Abstract: 'We compared the amounts of learning achieved using two different instructional approaches under controlled conditions. We measured the learning of a specific set of topics and objectives when taught by 3 hours of traditional lecture given by an experienced highly rated instructor and 3 hours of instruction given by a trained but inexperienced instructor using instruction based on research in cognitive psychology and physics education. The comparison was made between two large sections (N = 267 and N = 271) of an introductory undergraduate physics course. We found increased student attendance, higher engagement, and more than twice the learning in the section taught using research-based instruction."
In this nine-minute video I explain how to use a feature in Microsoft Word to automatically insert text (with hyperlinks) into a student's essay. Doing so saves the instructor a significant amount of time, and provides the student with "just in time" resources.
In general, research has found student evaluations of teaching to be a valid and reliable means to evaluate instruction. However, it is necessarily true that student evaluations reflect the students' perceptions and points-of-view. Therefore, it is important to view course evaluations as just one measure of teaching effectiveness-a set of data that can be used alongside peer evaluation of teaching, instructor self-evaluation, and other measures.
A new study shows that students learn much better through an active, iterative process that involves working through their misconceptions with fellow students and getting immediate feedback from the instructor.
The Student Assessment of their Learning Gains (SALG) website allows instructors to gather learning-focused feedback from students. The SALG survey asks students to rate how each component of a course (e.g., textbook, collaborative work, labs) helped them to learn, and to rate their gains toward achieving the course goals. The SALG survey can be customized to fit any college-level course, and can be administered multiple times per course. A baseline instrument allows faculty to compare gains relative to incoming student characteristics.
The MERLOT ELIXR Initiative offers a digital case story repository that hosts more than 70 discipline-specific multimedia stories. Digital stories for faculty development can provide real-life experiences of exemplary teaching strategies and the process of implementing them. These digital case stories can be used freely in faculty development programs and also accessed by individual instructors.