Ten examples of quick and easy classroom assessment techniques, carried out by higher education faculty in 10 different disciplines, are described. The techniques, designed to inform and inspire faculty to adjust classroom instruction, focus on four dimensions of learning: declarative, procedural, conditional, and reflective. (MSE)

Observation of 401 college teachers indicates that teachers of different academic disciplines (arts/humanities, social sciences, natural sciences/mathematics) differ in the frequency of specific classroom teaching behaviors, but that what makes an effective teacher, in the perception of students, is consistent regardless of discipline.…

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)

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…

Differences in the kinds of knowledge validation processes, truth criteria, and other factors associated with knowledge production are presented for five disciplines (physics, engineering, psychology, education, and English literature), and implications for improving instruction are examined. It is concluded that faculty must understand the…

Drawing on a number of studies of college student learning, this review concludes that students in different disciplines develop characteristic ways of learning based on their perceptions of what is required in their academic work. Within a discipline, effective learning involves an interplay between the characteristics of the student and the…

Two lessons from comparable undergraduate courses in physics and engineering are analyzed to identify content, issues emphasized, and concepts used. Differences reflecting the pure nature of one field (physics) in contrast to the applied nature of the other are identified. Implications for classroom instruction and for research on college teaching…

One college professor finds that while supplemental instruction (SI) sessions in the humanities resemble those in social, physical, and biological sciences, there are also qualitative differences that derive from discipline-specific expectations. These are rooted in the epistemology and axiology of the humanities, the expansive nature of…

In a study using student rating data from over 8,000 course sections in a large university, disciplinary differences and the value students placed on the time they spent preparing for class are correlated with students' evaluations of teaching. Implications for faculty promotion and tenure policy, instructional improvement, and further research…

A study of the role of subject matter in shaping high school teachers' beliefs, curricular concerns, and instructional practices complements studies of the disciplines in higher education. Factors discussed include the "hard/soft" distinction between disciplines, curriculum sequencing, range of classroom techniques, breadth of course content, and…

College students bring a variety of perceptions to the classroom about what it takes to succeed in a discipline. Attributional retraining, a therapeutic technique for modifying maladaptive perceptions into more adaptive ones, can enhance student motivation and academic achievement. The technique is most effective with students who are at high risk…

Empirical research on aspects of teaching role performance in which disciplinary differences have been observed (teaching goals, teaching practices, course examination questions, and the relationship between teaching and research) is summarized, and implications for faculty and development, academic affairs administration, and improvement of…

A survey of 4,072 college faculty examined institutional and disciplinary differences in faculty opinions of desired outcomes of undergraduate education. Significant differences by both institution type and discipline were found in emphasis on knowledge acquisition versus knowledge application and integration. It is suggested that reform of…

Offers basic guidelines for college teachers in responding to students' writing in the disciplines, with the central principle that teachers' comments should reflect their instructional goals for individual students. Suggests that fewer, more carefully designed comments are likely to be more effective than many unfocused responses. Examples of…

Three college instructors, teaching very different content (management, political science, and literature) and using classroom assessment techniques (CATs), compared the results. All found that CATs contributed to self-reflection, that designing CATs helps faculty focus on course and class goals, and that responding to CATs requires students to…