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The instruction that we provide, the intellectual climate that we create, and the policy decisions that we make should all start with the question, "But will it improve students' learning?" Basic to any answer is the state of our knowledge about learning. A spate of recent research has resulted in comprehensive and lengthy reviews of surveys of research on student learning; the current model for coping with this information explosion is ever-tighter syntheses and distillations. These "principles" could in turn be summarized as a grand meta-principle that might say something like this: "What we know about student learning is that students who are actively engaged in learning for deeper understanding are likely to learn more than students not so engaged." However, what we already know from our own experience, as both learners and teachers, is that people have to find their own answers by working though the pathways to knowledge. Telling people what the "experts" know is not likely to result in the kind of deeper learning that we want to encourage. If we are to take learning seriously, we need to know what to look for (through research), to observe ourselves in the act of lifelong learning (self-reflection), and to be much more sensitively aware of the learning of the students that we see before us everyday. At present, I think we are prone to consider research findings as the "conclusion" of our investigations into learning. We might do better to think of them as the start of our investigations.

According to Kasulis, a class discussion has three dimensions: content, process, and people. Though content is an obvious element that is usually thoroughly researched, process can be problematic for many teachers. Some students tend to dominate, while others disengage, and the discussion often wanders. These problems can be alleviated with planning and structure. The article suggests creating a structure that is flexible enough to take advantage of unexpected events, but structured enough to accomplish the goals. By taking the personalities, strengths, and needs of the people in the course into consideration, the teacher can personalize the classroom discussion. This article uses basketball as a metaphor for developing learning-centered classroom discussion. It also refers to recent research findings that indicate the brain is developed through the constant activity of making neural connections and eliminating connections that are seldom or never used. The task of the educator is to provide the conditions conducive to brain growth and the building of learning capacity, in the same way an athletic coach helps students to build physical strength. The paper offers tips and techniques for promoting learning-centered discussion in the classroom. (Contains 19 references.) (NB)

This paper suggests that students and their learning should become the focus of everything that college faculty do, examining what is currently known about student learning and where this knowledge comes from. Two large volumes have been published on what is known about student learning in college. A distillation of what is known can be extracted from research on: seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education; three critical conditions for excellence; and nine strategies for improving student learning. The seven principles of good practice emphasize: student-faculty contact; student cooperation; active learning; prompt feedback; time on task; high expectations; and respect for diverse talents and ways of knowing. In order to know how students learn, it is essential to find out what makes them tick. Research should become the working partner of both personal experience with learning and focused conversations about learning with colleagues. Faculty must know what to look for (through research), observe themselves participating in lifelong learning (self-reflection), and be much more aware of students' learning. A powerful advantage of using research findings to start conversations about learning is that it is a way to involve faculty and administrators actively in learning. (Contains 18 references.) (SM)

This paper discusses the college freshman year experience from the student perspective, focusing not on what college will do for them, but on what it will do to them. Faced with the staggering array of course offerings and experiences presented by the modern college, freshmen need more help in making choices and decisions. The paper reviews the conclusions of various books and articles on the impact of college on students, including Chickering and Gamson's (1987) Seven Principles for Good Practice for Undergraduate Education, which include: (1) encouragement of student-faculty contact; (2) encouragement of cooperation among students; (3) encouragement of active learning; (4) provision of prompt feedback; (5) emphasis on time on task; (6) communication of high expectations; and (7) respect for diverse talents and ways of learning. The paper also reviews the organizational culture principles articulated by the Education Commission of the States (1995), which expresses that quality education begins with an organizational culture that values high expectations, cultivates respect for diverse talents and learning styles, and emphasizes the early years of study. (Contains 15 references.) (MDM)

Since community colleges play such a key role in meeting the needs for workforce development as well as open access to education, considerable pressure is placed on the colleges to demonstrate their effectiveness. Recently, the focus of assessment in community colleges has shifted from gathering data that legislators and accrediting agencies want to collecting data needed by the college itself to improve quality. This shift recognizes that teachers and students are the legitimate audience of assessment research, since they are directly responsible for the quality of learning. While students are rarely involved in the assessment process beyond their function as subjects, growing numbers of teachers have involved them in the learning process, adopting active, student-centered forms of instruction. To ensure that feedback is received from students, Classroom Assessment Techniques (CAT) have been developed involving students and teachers in collaborative assessment of classroom learning. The most well-known CAT is the minute paper, in which students evaluate what they learned at the end of each class. To understand the results obtained from such exercises, teachers should employ classroom research, or the systematic study of students in the process of learning. This research should be embedded in the regular work of the class and should lead directly to changes in the practice of teaching. Contains 13 references. (HAA)

