Learners and Learning
Readings & Websites

• Barr, Robert B., and John Tagg. 1995. "From Teaching to Learning – A New Paradigm for Undergraduate Education." Change 27, no. 6: 13-25.
  • The authors assert that American higher education is involved in a dramatic paradigm shift-that is, from a focus on providing instruction to one on producing learning. The article compares the implications of the Instruction Paradigm and the Learning Paradigm for various key issues: missions, criteria for success, teaching/learning structures, learning theory, productivity/funding, and roles of faculty. This stimulating article has been used on campuses as the basis for deep-level conversations about institutional missions and faculty work.
• Bonwell, Charles C., and James A. Eison. 1991. "Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom." ERIC Digest, EDO-HE-91-01. [2 pp.]
  • This readable literature review written primarily for faculty and academic leaders synthesizes current research addressing essential questions such as: (a) What is active learning and why is it important? (b) What obstacles prevent faculty from making greater use of active learning instructional approaches, and (c) How can these obstacles be overcome?
• Chickering, Arthur W., and Zelda F. Gamson. 1987. "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education." AAHE Bulletin 39, no.7: 3-7.
  • Responding to the question of how students and faculty can improve undergraduate education, Chickering and Gamson provide seven principles based on research on effective teaching and learning in higher education. The suggestions are straightforward, sensible, and underpinned by extensive research. Co-sponsored by the American Association for Higher Education and the Education Commission of the States, the Seven Principles have been used extensively in universities and colleges to stimulate discussion and guide teaching improvement efforts.
• Community – Campus Partnerships for Health
  • Promotes health through partnerships between higher education and the communities they serve.  (http://ccph.info)
• DeBlois, Peter (2005). "Leadership in Instructional Technology and Design", EDUCAUSE Quarterly (Vol. 29 #4), Denver.
  • This interview with leaders in both technology and instructional design focuses on roles, the competencies that are required and the relationship between both positions. Also discussed are institutional change, working with the faculty, assessment and leadership.
• EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI).
  • The institute is a community of higher education institutions and organizations committed to advancing learning through innovation in technology. While membership is not open to individuals this site provides direct links to a wide range of valuable resources grouped under three major topic areas: 1.Learners, 2.Learning Principles and Practices, and 3.Learning Technologies. Certainly worth a look.
• Field Guide to Academic Leadership 2002 (Robert M. Diamond, Editor.) Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
  • The following chapters in the Field Guide are brief, to the point, and directly related to the content focus of this section:
    • Chapter 7. Research on Learning and Student Development and it Implications by Lion F. Gardiner. An overview of the literature and research on teaching and learning in American Universities. Includes a review of the conditions and practices that foster student success and a list of key questions that you should ask about the quality of academic programs at your institution.
    • Chapter 8. Student Development: Monitoring the Quality of Learning and Development by Lion F. Gardiner. Stresses the importance of quality information in academic programs. Includes specific suggestions on writing learning outcomes, on developing a system to assess if these stated goals are being met and your role in developing a supportive climate for the assessment of learning.
    • Chapter 9. Curricula and Courses: Administrative Issue by Robert M. Diamond. A discussion of issues relating to the curriculum. Includes a list of common problems found at the course level and recommendations on how you can assist faculty in the process of course improvement. Here you will also find detailed information on the questions that should be asked before making a decision to undertake a major curriculum or to redesign a course.
    • Chapter 10. Teaching Strategies for the 21st. Century by James Eison. After reviewing the teaching practices and conditions that research has identified as being most effective in promoting learning, this chapter describes ten of the more widely used approaches that build on this information and the role of academic leaders in promoting teaching excellence.
      
    • Chapter 12. Improving Academic Advising: Issues and Action Areas for Academic Leaders by Franklin P. Wilbur. Discusses developing a quality advising system, various models and the importance of an integrated student information system. Includes a survey instrument you can use to assess the quality of advising on your own campus.
• Gardiner, Lion F. 1996. Redesigning Higher Education: Producing Dramatic Gains in Student Learning. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report: Vol. 23, No. 7. Washington, D.C.: George Washington University, Graduate School of Education and Human Development. [225 pp.]
  • This overview of research and accepted good practice is designed to stimulate discussion, reflection, and action for change. The book reviews and synthesizes research on student development, the conditions necessary for development to occur, and the extent to which college curricula, instruction, academic advising, and campus climate are consistent with these conditions. Additional chapters review research evidence for the capacity of today's diverse students to learn, recommendations of researchers, and issues of leadership and management. This book suggests numerous ways to raise the level of urgency for change and ideas for intended outcomes and assessment, together with providing hundreds of resources.
• Hamrick, Florence A,, Nancy J. Evans, and John H. Shuh. 2002. Foundations of Students Affairs Practice. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass.: [384 pp.]
  • Relates theoretical knowledge of student affairs into recommendations for practical applications.
• Gary L. Kramer and Assocates. 2003. Student Academic Services: An Integrated Approach. San Francisco, Jossey Bass: [512 pp.]
  • Provides strategies and tools, based on the research, for all academic units addressing and serving the needs of undergraduate students.
