Reports on a study which collated and compared evaluations of seven distance education courses in Hong Kong using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. Conclusions about tutorials, group activities, interstudent contact, telephone counseling, and video and television broadcasts are synthesized; and guidelines for formatting…

Five steps for conducting a midterm evaluation of teaching rather than a standardized end-of-class evaluation are presented. Example outcomes are given, and observations about the process are discussed. Multiple values of midterm course evaluations are apparent for students, the instructor, and the designated evaluation facilitator. (SLD)

A study at the University of Yaounde (Cameroon) compared male and female student evaluations (n=1,064) of teaching on a range of variables. Variables which maximally distinguished males from females were fairness in grading, overall judgment of the course, organization of individual class sessions, and overall course organization. (Author/MSE)

Australian teacher education students responded to a questionnaire evaluating telematics teaching and learning strategies introduced in their preservice rural education courses. Overall, students responded positively, indicating that the technology was easy to use and that it was a good way of providing quality education and curriculum diversity…

A survey of 436 community pharmacists completing a distance learning (DL) course of continuing education (CE) in health screening, and 117 nonparticipants, found participants more positively disposed toward DL. Most found DL enjoyable and more suitable than other CE methods. More females and fewer males than expected requested and completed the…

How self-serving bias affects evaluations of college courses was tested for 691 students by comparing a model predicting that evaluations reflect actual grades with a model predicting that evaluations reflect confirmation or disconfirmation of expectations. Results support course evaluation validity by indicating a minimal effect of self-serving…

Results of research using 13,637 courses at the University of New Hampshire (Durham)--258,861 individual student rating forms--confirm that students in education find instruction in teacher education courses to be of higher quality than do students of courses in other disciplines. Study replication at other institutions is warranted. (SLD)

A study used correlational analysis and step-wise multiple regression to build mathematical models representing the dynamics of student evaluation of courses and teachers. The resulting models were very strong and were subsequently used to improve academic programs in Kuwait's Institute of Banking Studies. (Author/MSE)

Asserts that, although many researchers and teachers have written about the use of cooperative, or collaborative, learning groups, their work has focused on small classes. Reports on a study of informal cooperative group assignments used in a large (225 students) college-level Introduction to Sociology class. (CFR)

Describes a schedule for college classroom "preventive maintenance" that focuses on four classroom components: classroom community; students; course content; and faculty. A checklist allows assessment of these components during specific time periods in the semester, and a tune-up kit that includes diagnostic questions, sources of relevant…

Discusses online course development based on the design of courses at Arizona State University that were delivered via the World Wide Web and used computer conferencing software. Discusses the audience, learner characteristics, content, goals, instructional strategies, feedback, interaction, and evaluation. Contains 13 references (LRW)

Summarizes an experiment in web-based political science education that compared two sections (traditional and web-based) of a U.S. Government course. Evaluates the experiment from the viewpoints of the student, faculty member, and institutional administration. Concludes that educators should not view web-based instruction as a means to replace…

Describes a Web-based social psychology course and addresses the design of the course, focusing on the course prerequisites and preassignment and the structure of the course and Web site. Discusses the students' course evaluations and considers both the advantages and disadvantages of teaching a Web-based course. (CMK)

Compares online instruction and traditional classroom instruction at Macon State College (Georgia) in terms of both student perceptions and student performance as measured by grade distribution. Considers student gender, age, and employment status and reports the results of course evaluations. (LRW)

Describes a study evaluating the effectiveness of a Reading and Study Skills course at Edinboro University (Pennsylvania), based on student grades and retention after three semesters. Indicates that students taking the course had higher grades and retention rates and earned more credit hours than those not taking the course. (16 citations) (MAB)