Asserts that well-designed course assignments are a critical component of effective teaching and learning processes. Discusses the Course Assignment Framework, which delineates 10 assignment categories, their rationales, and their advantages for faculty and students. States that the framework promotes combining tasks so that instructors can…

The scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL), while differing from the scholarship of discovery in its focus on the classroom, calls for a systematic investigation of a research question, a survey of the best scholarship on the subject, going public with one's findings in the form of conference presentations and scholarly publication, a…

Describes the aim, preparation, and procedures of five cooperative learning activities for educating teachers of English as a foreign language. Reports that the activities integrate content and methodology, motivate student teachers, and maximize communication, reinforcement, and cognitive work. Documents the prospects and problems of…

A 1986 policy instituted by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges calls for strengthening the rigor and academic standards of all college-level courses to be counted toward the associate degree. The policy calls for all courses to promote students' ability to think critically. One of the first difficulties encountered by…

Describes a Northern Virginia Community College online course that was designed to assist students in learning about the structure of knowledge and the steps in the learning process. Asserts that the ability to understand, control, and direct one's own learning is essential to becoming an effective lifelong learner. Contains 16 references. (NB)

A study was conducted of the effectiveness of summarization training as a means of improving reading comprehension and retention among developmental English students in a community college. A sample of 58 community college students in five developmental reading classes was randomly assigned to either a summarization treatment or control group. The…

Describes the method used by Gateway Community College (Arizona) to teach study skills within the context of content area courses. Staff from the Learning Assistance Center present techniques for study-reading, memorizing, vocabulary development, time management, and test taking. (DMM)

Describes insights and attitudes toward computer-based learning which developed during design of "Computer Power," an introductory programming curriculum for junior high, high school, and junior college students. Learning and thinking, computer power meta-goals, and computer power subject matter goals are highlighted. (EJS)

This paper discusses ways in which the innate act of "telling" can be used in teaching to strengthen the bond between teacher and student and enrich the process of learning. The paper offers an intuitive rationale for using "telling" as a teaching mode in the community college classroom and provides a formal explanation of "telling" based on the…

Describes a class at St. Petersburg Junior College (Florida) that blends classroom, computer lab, and Web-based resources for an English as Second language class. Discusses paradigm shifts in learning processes and teaching methods; designing student activities for the course; and student attitudes. (LRW)

The Maricopa Community College District (MCCD) intends this document to serve as a starting point for focusing on the following major themes: (1) dialogue about learning, given that changes are occurring in and around the learning process; (2) a common understanding of learning as a complex process on order to provide a framework for dialogue; and…

Descriptive and evaluative information is provided in this report on Project COMPAS (Consortium for Operating and Managing Programs for the Advancement of Skills), a cooperative effort between seven community colleges which developed cognitive skills programs for entry-level freshmen. Chapter I reviews the unique features of Project COMPAS,…

This presentation describes the student retention program designed at El Camino Community College (ECC) (California) with a soSHOWme grant. SoSHOWme is the title of a $20,000 Funds for Instructional Improvement grant awarded by the California State Chancellor's Office to measure the improvement of student retention of lecture information that has…

This monograph is part of the League for Innovation's learning initiative aimed at assisting community colleges in developing practices, programs, and policies that place learning at the heart of the educational enterprise. It highlights key innovations in the community colleges, distilling key elements from research on learning outcomes, the…

This issue of "Focus" includes seven essays addressing various concerns related to community college curriculum, instruction, and instructors. "Money, and the Good of Humanities," by Dr. Demont H. Howell, explores the utility of humanities education in preparing students for coping with the present and the future. "Teaching High Level Thinking in…