Many instructors seek to improve student engagement, but determining how to achieve student engagement can be complex and complicated. The authors sought to explore how the implementation of active-learning strategies in undergraduate history courses at a metropolitan community college using graphic organizers and group discussion impacted student…

Reports on a study which shows that, at the community college level, the lecture method is still the most valuable single teaching technique. (DC)

Describes two instructional techniques that facilitate improved absorption of course material: (1) the "pausing principle," i.e., pausing during a lecture so that students can share materials and absorb lecture content; and (2) the calculation of "wait time" intervals, or the appropriate number of seconds for students to…

Describes a study designed to determine: (1) if professors use the lecture method exclusively; (2) if all disciplines reflect the same instructional patterns; (3) if students take an entirely passive part in postsecondary education; (4) other verbal interaction strategies used; and (5) if instructors at community colleges and universities differ.…

A random sample (n=25) of full-time faculty at Manatee Junior College (Florida) were surveyed by open-ended questionnaire to determine what instructional techniques were being used and to ascertain if the faculty had acquired minimal training in teaching methods and learning theories. A total of 16 different teaching strategies were identified. Of…

Variation in teaching techniques was examined among instructors based on their status (full-time vs. part-time) and educational level (doctorate vs. nondoctorate). To facilitate this study, a survey instrument was developed and distributed to 400 randomly selected faculty members employed at the two largest institutions, Community Colleges X and…

As part of a review of its Psychology department, William Rainey Harper College in Illinois conducted a study of 400 students who had taken at least 3 courses in the department from fall 1989 to fall 1993. Questionnaires were sent to the students in spring 1995, requesting information on their perceptions of the effectiveness of courses in the…

Addresses the problem of providing individualized attention in classes which, because of fiscal restraints, have 30 to 40 students. Presents five suggestions for the improved apportionment of the teacher's time through the use of learning lab materials and paraprofessional aides. Discusses the effectiveness of the lecture-reading-discussion…

The main purpose of this study was to measure the effectiveness of two different methods of instruction on community college students' achievement in the mechanics of composition (capitalization, punctuation, and grammar/usage) and spelling. This study was also concerned with changes in self-esteem, attitudes toward the method used in each plan,…

Two methods of teaching drama as a literary form in an Introduction to Literature course were compared. Eighty-seven first-year students, 28 males and 59 females, were non-randomly assigned to four classes, two of which were taught in the traditional lecture-discussion manner while the remaining two utilized a method combining lecture-discussion…

In order to determine the relationship between learning and enjoyment, the 99 students enrolled in any of the five basic American Government classes at Oakton Community College during the fall and spring semesters of 1974 were surveyed before and after the course. The pre-test asked for demographic information and data on how each liked to learn…

This study was conducted at John Abbott College to determine the preferences of psychology students among five styles of classroom instruction: films, group discussions, lectures, teacher-led questions and answers, or videos. Questionnaires were distributed in four psychology teachers' upper-level courses, lower-level courses, and continuing…

In an effort to curb high first-year attrition rates and to motivate students from a state of passive learning to one of active participation, Bergen Community College implemented a program of peer teaching-learning and group inquiry strategies in a preclinical dental hygiene course. To determine freshman students' learning styles, the following…

As part of a series dealing with competency-based education, this monograph explores the optimum selection and utilization of instructional activities, materials, and methods. The monograph first discusses the responsibility of the instructor to plan learning activities that reinforce targeted performance competencies, and then presents a…

This handbook is designed to assist community college administrators in using the various reports generated by the faculty and staff subsystem of the Illinois Community College Board management information system. Among the reports generated by the subsystem are: faculty and staff salary report, class size by instructional type, number and percent…