Online courses have become an increasingly common feature of the higher education landscape, expanding access and offering flexibility for students. Yet, they also pose unique challenges. Research has documented concerning performance gaps between students enrolled in face-to-face and online courses, while faculty have reported difficulties…

A survey of Black students at Georgia State University found that first-year students tended to rate themselves as rigid thinkers and the second-year students did not, suggesting that students perceiving themselves as poor thinkers can become flexible thinkers with appropriate advising, counseling, and teaching activities. (MSE)

This book is intended to help faculty who teach college freshmen to understand their students, present effective teaching practices, and provide practical suggestions for dealing with the special challenges presented by freshmen. Part 1 portrays freshmen, examining high school influences that shape expectations and habits; attitudes, values, and…

This document consists of the four quarterly issues of the journal "Understanding Our Gifted" published during 1997. Each issue of this journal generally has a single theme in the education of gifted and talented children around which all the articles are focused. The themes of these four issues are, respectively,…

This study investigated the utility of the self-regulation model of decision making for explaining and predicting adolescents' academic decision making. Measures included an assessment of decision-making skill; academic goals; select scales of Learning and Study Strategies Inventory; and teacher ratings of achievement behavior. Adolescents'…

The question of whether students change in broad abilities indicative of human potential for cognitive-development, learning styles, and other generic abilities was studied at Alverno College. An additional study objective was to determine whether such change can be attributed to performance in a performance-based curriculum, rather than age,…

This study followed six medical students through first semester to understand how they self-regulated learning. The study, using a situated research strategy, resulted in a grounded theory built around the central phenomenon of stance. In short, learners illustrated different types of stances that influence their perceptions of themselves and the…

Two measures, perceived academic control and action control (i.e., preoccupation with failure), were administered to college students. Achievement-related cognitions, emotions, motivation, and final grades were measured at the end of the course. Of note, high-control, high-failure-preoccupied students outperformed the other groups by one to two…

There are various learning styles, each with its own characteristics. Some researchers have associated the different styles with specific brain hemispheres. In the past teachers generally have taught with one type of learning style in mind, with much emphasis placed on the outcomes of learning. Increased attention should be paid to the individual…

The challenges and reforms facing the modern American college having to deal with an increasingly diverse range of students--in terms of age, educational purposes, background and preparation, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity--are discussed. Thirteen chapters by professors in the arts, sciences, and professions discuss implications for their…