The field of education is rich with metaphors that reveal one's perspective on the nature of teaching and learning--ideas are "covered," students "absorb" information, teachers offer writing "clinics." Each of these metaphors indicate nuanced ideas about what schooling is and is for--to be checked off? Taken in…

This article describes a study of 58 faculty members using a practical method for assessing the prevalence of learner-centered practices through individual interviews and rating their described practices with published rubrics. Analysis of the interviews found that the same faculty member might use more learner-centered practices in one course and…

The arrival of the digital age has not only reshaped and refocused critical research in the humanities, but has provided real opportunities to innovate with pedagogy and classroom structure. This article describes the development of a new pedagogical model that integrates learning by teaching with student access to electronic archival resources.…

We set out to identify the benefits and drawbacks of using more than one instructor to teach single section science courses at a large research university. Nine courses were investigated involving widely differing subjects and levels. Teaching models included: sequential teaching with two to six instructors each covering only their own modules,…

In a world literature course, an instructor faces the challenge of engaging the students in classical texts that are historically, geographically, and linguistically "alien" to them. Through a three-step instructional model that includes approximation, thematic relevance, and application, the instructor tries to help students identify,…

Much attention has focused on learning styles and their impact on the teaching and learning process; however, little has been done to systematically incorporate learning style theory into actual teaching, nor to systematically examine its potential impact on student learning in higher education. As part of a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning…

This author discusses the relationship between the use of presentation software and the maintenance of student interest in university lectures. The evidence of surveyed university students suggests that PowerPoint, used as a presentation tool in university lectures, is pedagogically effective only while it provides variety and stimulates interest…

Recommends that teachers wishing to develop the problem-solving expertise of students make concentrated and sustained efforts to develop students' knowledge base, skill base, resource base, strategy-experience base, and behavioral base. Application in a General Physics course resulted in improved problem solving performance which is partially…

Discusses the problem-based learning (PBL) model, including underlying principles and the three phases of the cyclical process: (1) problem development; (2) initiation of PBL events, inquiry, and investigation; and (3) problem solution. A case study illustrates use of PBL in an educational psychology class. A table lists sample problems for…