The authors report on a pilot project designed to integrate habits of mind into a skills-based first-year seminar. This project featured the development of a curriculum map outlining the primary learning objectives for seven habits of mind--curiosity, perseverance, introspection, courage, humility, empathy, and civility--and this study shares that…

An adaptation of Halpern's (1998) model of critical thinking (CT) was implemented for seven semesters of data collection involving 904 students in 44 classes. A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design was utilized for evaluating student growth in CT. The model comprised the development of higher education students' CT skills and dispositions by…

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in student perceptions of instructor and course characteristics for courses that students deemed to be high in learning versus high in enjoyment. Realizing that students differ from faculty in how they view the traits of a highly effective instructor, the authors created a survey of student…

Several reports have highlighted the need to improve teaching within the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, particularly at the undergraduate level. These reports have encouraged the use of more evidence-based teaching practices in the classroom to improve teaching. The authors explore how faculty members' decision to…

The author looks at the meaning of specific terminology commonly used in student surveys: "effective teaching." The research seeks to determine if there is a difference in how "effective teaching" is defined by those taking student surveys and those interpreting the results. To investigate this difference, a sample group of professors and students…