Astronomy classes that teach students to read and write images, diagrams, and plots offer an ideal venue to teach visual literacy.

This chapter provides practical strategies for addressing common challenges that arise for teachers in active learning classrooms. Our strategies come from instructors with experience teaching in these environments.

Informed by Rosenberg's (2003) concept of nonviolent communication, the author's pedagogical perspective encourages educators to criticize institutional and classroom practices that ideologically place underserved students at disadvantaged positions. At the same time, this perspective urges teachers to be self-reflective of their actions through…

Can one appropriately teach with the spirit in a secular classroom? This chapter addresses the question by exploring how the concepts of serendipity and stewardship encourage a form of spirituality that is inclusive and appropriate for the university setting. Serendipity and stewardship work hand in hand. Stewardship resists the temptation of…

The authors are both teachers in the Economics Department at Fairfield University, where they share responsibility for the introductory and intermediate economics courses. Student's comment illustrates that they were apparently not reaching their students in ways that achieved their goals: developing students' abilities to understand economic…

There are multiple stages to developing critical skills when both the librarian and faculty member are partners in the process. One of the first actions is for both the librarian and the faculty member to be in the library class to help students with information literacy. A teaching dynamic becomes evident, and the students understand the…

Being a Hispanic female faculty member in South Texas can be a challenge. This chapter discusses three pedagogical tools (caring, challenging, and consulting) that we use to create a classroom climate that enhances Hispanic students' success by engaging and motivating them to succeed in one of the poorest areas of the country.

Despite rapid advancements in educational technology, postsecondary teaching methods remain remarkably traditional. However, the microcomputer has emerged as a powerful tool that is transforming what and how students learn, both inside and outside the classroom. (Author/MSE)

The ten finalists for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education's annual Professor of the Year award give a variety of opinions about the most important ways students learn, stressing the multiplicity and diversity of individual learning strategies. (MSE)

The nature of collaborative learning is examined, including some discussion of the role of the instructor. A collaborative learning situation in a women's studies course is described as an example of integration of the approach into content area instruction. (MSE)

Describes a number of informal "turn-to-your-neighbor" approaches that create an active learning environment in college lecture settings. These include: launching class in discussion, breaking up the lecture for comprehension checks, closing class with small-group conversation, and debriefing exams. (DB)

Keys to success in the large class are related to (1) adequate preparation before the course begins and (2) being aware of the pulse of the class throughout the semester. Potential problems are identified and suggestions to make large classes function well are offered. (MLW)

Two ways in which chairpersons can encourage more active learning are discussed: use of 10 fundamental principles of teaching and learning; and department chairpersons can describe practical strategies for involving students more actively in the classroom. (MLW)

Six specific instances in which supplemental instruction (SI) leaders guide student inquiry in college algebra and calculus are described. The active learning strategies used in the situations are analyzed, focusing on the role of the leader and the support provided by SI leader training and supervision. (MSE)

Research support for the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education is substantial, both from earlier, complex, longitudinal, and multi-institutional studies and from recent, more narrowly focused research. However, the findings raise a number of questions about variability across disciplines, methods, learning styles, and…