Available:*
Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 30000003923020 | LB2341 D66 1997 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
On Order
Summary
Summary
Identifies optimal practices or benchmarks for creating a quality learning environment and outlines steps faculty and administrators can take to strengthen student learning on their own campuses. Integrates the rich literature of teaching and learning with the findings from in-depth interviews with faculty and administrators at four of America's premier research institutions, and offers practical, real-life solutions for meeting student learning challenges.
Author Notes
JANET G. DONALD is professor of education and former director of the Centre for University Teaching and Learning at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She lives in Westmount, Canada.
Reviews 1
Choice Review
Donald interviews academic leaders from four universities with the intention of identifying practices and policies that can be used by schools to improve the learning environment. A well-articulated first chapter, "Frameworks for Improving Learning," introduces the remaining eight chapters, which cover important areas of concern for colleges and universities. The four characteristics of academic tasks that motivate learning--choice, challenge, control, and collaboration--are described at both micro- and macrolevels. The book's major strength is its description of how higher education can use benchmarks to create a high quality learning environment; these benchmarks are identified at the end of each chapter. This excellent manual explains not only how but why educators should improve the learning environment at the higher education level. If the academic community treats Donald's recommendations seriously, the educational outcomes of students as well as the learning environment will surely improve. This research is within the same conceptual frame as Robert Blackburn and Janet Lawrence's Faculty at Work (CH, Feb'96). All levels. J. F. Biter; St. Bonaventure University
Table of Contents
| Frameworks for Improving Learning |
| The Role of the Disciplines in the Quality of Learning |
| Student Selection and Access |
| Fostering Students' Motivation for Learning |
| Improving Instruction by Focusing on Learning |
| Providing Institutional Support for the Improvement of Teaching |
| Using Assessment to Define Tasks and Measure Learning |
| Faculty Responsibilities, Rewards, and Assessment |
| Institutional Assessment to Improve Learning |
