Undergraduates reported the impact of pedagogical practices on their perceived stress. Overall, clustered deadlines, unclear instructions, pop quizzes, high-stakes assignments, and cold calling created the most stress. Policies that allow grade recovery, clear instructions, feeling known by the professor, and flexible deadlines alleviated the most…

This study investigates the effectiveness of implementing clicker-based activities to promote critical thinking in a small-enrollment undergraduate psychology course. Students' performance on knowledge-based tests and critical-thinking assignments were analyzed. Whereas no significant difference was observed in their knowledge-based exam…

Instructors expect students to read before class to engage them in using higher-order thinking skills that are critical to performing in group work and engaging in discussions. As many instructors are aware, however, for various reasons many students don't read the assigned textbook. In this study, science news articles were used as prereadings to…

The author assesses the evolution of classroom community through an examination of three subsequent semesters of a large undergraduate education course at a regional, comprehensive university. The evolution and modification of course format and assignments across three semesters are treated as interventions to foster interactions among students…

This study sought to better understand students' experiences with instructor feedback on writing assignments. Undergraduate students (n = 162) completed an online survey about the frequency, type, and nature of feedback they received from instructors, their feedback preferences, their satisfaction with feedback, and their use of feedback. Findings…

This study aimed to find predictors of learning outcomes for an undergraduate social work research course. Participants' scores on various assessment tasks were used as dependent variables and their perceptions and learning experiences as independent variables. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Student performance on weekly…

The authors asked students enrolled in a wide range of college mathematics courses to predict their scores on quizzes and exams. They found that top and bottom performers were less accurate predictors, but those scoring in the middle range were more accurate in predicting their scores. Females were more accurate predictors of their scores than…

Understanding student perceptions of the elements that affect positive team experiences helps inform faculty about their use of teams in the classroom. Using Q Methodology (Stephenson, 1935), students evaluated a large set of teamwork elements. The results indicate both areas of student agreement as well as significant differences in perceptions…

Understanding community college English language learner (ELL) goals may help educators better support ELLs to set and pursue those goals. One lens that has illuminated important differences in ELL goals is constructive-developmental theory (CDT). Using a CDT lens, this qualitative case study investigated the goals of six community college ELLs…

Academic dishonesty is pervasive on college campuses, but few researchers have explored students' situational decisions about cheating. This qualitative study explores influences on students' decisions about academic dishonesty, particularly how students' course contexts affect their decisions. The author found that course context factors heavily…

The authors compared student perceptions and performance in a fully online versus a flipped undergraduate diversity course. Students' performance on course assignments and responses to surveys assessing perceptions of learning climate, basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness), motivation, relevance, and learning gains were…

The author presents self-report data from students in three upper-level undergraduate courses to illustrate the comparative effectiveness of different out-of-class assessment approaches in promoting completion and comprehension of reading assignments. Students reported agreeing or strongly agreeing that all three assignments motivated them to…

Students in upper-level courses are expected to observe disciplinary conventions in writing assignments. Common recommendations for teaching conventions require substantial time for instructor feedback and in-class instruction. As an alternative, we tested the effectiveness of a checklist in improving students' performance of these conventions.…

This study evaluated syllabi (N = 87) from introductory advertising and public relations courses to examine to what extent and how stated course goals and assignments signal the overall learning orientation of a course and which type of learning orientation--mastery or performance--was most common. Mastery orientations emphasize intrinsic rewards,…

This study extends the empirical findings of the use of continuous, lecture-embedded assessments to increase engagement and enhance learning. Outcome data (exam performance and attendance rates) from college students in three upper-division business course sections who took quizzes and wrote two-minute papers (test group) were compared to outcome…