The history of research on college teaching is traced, and methodologies used are highlighted. Topics reviewed include (1) class size; (2) lecture versus discussion; (3) student-centered discussion; (4) independent study and peer learning; (5) evaluation of teaching; (6) teaching and technology; and (7) impact of cognitive psychology. (SLD)

Discusses course integrated library instruction and the teaching role of the school library media specialist. Highlights include a history of course-related integrated instruction; isolated instruction; individual instruction; collaborative planning with other teachers; independent inquiry that can lead to lifelong learning; and full immersion…

Encourages those whose use of technology now extends no further than the language laboratory to examine what can be done with some of the simpler computer-based technologies inside and outside the classroom. The article argues that the computer is the best tool available for taking tedious grammar drills out of the classroom while keeping them in…

The Evergreen State College is a public liberal arts college in Washington that has been named the "number one learning community" in the nation by "U.S. News & World Report." There are no grades at Evergreen; instead, faculty provide a narrative evaluation of students' performance in their courses. There are also no majors…

The experience of one group engaged in classroom research is recounted, focusing on the variety of uses to which the results were put. The report begins with an overview of classroom research principles, then describes the project in question. The researchers were seven teachers of English as a Second Language at the University of Hong Kong who…

An Institutional Assessment Committee at Clarkson College (Nebraska) used the 1995 Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Freshman Survey data as an entry level baseline for assessing entering students' possession of desired outcomes or attributes of the school's graduates. This analysis studied the data by comparing the various…

This special issue consists of a collection of articles focusing on the subject of resource centers and their impact on self-directed second language learning, including their location, installation, function, intervention, and teaching materials. Articles are in English or French; French articles have an English abstract, and English articles…

The aims of this paper are to: (1) illustrate a practical, collaborative methodology that helps to provide insights into teaching perspectives and practices; (2) provide information about a self-study approach that had the potential to assist educational practitioners in diverse roles and contexts develop understanding about themselves, their…

This guide is designed for Tagalog language training of Peace Corps workers in the Philippines and reflects daily communication needs in that context. It consists of 21 learning modules to be used in independent study. Each module contains a list of the targeted language competencies and related phrases, a dialogue or text, vocabulary list,…

Constructivist teaching has become a dominant theme in educational literature in response to the positivist model of education that is prevalent in schools. In order for K-12 education to become more constructivist, there must be a qualitative change in teaching practice from didactic to self-directed student learning. The use of online technology…

This case study examines a 2-year faculty-centered professional development program for high school teachers. The program, which used a Foxfire approach (Wigginton, 1986) and was based on Deweyan principles (Dewey, 1963), involved having the teachers initiate, pursue, and share self-selected, independent group learning projects. Inservice sessions…

To address a regional shortage of registered nurses (RN's), a special transition course was developed at the North Harris Montgomery Community College District in Houston, Texas, to allow licensed vocational nurses to articulate into the second year of a two-year Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program. Students completing the ADN program are…

This paper describes the experiences of a teacher and a curriculum helper in designing and implementing a fifth grade language arts curriculum at an inner city, magnet school in Indianapolis (Indiana). The report describes the work in three phases: (1) making explicit the problems with the previous language arts curriculum; (2) formulating a plan…

This handbook contains a collection of 10 essays on practical skills needed by correspondence educators. The emphasis is on the "how to" of home study. The scope of the handbook includes coverage of the major aspects of providing instructional and administrative service to students, from how to organize the student services department to…

This document contains four papers from a symposium on adult learning in the workplace. The first paper, "Measuring Critical Thinking: Is There a Single Instrument?" (Patricia K. Leitsch, Carol A. Lentz), examines two issues: the relationship between tests measuring critical thinking and those measuring readiness for self-directed…