended audience is college professors, continuing education instructors outside the formal education setting, and students of higher education.…