Making the transition from more traditional to more interactive lecturing can be successfully achieved by applying numerous teaching techniques. To use lecture time in the most efficient way, a lecturer should first instruct students to acquire basic knowledge before coming to class. Various in-class activities then can be used to help students…

Testing strategies centered around open-ended assessments are generally thought to result in deeper learning compared with close-ended questioning. However, the time requirements involved in grading open-ended assessments on exams often limit the feasibility of using such assessments. This article presents an index card questioning strategy…

An anthropology professor required students to compose essay questions that they felt summarized the principal issues and objectives of the course, based on lecture content. In the final examination, students were given several of their own questions to answer. Students felt they learned more from this format. (MSE)

In the early 1970's, a major modification of the introductory service course in statistics at Brigham Young University was implemented, first on an experimental basis and then in all sections by 1974-75. The basic components of the course that distinguish it are: a self-pacing text prepared under the guidance of educational research specialists; a…

A procedure that allows college faculty to obtain rapid student assessment of lecturing performance is described. A computer program facilitates application of the resulting data for self-evaluation, job applications, promotions, and group discussion. The questionnaire's simplicity and ease of processing have been well received by faculty and…

Discusses several issues important to chemistry: enticing top-notch students into the discipline, keeping up with the tremendous growth of chemical information, and promoting chemistry to the general public. Suggests eight methods to answer these issues. (MVL)

Forms and characteristics of small group physics instruction in the Russian university are examined and in some cases, compared to those used in Britain. Topics discussed include the lecture method, classroom communication during lectures, postlecture discussion, specialized small-audience lectures, problem solving, individual research projects,…

A teacher of English in China describes his experiences teaching the listening component of a summer course designed to help 37 doctoral students improve their English skills before beginning an agricultural economics program. In the listening component, students were to gain experience in notetaking while listening to extended academic lectures.…

Perspectives on university-level studies and factors that affect student performance are considered, based on experiences and research conducted at the University of Bergen, Norway, and the University of Birmingham, England. Topics include the following: student goals; the use of lectures for larger groups; the importance of early feedback;…