Four of the most important issues currently facing higher education are the need to make students the central focus, to restore public trust and demonstrate accountability, to manage limited resources more efficiently and effectively, and to utilize the power of technology. The driving forces behind these directions are public disaffection, financial constraints, the power and promise of new technology, and a growing enthusiasm for change, especially among faculty of community colleges. One example of this enthusiasm for improving the profession of teaching is a 1990 Carnegie Foundation report calling for the recognition of the distinct scholarships of discovery, integration, application, and teaching. In addition, the concept and practices of Classroom Assessment and Classroom Research developed at the University of California, Berkeley attempt to involve college teachers in these multiple scholarships. The project has put together 50 Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) to give teachers immediate feedback on how well students are learning. One simple assessment technique is the "Minute Paper," where before the end of the class period students write about the most important thing they learned and their main unanswered question. Faculty involvement in Classroom Assessment helps complement and strengthen the renewed emphasis on excellence in teaching, helps faculty understand the relevance of institutional assessment to their own work, and can help prepare faculty for a leadership role in the restructuring of teaching and learning. (Contains 12 references.) (KP)

Vocational education has many pedagogical advantages over academic education in meeting three critical conditions of excellence. The first critical condition is student involvement. Most vocational education programs tend to involve students intensely and personally with peers and teachers. The natural advantage most vocational education has over academic education is that much of it consists of problem solving, a form of active learning. Both vocational and academic students must be able to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information. The second critical condition is feedback between the teacher, the student, and the institution. An advantage that vocational education has in this area is that it develops the student's ability to perform a given procedure, which is usually observable, assessable, and indicative of whether students can apply their learning. Classroom research, such as "minute papers" and self-diagnostic learning logs provide feedback and require students to engage in the higher-level learning activities of synthesis, application, and evaluation. The third critical condition is high standards. Education at all levels is often criticized for its lack of standards and high expectations. Vocational educators have a pedagogical plus in the form of external licensing procedures that sometimes exist and in advisory committees, which can provide an outside check on the quality of student performance. (Contains 11 references.) (CML)

This guide offers suggestions for implementing active learning techniques in the community college classroom. The author argues that, although much of the literature on active learning emphasizes collaboration and small-group learning, active learning does not always involve interaction. It must also involve reflection and self-monitoring of both the processes and the results of learning. This guide includes collaborative learning techniques, goal and syllabus reviews, lecture techniques, and student self-evaluation exercises. Some of the collaborative learning exercises presented in the guide include the following: (1) Punctuated Lectures. The author suggests that the instructor stop at the end of a 10- to 20-minute segment of lecture and ask students to assess their own behavior during the lecture. Were they taking notes? Were they distracted? Did the information raise any questions for them? (2) Minute Paper. Students are required to review what they have learned at the end of a class period. What was the most important thing they learned today? What questions remain unanswered? (3) Jigsaw. This exercise requires students to work in small groups to develop knowledge about a given topic, and then teach that topic to the rest of the class or another group. (Contains 15 references.) (NB)

The future of higher education, especially that of the community college, is discussed. The role of the community college in advancing new concepts--such as open admissions, equal opportunity, and community involvement--is recounted. The development of higher education in the United States is traced, and problems created by the recently instituted policy of open admission are examined. The heterogenity of students necessitates a change in instructional practices that are based on a very homogeneous population. The development of effective and inexpensive individualized instruction is proposed as the solution to the problem of student diversity. Modified schedules to accommodate adult learners, greater learner participation, peer tutoring, and cooperative learning projects are all modifications that will better meet the economic and academic needs of the student. Technological advances facilitate individualization, both in communication to students and in instruction, and teachers need to reexamine their roles as educators in the future. (PHR)