A survey of 2800 teachers from 33 two- and four-year colleges shows markedly different perceptions of teaching goals and roles. The most significant differences occurred across fields of study. For example, whereas 55 percent of the science teachers said they were primarily concerned about teaching students the facts and principles of their…

Uses 9 years of applications of award finalists for the Hesburgh Award for innovation in undergraduate teaching to examine leading-edge efforts to improve teaching and learning in 2- and 4-year colleges and universities. Describes efforts in three major categories: improving teaching, redesigning courses, and changing the learning environment of…

While the number of students will decline in the next 20 years, their variety in age, background, and ability will increase. The challenge of the 1980s is less to teach these students subject matter than to teach them to use the tools available to find their own paths in a changing society. (MSE)

The potential contribution of classroom research as a tool in the training of teaching assistants is explored. By collecting data on what students are learning in their classrooms, teachers can assess the effectiveness of their own teaching. (MLW)

Discusses the role of classroom research in scholarship concerning learning and teaching at the college level. Identifies a shift from assessment for accountability to assessment for improvement to attention to roles of college faculty. Shows how use of classroom assessment techniques as part of a classroom research program can immediately improve…

While research has a great deal to tell educators about how college students learn, the educational community is becoming dependent on research and ignoring what can be learned from the principles of good practice in the classroom. Research should be the beginning, not the conclusion, of the investigation into student learning processes. (MSE)

Classroom research addresses the why and how of learning, encouraging teachers to use their classrooms as laboratories for the study of learning. At its best it involves students as collaborators rather than as subjects. Classroom research has the potential for creating teaching and learning communities with the shared goal of understanding…

Ways that teachers can promote student learning are discussed, based on findings from research conducted over the past several decades. Also considered are the role of teachers in evaluating the effectiveness of their own teaching, teachers' perspectives concerning educational objectives, and ways to obtain student feedback about instruction. One…

The 30 or more major educational reform reports that have appeared since "A Nation at Risk" are in solid agreement that public education falls short of excellence. While suggestions for reform in elementary/secondary education have focused on teaching, in colleges and universities the emphasis has been more on curriculum than instruction. However,…

Perspectives on the improvement of college instruction are offered. External forces that focus attention on the quality of college instruction are identified, including: the demand for good teaching by two groups of nontraditional students (low-performing students and adult students); technology, and especially new interactive technologies; the…

Eight basic gaps in the college teaching and learning process are described, and teachers are encouraged to use classroom research as a "zipper" to help close them. The gaps include those between: (1) teaching and learning, to be remedied by clear definition of teaching goals and continuous feedback on learning outcomes; (2) teaching and testing,…

Aspects of the perception that assessment is a large-scale testing program conducted at institutional or state levels to determine what students have learned from college is questioned. Small-scale assessments conducted continuously in college classrooms by discipline-based teachers to determine what students are learning in what class are also…

Perspectives on good teaching at the college level are offered. Some evidence exists that students' retention of lecture material is poor. One promising approach is the Personalized System of Instruction, which emphasizes student involvement, high expectations, and assessment and feedback. Some faculty members now focus on recall and comprehension…

A handbook for faculty discusses classroom assessment techniques as part of a larger effort to improve teaching and learning in traditional college classrooms. The introduction covers criteria for selecting classroom assessment techniques, organization of the handbook, five guidelines for successfully using assessment techniques, general comments…

Although experts overwhelmingly support the idea of using assessment to improve college instruction, most testing programs call for summative evaluation or accountability rather than formative evaluation. In using assessment to improve instruction it is essential to examine what decisions should be made in order to improve instruction.…