Key Information
Forever Better: Continuous Quality Improvement in Higher Education, By Peter Knight, E. Nola Aitken, & Robert J. Rogerson
2000 [ISBN: 1-58107-024-1]; 164 pages, soft cover, 7.5-by-9.5-inch] $22.95
This book is a no-nonsense approach to teaching improvement that is geared to the needs of hard-pressed faculty in higher education. Although it is primarily intended for established faculty members who want to improve their teaching but whose time is limited, it also contains important ideas for chairs, heads of departments and for new faculty members, professional staff and teaching assistants. It draws on research evidence and practice in North America, Britain, New Zealand and Australia to present a host of well-tried, well-conceived “pick and Mix” ideas that can help anyone to be better at teaching. It covers major themes such as course planning, assessing student learning, lecturing, working with small groups and handling large classes. It covers the use of established and new technologies and methods to bring about improvements.
The Contents
1. Forever Better – Overview
2. The Student Learning Environment
3. The Course Syllabus: Planning for Practice
4. Assessment 5. Presentations
6. Maximizing Student Interaction: Group Work and Other Interactive Learning Techniques
7. Working with Large Classes
8. Mainly for New Faculty, Sessional Staff, and Teaching Assistants
9. Frequently Asked Questions
Review
“This is a clearly written work which is essential for a how-to manual. The authors’ approach to the major aspects of teaching competence is based on the latest thinking in faculty development. It makes a nice little book and it fills a niche that is not very crowded at the moment.” – Dr. Edward Neal, Center for Teaching and Learning, University of North Carolina
The Authors
Dr. Peter T. Knight has worked. in the Department of Educational Research at Lancaster University, UK, since 1990. He was previously the Head of the Department of History at St. Martin’s College of Higher Education, Lancaster, UK. Dr. E. Nola Aitken has been an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education, The University of Lethbridge since 1992. She previously spent 21 years as an elementary and secondary teacher, two years as a school jurisdiction administrator, and 5 years as a Mathematics Test Development Specialist for the Ministry of Education in Alberta. Dr. Robert J. Rogerson has been Professor in the Department of Geography, The University of Lethbridge since 1988. He was formerly Dean of Arts and Science at The University of Lethbridge and before that, Professor of Geography and Earth Sciences at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Head of Geography, Assistant Director of the Labrador Institute, Executive Director of Oceans 2000 Secretariat and subsequently Executive Director of the Canadian Center for GIS in Education in Ottawa. His academic field is Glaciology and Glacial Geomorphology.