To examine the antecedents of perceptions of grading fairness, approximately 600 college students were surveyed about the prevalence and desirability of 1) teaching practices that assisted students to prepare for examinations, and 2) common test scoring manipulations used to transform poor scores into acceptable ones (e.g., curving low scores…

This article gives a brief overview of the structure and purposes of rubrics; reviews the benefits of using rubrics as both teaching and grading tools; warns against approaches that limit the effectiveness of rubrics; and urges instructors to take simple steps toward ensuring the validity, reliability, and fairness of their rubrics. Tips for using…

Essays and essay tests need to be a central feature of every class. Informing students about what is inadequate in their essays and counseling them on how to improve seem to be impossible, time-consuming tasks. The use of codes or abbreviations is described. (MLW)

Using small groups in student cooperative learning enterprises has become a major trend in American higher education (Cheng and Warren 2000). However, several practical issues involving the assessment of an individual's performance in groups have sometimes created resistance to the method from both students and parents (Kagan 1995). This article…

A Russian scholar anticipating language difficulties in teaching a seminar on the former Soviet Union in the United States used journal writing to improve communication. It was found that the journals helped monitor student attention and comprehension and was useful in adjusting teaching strategies to student styles and abilities. (MSE)

Journals are proving their worth as tools for learning. Students who keep journals for class purposes can think more clearly about what they learn and can define problems for themselves. The use of a journal for 100 percent of a grade is described. (MLW)

In pedagogical literature, asynchronous, computer-mediated courses have been promoted as an interactive mode of course delivery. However, few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of different teaching strategies in this medium. In this paper, I describe the development of my asynchronous course and outline the fundamental dilemmas in…

This article describes how a traditional biology lecture course was transformed into an interactive class. A review the activities used, changes made to grading policy, and practical tips for integration of active learning in the classroom are provided. Analysis of student responses to course assessments indicated that active learning experiences…

Returning tests following an examination is often a difficult task for the instructor, particularly in courses that are perceived by students as anxiety producing. The purpose of this article is to offer suggestions for designing this class session so that students view it as a positive part of the learning process. The four phases suggested for…