An Empirical Assessment of Cooperative Groups in Large, Time-compressed, Introductory Courses

We measured student knowledge and motivation at the beginning and end of a three-week general psychology course. Two large lecture sections (N = 215 and N = 154) were compared; one used a cooperative learning process, and one did not. Student knowledge significantly improved in both sections, but there was no additional benefit derived from using cooperative learning. Interestingly, student motivation significantly decreased in the cooperative learning section. With recognition of the study’s limitations, we conclude that cooperative learning has limited efficacy in large enrollment, compressed courses. Dawn Vreven is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. She received her Ph.D. from Brown University. Her research interests include visual perception and cognition. Susan McFadden is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. She received her Ph.D. from Drew University. She co-edits the “Teaching Tips” column for the Association for Psychological Science’s Observer and has published a number of articles on teaching and learning. This work was supported by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Program.     

邓小平南方讲话与人的全面发展

邓小平南方谈话对人的全面发展虽没有直接表述，但从他精辟的见解的底蕴中可以寻得指导人的全面发展的规律与范式。     

基于网络的形成性考核的有效性和时效性分析

中央广播电视大学的形成性考核,素以单一的作业册的形式向各试点学校发行。由于师生见面时间有限,教师批改作业后很难及时反馈给学生,并且单一的纸笔式练习也有很大的局限性。针对这一情况,中央电大于2005年3月启动了“宏微观经济学”等六门课程的基于网络的课程形成性考核试点项目。基于网络的形成性考核能否提高评价的有效性和时效性,实现信息的及时反馈,改进远程教与学的质量呢?本文应用院校研究的方法,对基于网络的课程形成性考核的评阅率、评阅的及时性、评阅的方式与质量进行了分析。     

“启导式”健美操教学新法的实践研究

在健美操教学中,采用“启导式”教学新模式,从启发和引导角度开发学生潜能,使学生具备创新观念、创新兴趣和创新目标感,提升学生的自学能力和创编能力。通过实验对比,可以看到新型教学模式在培养学生创新意识和创新能力方面更好的效果,为健美操教学探索出了一条新路子。     

精心设计导入 启迪学生思维

选择正确的导入方法,即故事导入、生活引入、场景进入、幽默巧入,有利于激发学生学习动力,启迪思维,促使学生主动参与数学活动,获得较好的教学效果。     

“We've Got to Keep Meeting Like This”: A Pilot Study Comparing Academic Performance in Shifting-Membership Cooperative Groups Versus Stable-Membership Cooperative Groups in an Introductory-Level Lab

This study examined possible ways to increase student engagement in small sections of a large, introductory-level, required university course. Research shows that cooperative group learning boosts achievement through fostering better interpersonal relationships between students. Cooperative group learning is an evidence-based instructional practice engaging students in active learning. The present study investigated whether cooperative groups with sustained-membership functioned more effectively for boosting performance than shifting-membership cooperative groups. Findings indicated that the amount of class time spent in groups influenced the impact of shifting or sustained-membership. A significant difference in performance was found for sustained-group students when group activities were used the majority of the time during recitation.     

Quintilian: Wisdom and Warning

The implementation of online texts, videos, homework, and tests has changed the process of instruction in introductory college mathematics courses. With this change, more of the students’ learning takes place outside of the traditional college classroom and in places such as tutoring centers and dorm rooms. A combination of chi-square tests—for independence with unordered categorical data—and Mann-Whitney two-sample rank-sum tests—for continuous data and ordered categorical data—were used to analyze student outcomes generated from College Algebra and Applied Calculus courses with class sizes ranging from 37 to 129, with common syllabi, homework, quizzes, and tests. These tests showed that medium classes (30–55 students) had little to no benefit over large classes (110–130 students) in student learning and student achievement, with large classes having small to medium positive-effect sizes over medium classes in the area of student satisfaction. The only area in which the small classes had a small positive effect was in the area of student engagement.     

When Teachers Misspell

Multiple-choice exams are often the standard in large, introductory college courses. Although students sometimes report that multiple-choice exams are easier than essay exams, the multiple-choice format often proves to be more difficult. This may be true because multiple-choice exams in college are often composed predominantly of application questions. They ask students to grapple with scenarios and recognize concepts in context, which proves to be difficult for many students. The author details the changes she has made in her introductory sociology curriculum and discusses some of the indicators of success.     

学报卷首语功能试析

学报卷首语是学报编辑在出版过程中的一种探索形式 ,它具有“导引学术研究、推介优秀作品、介绍文章背景、体现编辑思想、提供文献检索”功能 ,有利于学报功能的发挥。     

是同位语从句还是定语从句

用that引导的同位语从句与that引导的定语从句在表达意义和语法要求上都不相同 ,但因为两者形式相似 ,非常容易混淆 ,并极易由此造成句子意思的理解和翻译等方面的错误。本文根据Quirk和Leech等人的有关论述 ,提出可以从五个方面来认识同位语从句和定语从句的区别问题。