In this paper, we describe the development and preliminary assessment of ACORN Physics Tutorials, which are designed to elicit and build on common conceptual resources for understanding physics. We articulate our design principles and instructional commitments and how these bear out in the specifics of one ACORN Physics Tutorial about electric…

Although traditional lectures are still the dominant form of undergraduate instruction, there have been relatively few studies comparing various learner-centered and active learning teaching strategies to one another in order to guide professors in making informed instructional decisions. To study the impact of different active learning…

This article reports on a programme in which peer-assisted learning (PAL) was combined with case-based learning (CBL) in a second-year radiologic biology unit of study. Our aim is to explore evidence of whether PAL supported the development of qualitative conceptions of learning. The programme involved students in small PAL groups preparing and…

Internationalization of the curriculum is central to the strategic direction of many modern universities and has widespread benefits for student learning. However, these clear aspirations for internationalization of the curriculum have not been widely translated into more internationalized course content and teaching methods in the classroom,…

We present results from a comparative study of student understanding for students who attended recitation classes that used different teaching methods. Student volunteers from our introductory calculus-based physics course attended a special recitation class that was taught using one of four different teaching methods. A total of 272 students were…

Summarizes some elements which contribute to the quality of a tutorial system in engineering education. Uses a case study of the civil engineering program at the University of Waterloo (Great Britain) to examine the relationships between various aspects of this type of program. (TW)

Describes the audiotutorial program in earth science at St. Petersburg Junior College's Clearwater Campus started ten years ago. Although initial expenses were considered high, they are now equivalent to those of traditional delivery systems, and students come away with better grades and more positive attitudes. (Author/JN)

A voluntarily used resource room has been shown to be an effective and reasonably inexpensive mechanism whereby attitudinal levels of students in traditionally taught introductory geology courses can be maintained at the same level as in nontraditional courses, without requiring large-scale revision or restructuring of traditionally taught…