This chapter suggests solutions to common practical problems in designing SoTL studies. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of different types of designs are discussed. [Part I available at EJ1029363.]

This volume focuses on learning communities at the beginning and at the culmination of work in the major of psychology and reflects a commitment to good practice both within and outside the classroom. Its comprehensive approach attests to the power of learning communities within the discipline and is a fine example of their evolution. In this…

The purpose of assembling this "New Directions in Teaching and Learning" volume was to introduce college and university teachers to a broad range of approaches that reflect evidence-based teaching (EBT). As each of the preceding chapters has shown, EBT not only can increase student learning across a variety of measures, it also can increase…

When the University of North Dakota began working to improve general education, two concerns were recognized. The first issue, which faculty and administrators across campus found immediately engaging, was how to change general education so that it would be a better program, more likely to yield clear student learning benefits. A second concern,…

Although college faculty cope with changing higher education (technological innovation, larger classes, student needs, preparation for the workplace), they are also being challenged to pay more attention to teaching. Developing an international perspective can help, by promoting an understanding that those in other cultures face similar issues and…

Institutionalizing the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education and the Faculty and Institutional Inventories will require teachers and institutions to overcome obstacles to change, develop new perspectives for improving education, and apply strategies of planned change, including creating and sustaining a leadership team.…

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…

Across the country, college faculty are redefining core knowledge and skills to include learning about pluralism in the United States and about world cultures. They are experimenting with new pedagogical approaches that engage cultural diversity in effective ways. Interdisciplinary collaboration, thematic curricula, and cooperative learning…

Examination of fundamental differences between the fields of international and multicultural education also reveals some commonalities, areas for collaboration, and parallel strategies for teaching and working with culturally diverse and foreign students. Strengthening alliances among the fields and expanding discussion can assist in long-term…