Resources

Executive Summary of the HERI (UCLA) study of the Spiritual Life of College Students.

A unique tool designed to assess and promote the improvement of critical thinking and real-world problem solving skills. The instrument is the product of extensive development, testing, and refinement with a broad range of institutions, faculty, and students across the country. The National Science Foundation has provided support for many of these activities.

Wikipedia entry for the "serious game" movement -- games designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment. The "serious" adjective is generally prepended to refer to products used by industries like defense, education, scientific exploration, health care, emergency management, city planning, engineering, religion, and politics.

Video. A short video summarizing some of the most important characteristics of students today - how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they will experience in their lifetime. Created by Michael Wesch in collaboration with 200 students at Kansas State University.

The ARCS model of motivational design consists of a set of categories of motivational concepts and strategies that are derived from a synthesis of the research on human motivation combined with a review of successful motivational practices. This article provides an overview of the model and cites further research.ARCS stands for attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction.

An e-book with chapters on various stages of the academic career (graduate school, job search, alternative career options), as well as a chapter on "Dealing with Difficult Issues" and suggested resources.

A 40 page article covering basics of course construction and syllabus preparation, by The Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning at Brown University.

Provides guidelines for the creation, distribution, and modification of syllabi at the University of Louisville, provided as a model for the creation of syllabi generally.

A two-page article by Ken Bains, briefly reviewing elements of a syllabus that can stimulate deeper and more enthusiastic student learning.

a 34 page booklet prepared by the University of North Carolina's Center for Teaching and Learning, covering topics such as "Defining Tasks," "Providing Feedback and Evaluation," and more than 20 pages of appendices providng sample forms and training programs.