Active learning has often been reported to improve student outcomes in STEM courses. However, there are barriers to its implementation, and it is challenging to include this approach in large classrooms with fixed seating. This investigation explores the development of a novel approach in which the class contact time was reallocated for a general…

This study investigated students' engagement and learning in a large lecture journalism history course based on a revision of its discussion curriculum. The new curriculum incorporated visual media and facilitated collaborative learning in active learning classrooms. Surveys were administered to assess students' perceptions of the course,…

This paper focuses on some of the key issues involved in implementing a collaborative design project in the setting of the large undergraduate lecture course at a major research university, offering a preliminary analysis of the assignment mainly as a function of how students managed and interpreted it. The collaborative design project was…

A series of administrative and pedagogical questions about class size and the training of graduate teaching assistants caused the director of the freshman English program and the head of the Humanities department at Michigan Technological University to assemble an experimental class in freshman English. The course consisted of 113 students and 9…

Collaboration between a public affairs faculty member and an instructional developer resulted in design of a learner-centered large lecture course. Evaluation after three years revealed which elements of the course format generated the most student interest and, in some cases, changed attitudes about learning in college. Suggestions are made for…

This report offers a brief history of how the instructional staff at Moraine Valley Community College (Illinois) attempted to implement the institutional philosophy of providing innovation in learning. It is based on the assumption that students can learn from a variety of methodologies. Innovation is discussed under the categories of grouping,…

This paper outlines a method of transforming traditional learning methods into a competency-based approach in a series of steps. The paper is organized in three sections. The first section defines competency-based education (CBE) and explains how this approach differs from traditional education. It also advances reasons why the competency-based…