This paper explores results of an online course revision to enhance student learning strategies and interactions. Data was collected from 125 of 167 students enrolled in an entry-level course at a large Midwestern university. Mid-term and end-of-semester surveys indicate that students found strategies such as mini-lectures, Quick Checks, and…

Asking students to write at the end of class is a familiar strategy (Angelo and Cross 1993), and it can be done in many ways. Students might focus on the day's lecture--What key idea(s) did they learn? What was confusing? What questions remain unanswered? Or they might look ahead--What are their preconceptions of the next topic? Those…

The nature of silence is complex in any classroom with international or domestic students. Instructors sometimes fail to recognize that the classroom silence of foreign students is unlike their native counterparts. With an insider perspective, this article explores the concept of silence among international students by examining the existing body…

Planning time for giving students effective feedback is an important and challenging aspect of the teaching and learning process. In our article we describe and analyze how we engage students as partners in providing formative feedback in time for students to modify their own thinking or behavior to improve learning. We have found ways to provide…

Much attention has focused on learning styles and their impact on the teaching and learning process; however, little has been done to systematically incorporate learning style theory into actual teaching, nor to systematically examine its potential impact on student learning in higher education. As part of a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning…

Engaging students in metacognitive activities that help them reflect on how they learn empowers them and improves their learning. The author of this article uses a final assignment called a Learning Assessment to develop students' metacognitive skills. The Learning Assessment is a series of questions that students answer in a short paper due on…

Syllabi can be useful in engaging students and creating an effective classroom atmosphere, yet discussions of their effective use rarely appear. In light of current research and theory on syllabi, we review their typical uses (structural, motivational, and evidentiary), commonly included components, and attributes that positively impact the…

Four teaching techniques were used to enhance conceptual learning and to increase student performance in a course in physical-chemical principles at the School of Pharmacy of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. One of the techniques, "concept overview," is described. (MLW)

The experiential learning model of Kolb provides a framework for examining the selection of a broader range of classroom activities than is in current use. Experiential learning cycle, experiential learning as instructional design, and student as actor versus student as receiver are discussed. (MLW)

The topic of social structure and interaction presents social science professors with a notable teaching opportunity. The active learning technique described in this article requires students to briefly analyze the statuses and roles of individuals with whom they are familiar. They then role play assigned characters as they would interact at a…

A unit on adult learning with an exercise based on the theories of Malcolm Knowles and Allen Tough is described. After students in the class see that they actually planned and directed much of their significant adult learning, they are eager to join in the process of modifying course objectives. (MLW)

Evidence suggests that the usual classroom practices don't work and must be replaced by something more active and involving. Group-inquiry, an untraditional approach to the classroom, is described. Small groups examine central problems of the subjects under study, then a consensus is reported to the class. (MLW)

Describes an undergraduate introductory theology course featuring exercises based on techniques used in clinical pastoral education, including a case study of a depressed man addressing issues of faith. The process integrates experience-based, dialogic, personal, and holistic learning. Pedagogic and practical issues associated with this approach…