This study compared student impressions of a text-rich contractual syllabus to a graphic-rich engaging syllabus. Students enrolled in sections of an undergraduate introductory nutrition course viewed either a contractual or engaging syllabus and completed a survey regarding their perceptions of the course and instructor. Students perceived both…

This study presents a three-year replication and extension of Maurer's (2013) evaluation of a classroom activity to reduce prejudice and discrimination. Students in six sections of an introductory family science course were assigned to one of three conditions and one of two target marginalized groups for a 3x2 design. Results differed…

During the past decades, little research has investigated the effects of immersion scheduling on the psychology classroom. Therefore, we sought to compare academic performance of students in 2-week immersion psychology courses to that of students in traditional 16-week courses. In Study 1, students who received instruction in a 2-week immersion…

This project evaluated a class activity on social distance and discrimination using the Bogardus Social Distance Scale. Students [N = 266] in six sections of a family development course received either lecture or lecture plus the activity and completed two pretest and posttest measures. Results revealed greater positive shifts on the Scale for…

Evaluation of teaching effectiveness is considered a critical element in determining whether or not faculty members are retained at higher education institutions; academic milestones such as tenure and promotion often require documentation of the quality of faculty teaching. As methods of assessing teaching effectiveness evolve, concerns about the…

Discusses strategies for teaching elementary computer programing and describes a study that used two instructional strategies in a computer-based training program designed to teach turtle graphics programing techniques to novice undergraduate students. Learning activities that emphasized either the completion of existing programs or the generation…