Drawing upon data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education for 7,116 students at 38 four-year institutions, the role of clear and organized instruction in facilitating students' academic outcomes, as measured by first-year grade-point average, was examined. Regression analysis revealed that faculty interest in teaching and student development, academic motivation, and academic engagement explained two-thirds of the relationship between clear and organized instruction and first-year grades. The students who were exposed to clear and organized instruction perceived their instructors as more invested in their learning and development and reported being more academically motivated and engaged in their studies. These findings have implications for faculty development, given that students seem capable of picking up cues from their instructors, which, in turn, influence student performance. (59 ref)-
This chapter describes strategies developed from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education to help institutions shift their focus from gathering assessment data to using it to improve student learning.
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