This book combines theory and research from educational and organizational psychology to provide guidance on improving the teacher selection process and, subsequently, educational outcomes for all students. The book identifies the characteristics of effective teachers, analyzes research on selection practices, and examines new approaches to…

Researchers, educators, professional organizations, administrators, parents, and policy makers have increased their involvement in the assessment and evaluation of early childhood education programs. This interest has developed swiftly during the last decades. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the National…

Intended for students considering academic careers, beginning faculty, and professionals considering a return to academia as professors, this book provides a comprehensive guide to teaching at schools of science and engineering. The three chapters of Part 1 examine the unique characteristics of higher education, the place of science and…

Student evaluations of instruction have long been used to evaluate the teaching performance of instructors. However, despite the widespread use of data from student evaluations for the purpose of determining faculty teaching effectiveness, a review of the literature in the area indicates that issues concerning the validity and usefulness of such…

Qualitative insights about students' personal experience of inconsistencies in implementation of problem-based learning (PBL) might help refocus expert discourse about good practice. Aim: This study explored how junior medical students conceptualize: PBL; good tutoring; and less effective sessions. Methods: Participants comprised junior medical…

This book examines elements of good college teaching and ways to master effective teaching techniques, drawing on direct observation, research on teaching and learning, and student accounts of outstanding professors. Chapter 1 reviews research on exemplary teaching and proposes a two-dimensional model of effective college teaching based on…

Students, faculty and administrators at a major Canadian university were surveyed to investigate the utility or "consequential validity" of student ratings of instructors. Of the 1,229 (approximately equal number of males and females) students and alumni, about half (52%) indicated that they had never used the ratings, but of those who…

This book is a guide to students on the nature and quality of teaching at colleges and universities. It discusses the need for students to take responsibility for their own learning at the college level and not depend on college professors to "teach" them everything they need to know. The book notes that most professors have had little or no…