By combining modest stipends, contracts, well-structured training, instructional videotapes, individual consultations, written reports, and public recognition for faculty participants, the College of Marin (California) program in faculty classroom research has thrived. Although improved academic achievement has not been substantiated, several…

In one state university, an administrator, working closely with a small group of faculty, established a classroom research group which built on the successes and visibility of an existing campuswide faculty development program. The group won colleague acceptance by fostering interaction and cooperation across disciplines and following a patient…

Approaches to developing teaching assistant programs are discussed, based on the organizational change literature. Five models are identified: rational planning, social interaction, human problem solving, political models, and a research and development approach. Political processes often can be blended with social interaction and problem-solving…

The University of Guelph's Office for Educational Practice, an administrative unit for instructional development that relies on faculty volunteer leadership and participation, is described and discussed in the context of research on improvement of instructional effectiveness. (MSE)

Establishing a program to help teaching assistants (TAs) become better teachers is discussed, including advantages/disadvantages of five possible organizational locations: individual course instructors, departments, colleges of education, other individual colleges, and a central administrative office. A mix of locations and criteria for assessing…

Design and implementation of supplemental instruction (SI), a combination of content review and training in study strategies for students in high-risk courses, are discussed. The context here is college-level mathematics instruction. It is noted that SI in mathematics may require more structure than in some other content areas. (MSE)