Student-centered education is in the air. It is present in many reform agendas for higher education across every discipline and is shortlisted as an important goal for teaching and learning in many reports and recommendations of professional agencies and scientific societies. There is wide consensus that moving from teacher-centered to…

Presents examples of alternative lecture formats, including those that utilize active learner participation, take playful approach, focus on instructional goals and objectives, employ unusual methods for following an outline format; and involve media equipment and entertainment. (MBR)

This paper reviews the literature in three areas of change in college teaching--peer teaching or tutoring, individualized instruction, and cooperative learning. The focus of the paper is how knowledge is acquired, and acted upon, by students. The advantages and disadvantages of each type of teaching are explored, as well as the rates of successful…

Considerations that affect the type of teaching method employed in undergraduate studies and medical schools are addressed, with attention to the current emphasis on the lecture method and alternative educational experiences that require students to be active, independent learners and problem solvers. Perceived academic priorities and the…

Considers the role of interactive lecturing styles within the context of the Edinburgh University MBA program. Examples show a variety of ways of including student oral participation within the lecture framework. (Author/VWL)

Instructional techniques are outlined, as utilized in a remedial algebra course offered at the Community College of Allegheny County. The paper first provides background information concerning the college, the characteristics of its students, the content of the remedial course, and the testing procedures used to place students in the course. The…

In this article, the author discusses the advantages of using the interactive engagement instructional method. A model of interactive engagement (IE) instructional method involves questioning students by challenging them to think deeply about a problem or complex question. Essential to this process is frequent and thoughtful interaction with the…

Challenges to the psychology teacher are considered, including engaging students in the learning process, helping students develop a historical perspective in their study of psychology, and dealing with controversial topics. Resistance to answering questions is likely to be greatest when the lecturer asks for highly specific facts. Students may be…

The primary goal of speech communication teachers should be to help students learn to analyze and communicate information in interpersonal, group, and public situations--a goal that can be reached only through a mixture of lecture, lecture/discussion, and performance approaches. Although administrators are currently proposing higher…

Drawn largely from the experiences of Bloomfield College (Illinois) with its Freshman Core Program, but citing other efforts to develop thinking skills as well, this essay considers several questions and issues concerning the cognitive skills approach to teaching. The paper begins by identifying some of the increasingly common learning problems…