• Kuh, George D., Jillian Kinzie. John H. Schuh, and Elizabeth J. Whitt, 2005. Student Success in College: Creating Conditions That Matter. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass [400 pp.]
  • Describes policies, programs and practices that a diverse set of institutions have used to improve student achievement. Based on the Documenting Effecting Educational Practice Project (DEEP) from the Center for Postsecondary Research at Indiana University the case studies are both varied and practical resulting in
• Love, Patrick G. and Sandra M. Estaneck. 2004. Rethinking Public Affairs Practice. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass: [256 pp.]
  • Reviews the research and scholarship on students and students affairs and makes recommendation for action based on this data. Provides information on some of the newer competencies required by leaders in the field.
• McGonigal, Kelly, Getting More "Teaching" out of "Testing" and "Grading". Speaking of Teaching Vol. 15, No.2. 2006. Palo Alto, CA. Center for Teaching and Learning, Stanford University.
  • The benefits of using assessment as a teaching tool. Describes the required elements and specific techniques. Ideal for addressing the requirements for learning outcomes and assessment. ( www.http;//ctl.stanford.edu/Newsletter/)
• McKeachie, W.J. and associates. 2002. Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers. (11^th ed.), Boston, MA.  Houghton Mifflin.
  • The basic resource on teaching.  The writing is clear and concise and the topics range from meeting a class for the first time and leading discussion to assigning grades and dealing with cheating.  If a faculty member wants to explore new approaches to teaching or needs help in the classroom, this is a great place to start.
• National Service Learning Clearinghouse
  • Address getting college and university students and faculty actively involved with the community as well as all levels of education.  For information (http://www.servicelearning.org)
• The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
  • This website (www.nsse.iub.edu) provides information about the empirical foundations of the NSSE survey and hosts research papers and presentations based on NSSE data. The NSSE Institute for Effective Educational Practice, the service arm of NSSE, posts such resources as the Accreditation Tool-kit which maps survey items to regional accreditation standards, the Pocket Guide to Choosing a College which is designed to help prospective students ask important questions on a campus tour and other resources that institutions can use to improve student engagement and enhance student learning.
• Pascarella, Ernest T. and Patrick T. Terenzina. 2005. How College Affects Sudents: A Third Decade of Research. Vol. 2. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. [288 pp.]
  • The most comprehensive and well-documented analysis on how higher education affects students available. A primary resource for anyone interested in improving the quality of the college experience.
• Tomorrow’s Professor
  • One of the best list-servers in higher education and the price is right: it’s free. From the Stanford University Center for Teaching and Learning, this on-line series will provide you with carefully selected excerpts from a wide variety of sources.  Subscribe by sending the e-mail message "subscribe Tomorrow’s Professor" to majordomo@lists.Stanford.edu.
• Tomorrow's Professor
  • Published 100 times a year this newsletter, which is free to subscribers, highlights a single publication in each issue. Each issue, approximately four to six pages, may include an entire essay but more often is all or part of a carefully selected chapter of a recent publication, an article in a newsletter or a research report. It is an excellent way for you to get a sense of the focus and writing style of books before purchasing. Below are specific issues that address the focus of this resource section. They may be retrieved by number thru the following link (http://ctl.stanford.edu/Tomprof/postings.html). Issues are posted two weeks after publication. On this site you can also find a complete list of all past publications in the series.
    • #790: How to Create Memorable Lectures. Mariatte Dunman
    • #789 Engaged Learning (And the Core Purposes of Education). Donald W. Harward
    • #784: Integrative Learning: Putting the Pieces Together. Mary Huber and Molly Green
    • #780: Homework Habits: If it is Broken Fix it. Jefferey Beister, Camilla Savizard and Abel Fernandez
    • #773: "Why Problem Based Learning?" by Barbara J. Duch, Jason E. Groh and Deborah E. Allen.
    • #771: "Modalities of Teaching and Learning" by Donald N. Levine.
    • #768: Turning Good Intentions into Educational Capital. Ray Bachette and Thomas Ehrlich
    • #763: "Learning to Teach: Sharing the Wisdom of Practice" by Desiree Pointer Macet and Ann Lieberman.
    • #760: The High Risk of Improving Teaching. James Rhem
    • #759: Teaching for Transformation: From Learning Theory to Learning Strategies. Kelly McGonigal
    • #757: Calling All Students…Come in Students. Michael L. Rogers and David A. Starrett
    • #755: The Balancing Act: Anna Newmann, Armese Terosky, and Julie Schell
    • #742: Fostering Student Learning and Success through First-Year Programs. Mary Stuart Hunter
    • #738: Getting More Teaching out of "Testing" and "Grading". Kelly McGonigal
    • #734: A Whole New Mind for a Flat World. Richard M. Felder
    • #698: A Possible Model for Higher Education: The Physics Reform Effort. Richard Hake
    • #657: Student Services for Distance Education Students. Karen I. Roada
    • #636: The Challenges of Teaching With Others. Jodi Levine Laufgraben and Daniel Tomkins