Research has revealed that students in online classes may have higher rates of attrition than those in traditional face-to-face classes. Effective teaching and learning in an online environment requires different pedagogical skills than those used in traditional face-to-face classes. Online courses must focus on the quality of interaction. As an…

This study investigates the dynamics in the Spanish classroom between heritage language learner (HLL) dyads, second language learner (L2L) dyads, and mixed HLL-L2L dyads. Specifically, it examines oral, written and embodied discourse that informs our understanding of how learners attend to language. Analysis for this dissertation examined…

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of a community college orientation course and to determine the frequency of counselor-student contact. There were no significant differences between groups' responses to a questionnaire designed to measure the objectives, but counselor-student contact was significantly affected. (Author)

Describes a successful summer institute utilizing videotaped microteaching and Flanders Interaction Analysis to help 14 community college professors improve their methods of interacting with students. (DC)

This study compared achievement of students in two types of deliberate learning communities at William Rainey Harper College (Illinois) with achievement of students in two comparative groups. In the "linked classes" format, the same students enrolled in the same two course sections and two faculty members taught in a team format. In the…

The family communication course at Arapahoe Community College attempts to acquaint students with the central role of communication in the maintenance and enhancement of family relationships and to equip them with knowledge that can produce a greater flexibility in their communication within their own family units. The course is built around two…

This study of student-facilitated study groups at Brooks Community College explores how students structured the study group experience and what type of interaction occurred during the group sessions. The study groups were created for high content introductory courses in which high percentages of students had been unsuccessful. Student leaders were…

Twenty-five instructors from 11 different community colleges and 13 different disciplines participated in a six week institute at Texas A&M University, geared to improving teaching in junior and community colleges. The participants had an average of 5.08 years of experience in college level teaching, and all had at least a master's degree.…

Discusses characteristics of a teacher language that give students opportunities to articulate ideas in an academic discourse as well as factors precluding such opportunities. The article illustrates types of teacher silence that can create opportunities for student participation and how matching the subject with student culture can affect…

This document contains 13 research abstracts reported by the 1976-77 standing Research Committee to the Texas Association of Junior College Instructional Administrators. Study topics included are: (1) collective bargaining; (2) educational programs for nontraditional students; (3) verbal interaction between instructors and students; (4) an…

A project was undertaken by a university to develop in-service staff development programs for 500 part-time faculty members at three community colleges. The university project staff functioned as process consultants, who initially conducted a needs assessment of programs and services desired by faculty members. Subsequent to the assessment, their…