This paper reports on a study that examined the use of wireless laptops for promoting active learning in lecture halls. The study examined students' behavior in class and their perceptions of the new learning environment throughout three consecutive semesters. An online survey revealed that students have highly positive perceptions about the use…

Since 1999, and as part of an Ameritech grant, the author has systematically investigated use of streaming media to enhance face-to-face classes. Technology invites experimentation but raises questions about such things as student acceptance, student use, academic performance, and what to do with class time when lectures are put online. Students…

A required graduate-level dental biochemistry course was designed to combine traditional lecture, student presentations, case studies, and computer-assisted lecture presentations and handouts, combining the high efficiency of lecture-based information transfer with active computer-based learning. Student motivation increased, and assimilation of…

Asserts that a recent report suggests that students should have opportunities to become actively engaged in the application of economics. Finds that the case method approach was more useful than texts and lectures in learning about institutional arrangements, the use of economic data, and how to use economics to solve real problems. (CFR)

Several years of experience in training lecturers for developing and tutoring project-based learning (PBL) courses have resulted in a 'practise as you preach' based and flexible training programme. This programme was successfully incorporated in the teacher training programmes of the University of Twente and other universities and polytechnics in…

We developed a hybrid course format (part online, part face-to-face) to deliver a high-enrollment, introductory environmental biology course to resident (living on or near campus), non-science majors at a large, public university. The hybrid course was structured to include bi-weekly online assignments and weekly meetings in the lecture hall…

Active learning and research-oriented activities have been increasingly used in smaller, specialized science courses. Application of this type of scientific teaching to large enrollment introductory courses has been, however, a major challenge. The general microbiology lecture/laboratory course described has been designed to incorporate published…

There is much information from educational psychology studies on how people learn. The thesis of this paper is that we should use this information to guide the ways in which we teach rather than blindly using our traditional methods. In this context, problem-based learning (PBL), as a method of teaching widely used in medical schools but…

Despite criticisms in the literature on pedagogy, lecturing continues to be the dominant teaching method on most undergraduate programmes. Drawing on research examining teaching practice in undergraduate Social Policy programmes, accounts of approaches to lecturing are discussed in the context of the arguments in the literature for more active…

This book offers "survival" advice for faculty newcomers, organizing the discussion under the actual categories of work in which faculty typically engage. Chapter 1, "Institutional Environment and the Academic Community," examines the culture of an academic institution and how faculty newcomers become acculturated or socialized…

The traditional lecture format of college courses can be enhanced by including active learning designed to further course goals of learning knowledge, developing skills, or fostering attitudes. Techniques suggested include using pauses, short writing periods, think-pair-share activities, formative quizzes, lecture summaries, and several assessment…

In a doctoral pharmacy course, student pairs were assigned presentations on topics related to specific anemias or blood disorders, and given one-and-a-half hours to present the material, with posters as visual aids, and to answer questions. The method is seen as promoting active learning, critical thinking, and professional presentation skills,…

College physics teachers describe their experience using a computer-based classroom communication system that facilitates presentation of questions for small-group work, collection of student answers, and display of histograms showing how the class answered, all feeding into classwide discussions. The technique engages students in active learning…

An analysis and assessment of the Course Redesign Project, which used technology to improve student learning and course satisfaction in large lecture courses at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Six disciplinary-diverse departments participated in the project. Technology was selected for the purpose of introducing active learning into…

"Active learning" where students are required to do something in the classroom rather than simply listen to a lecture has been repeatedly shown to be superior to the lecture method in advancing student learning. The use of case studies in the classroom is one of the most successful active learning methods of teaching science, technology,…