Background: Faculty might disclose personal information in order to illustrate a concept related to course material. However, the impact of self-disclosing potentially personal information (e.g., medical or mental health) is unclear. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine how students perceive professors who self-disclose personal…

Online courses can feel isolating and sometimes lack human connections that can motivate students. We developed a fully online geoscience course to build a 'Community of Inquiry' with attention to cognitive, social, and teaching presences. We ran the course using nearly identical materials for 8 semesters (recorded video lectures, labs,…

Students' attendance and engagement with teaching and learning practices is perceived as a critical element for academic performance. Even with stipulated attendance policies, students still choose not to engage. The study employed a principal component analysis to analyze first- and second-year students' perceptions of the importance of the 12…

This study investigated students' engagement and learning in a large lecture journalism history course based on a revision of its discussion curriculum. The new curriculum incorporated visual media and facilitated collaborative learning in active learning classrooms. Surveys were administered to assess students' perceptions of the course,…

Science and engineering educators and employers agree that students should graduate from college with expertise in their major subject area as well as the skills and competencies necessary for productive participation in diverse work environments. These competencies include problem-solving, communication, leadership, and collaboration, among…

First-generation, low-income, underrepresented minority (URM) and female undergraduates are matriculating into science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors at unprecedented levels. However, a disproportionate number of these students end up graduating in non-STEM disciplines. Attrition rates have been observed to spike in conjunction…

This study explores the effectiveness of the sequential use of lectures and video podcasting in higher education. Drawing together several theories, this paper examines the influence of student's perceived prior knowledge gained from lectures and technology acceptance model-related variables on student's self-reported assimilation of new material…

Teaching practices can create a range of autonomy-supportive or controlling learning environments. Research shows that autonomy-supportive techniques are more conducive to positive learning outcomes than controlling techniques. This study focused on simple verbal and behavioral cues that any teacher could use to create a positive learning…

Three studies (N = 1119) were conducted to replicate and expand upon Kearney, Plax, Hays, and Ivey's seminal research on instructor misbehaviors. In study 1 (n = 233), a replication of Kearney et al.'s study revealed 43 categories of perceived instructor misbehaviors; 27 of the misbehaviors were originally identified by Kearney et al. and 16 new…

The aim of this study was to examine the informational cues that students perceive to be influential when developing initial impressions and expectancies of a lecturer. Undergraduate university students (n = 452) were required to rate the extent to which 30 informational cues (e.g. gender, qualifications) influence their initial perceptions of a…