A national survey of college faculty provided data for an analysis of class size norms in postsecondary institutions, and the institutional and academic variables associated with class size differences. Institutional characteristics considered include public versus private control, Carnegie classification, and institution size. Course academic…

This paper identifies a need to study the success of students taking college course offerings using distance education. Measurement issues are discussed, including a proposal for definition of some key variables involved in studying distance delivery by institutional researchers. Concerns about student outcomes are identified using data from two…

The objectives of this study were: (1) to compare retention rates between self-paced (SP) and classical lecture (CL) chemistry students as measured by the proportion of students who received a withdrawal or unofficial withdrawal grade; (2) as indicated by the distribution of final grades, to compare student achievement between SP and CL students;…

Teaching and learning activities that occurred in large university classes were studied with attention to the extent students are being involved and whether that involvement makes a difference in their attitudes and performance. At the University of Texas at Austin, 19 large (100 students and larger) classes, representing the college of liberal…

The use of the audio-tutorial (A-T) individualized teaching approach at the University of North Dakota is described. This approach, which was based on the work of S. N. Postlethwait and the philosophy of B. F. Skinner and Benjamin Bloom, attempts to match an instructional strategy with the needs of the learners. The modified A-T graphics approach…

Sixty-six students were enrolled in a combined Social Science-English experimental section which permitted them their choice of learning method. Options available were lecture, small group, programmed instruction, directed study and community involvement, and students were encouraged to try a variety of approaches. Six questions relating to…

A study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of an English composition telecourse in terms of skills and student attitudes and to compare its effectiveness with parallel classroom courses, to determine whether telecourse students constituted a distinct population, to obtain student evaluations of the two course methods, and to determine the…

Views of students and teachers regarding the characteristics of the "better" teacher were assessed, based on results from a parallel-perceptions survey conducted with students in three diverse institutions. Approximately 838 students enrolled in the 1970s at Harcum Junior College, Illinois State University, and Denison University…

Three types of workshops dealing with racism and sexism were conducted for 1900 incoming university freshmen as part of their orientation program. The methods were a structured discussion model developed by Sedlacek and Brooks (1976), a Starpower simulation workshop, and a movie discussion group. Students were randomly assigned to one of the three…

The effects of student instructional preference on performance in an engineering course offered both by Personalized Instruction (PSI) and lecture/discussion methods were explored in a study of 113 university sophomores and juniors. In lieu of random assignment to instruction mode, this study employed self-selection, the most common situation in…

The development of the IDEA system, a survey concerning teacher effectiveness at Kansas State University (KSU) is described. The system originated at KSU during the 1968-69 academic year as a means for investigating the effectiveness of teaching and for improving instruction. A discussion concerning its purpose and rationale is included. The…

Demographic and institutional factors responsible for the large variations of student retention and achievement at further education (FE) colleges throughout the United Kingdom were examined. Data from individualized student records were analyzed, and 10 FE colleges identified as serving areas of deprivation were visited to assess the extent to…