The six editions of the newsletter provide a forum for the sharing of research findings and instructional strategies by faculty of Western Michigan University. Topics addressed include: active learning; lecture variations; lecture techniques; grading student participation; leading discussions; overcoming silence; discussion challenges; course…

Most information is still conveyed to university students through lectures. This necessitates that students have sophisticated listening and note-taking skills, and poses additional difficulties for non-native students. To identify areas for improvement, science lectures in English in the Sultanate of Oman were analyzed. The relationship between…

A sensitive topic can be used effectively in a class of English as a second language (ESL) if planned carefully. While there are the risks that non-native students will become embarrassed and withdrawn, or will develop negative feelings about American society, there are ways to minimize those risks. This can be done by considering the…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of computer-aided instruction as compared with the traditional lecture method of cognitive learning of new curriculum materials. It was hypothesized that students instructed by the computer-aided instruction method would gain higher knowledge of the subject matter in terms of cognitive…

This set of lecture notes is used as a supplemental text for the teaching of fluid dynamics, as one component of a thermodynamics course for engineering technologists. The major text for the course covered basic fluids concepts such as pressure, mass flow, and specific weight. The objective of this document was to present additional fluids…

The use of of the Automatic Interaction Detector (program AID3 of the OSIRIS statistical package) to study a university program is discussed. The performance of students who took general physics lecture and laboratory concurrently is compared to the performance of those who took them separately. Five years of data are analyzed, covering 1,997…

Compiled as a resource guide for faculty development programs, this manual presents a collection of ideas, materials, and resources designed to increase the effectiveness of adjunct staff members in postsecondary occupational education. After a statement of the manual's purpose, the next section provides a perspective on disadvantages facing…

High school social studies students (n=160) were each assigned to 1 of 8 groups defined by possible combinations of 2 teacher uncertainty conditions (uncertainty vs. no uncertainty), 2 teacher "bluffing" conditions (bluffing vs. no bluffing), and 2 lecture notes conditions (students receive lecture notes handout vs. students do not…

A handbook for University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) teaching assistants (TAs) is presented that includes information about university policy concerning TAs and their jobs. Contents cover: duties of TAs, teaching associates, and teaching fellows; appointment, reappointment, and duration of employment; salary; benefits; conduct,…

A guide for developing a departmentally-based teaching assistant (TA) training program is presented. At the University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) part-time teaching assistant consultants who are experienced TAs have been employed to help with TA training programs. The following criteria are used to evaluate departmental proposals to hire…

Based on a project involving selected teachers from various vocational service areas, this teaching guide presents the 12 most frequently used strategies of teaching used in the modular approach as determined by those in the project. The brief individual description of each strategy includes notes on its strengths and weaknesses, instructions or…

A Mississippi study examined the effects of two instructional techniques using the Ford power train unit as an instructional aid. Eight schools were randomly selected from a population of 33 vocational agricultural departments. Three schools with 10 students from each school were randomly selected and assigned to treatment A, traditional…

Transcripts are included for 11 videotaped lectures on automotive repair for non-English-speaking adult students. An answer key is provided for two student workbooks of exercises based on the lectures. Lecture topics are: "Introduction to Autobody Repair,""Hand Tools,""Power Tools,""Use of Hammer and Dolly,""Picking and Filing,""Use of the Disc…

Three lectures on law enforcement are presented that were prepared for study purposes at Johnson County Community College. The first lecture examines the fundamental ideas of the Age of Enlightenment and discusses their influence on the American Revolution, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Major provisions of the Bill of…

This study examined whether or not the knowledge gained by adults in a group is influenced by media employed, by discussion, and by attitudes of local and professional discussion leaders. Research results were presented to the adults (250 4-H Club leaders) by film, lecture, and bulletin, then by discussion. Phases of the project included the…