Contribution: This longitudinal study modeled student leadership growth in a course sequence supporting long-term, large-scale, multidisciplinary projects embedded in faculty research. Students (half from computer science, computational media, electrical engineering, and computer engineering) participated for 1-4 semesters. Background: Project-…

The purpose of this mixed-methods simple explanatory sequential research design study was to examine and explore the relationship between semester-length and online student success at a community college in southeast Texas. Five research questions were addressed. The first two quantitative questions asked (1) how does semester-length relate to…

This column provides original articles on innovations in case study teaching, assessment of the method, as well as case studies with teaching notes. In this article, the author describes how she uses current biology-related news articles to introduce a course and its relevance, to actively engage students at the beginning of the semester, and…

Flexibility in course scheduling is an integral part of institutional strategies used to increase student engagement and success, yet little research exists that examines scheduling as a key factor that determines students' experiences and educational outcomes. This study explored the undergraduate sport science students and their teachers at…

Through this study we sought to gain understanding of the challenges professors face as they make the transition to teaching online. We measured professors' online teaching self-efficacy using survey research methods. Results showed that online teaching self-efficacy was high among the professors surveyed with no self-efficacy scores lower than…

Students and instructors show moderate levels of agreement about the quality of day-to-day teaching. In the present study, we replicated and extended this finding by asking how correspondence between student and instructor ratings is moderated by time of semester and student demographic variables. Participants included 137 students and 5…

This paper presents a qualitative study of 12 computer science lecturers' experiences of curriculum design of several degree programmes during a time of transition from year-long to semesterised courses, due to institutional policy change. The background to the study is outlined, as are the reasons for choosing the research methodology. The main…

The study explored characteristics of the curriculum practice of higher education faculty in the context of time-compressed (e.g., 5-6 weeks) courses as compared with regular term (15-16 weeks) courses. The researchers used open-ended questions on a web-based survey at a large doctoral-extensive university in a Midwestern state in the United…

Surveyed a sampling of faculty members at a United Kingdom university about the change to a semester system and modular courses. Found widespread disapproval of the way these changes were imposed. (EV)

These three reports present instructional data for Mercer County Community College for Summer and Fall 1980 and Spring 1981. The first report, covering summer sessions from 1974 through 1980, examines instructional hours, class size, student credit hours (SCRH), student contact hours (SCH), income/cost measures, instructional staff, full-time…

These 12 essays examine trends and innovations at the community colleges of the State University of New York (SUNY). George Robertson details aspects of recruitment and mission planning at Mohawk Valley Community College for the 1980's. Judith Hall relates her experiences in integrating Latin American reading materials in an introductory…

The experiences of a variety of postsecondary institutions using different academic calendar options are examined. Several calendar options are described: the traditional semester, the early semester, 4-1-4, the quarter system, the trimester plan, composite plans, and year-round plans. The traditional semester calendar begins in mid-September and…

Looks at the trend toward the early-start semester calendar in American colleges and universities, and examines administrative, pedagogical, and fiscal considerations in making the change from a quarter system. Topics discussed include the impact on the curriculum and instruction, summer session, access, enrollment management, and institutional…