Describes a number of informal "turn-to-your-neighbor" approaches that create an active learning environment in college lecture settings. These include: launching class in discussion, breaking up the lecture for comprehension checks, closing class with small-group conversation, and debriefing exams. (DB)

Five communication strategies are essential to success in large courses: managing instructor anxiety, using presentation time efficiently, motivating students, communicating enthusiasm, and organizing content. (MLW)

An annotated bibliography that surveys a variety of pedagogical literature and includes articles proposing ideas, techniques, strategies, and innovations most recommended by instructors of large classes is provided. (MLW)

Classroom assessment techniques were used in a large survey college course in psychology to monitor student performance and collect other forms of student feedback. As a result, student-teacher role relations changed, the teacher adopted the role of learning coach and reduced lecture content, and the classroom environment was enlivened. (MSE)

Suggestions to help faculty discover ways of achieving interactive, investigatory, and intimate learning environments in large settings are provided. The instructional objective is to empower students to take responsibility for their own learning. (MLW)

Ten examples of quick and easy classroom assessment techniques, carried out by higher education faculty in 10 different disciplines, are described. The techniques, designed to inform and inspire faculty to adjust classroom instruction, focus on four dimensions of learning: declarative, procedural, conditional, and reflective. (MSE)

Portfolios provide an opportunity for college students to participate actively in learning by selecting materials and engaging in self-assessment. Development of a portfolio should take into account its structure, the kind of evidence it will contain, when and how the instructor and student will assess the work, and what will happen to it at the…

Although classroom assessment techniques resemble common writing exercises, they offer college composition instructors insight into effective instruction. Their use can also lead to classroom research projects and further faculty development. An example of such an exercise is to have students write a one-minute paper on classroom instruction in…

College-level student inquiry projects are not easy to evaluate within the parameters of the academic grading system. One form of rubric-guided assessment has specific advantages in addressing both performance and product by allowing weighting of criteria, flexibility of criteria and standards based on the project, defining the major aspects of…

Some of the special challenges associated with evaluation and grading in the large class are discussed. Suggestions for evaluation methods include seeking clarity, reducing the stress of test administration, giving feedback, guarding against errors in record keeping, and returning exams efficiently and with respect. (MLW)

Six keys to successful instruction in large classes are identified: don't be intimidated, prepare carefully, be natural, be personal, prevent students from feeling insignificant and anonymous, and stay in touch with teaching assistants. (MLW)

The nature of collaborative learning is examined, including some discussion of the role of the instructor. A collaborative learning situation in a women's studies course is described as an example of integration of the approach into content area instruction. (MSE)

The use of several college classroom assessment techniques to evaluate the processes and products of accounting instruction through cooperative learning is described. The discussion looks at considerations in planning classroom assessment, choosing initial assessment techniques and adapting them, and blending cooperative learning structures with…

Offers a framework for approaching evaluation of practical experience, specifically in the field of elementary school teacher education, arguing that such evaluation should be longitudinal, contextualized, and collaborative. Portfolio development is found to be a powerful tool in this process, and both a rubric and criteria for assessing…

College faculty have a responsibility to help students unveil some of the mystery of professional judgment in student assessment, both to help explain instructional practices and to create a model for students' use when they become professional evaluators. Teachers can use a variety of methods to ensure that subjectivity in assessment is not…