Short Course vs Conventional Structures for Teaching Philosophy
Research on teaching methods in higher education is less evident than in elementary and secondary education. This study examined two course structures which are suitable for college teaching?lecture/discussion and inde pendent study. The Ss were upperclassmen enrolled in philosophy of art and social philosophy classes which were designated a priori as either the independent study or the lecture/discussion format. Measures were ob tained on acquisition of factual content, attitudes, student motivation, satisfaction, and classroom climate. Fac tual content increased during the semester, but this increase was a function of course structure and class'. Stu dents liked the independent study format better than the lecture/discussion format. Highly motivated students did better in the independent format, while poorly motivated students performed better in the conventional format. These results suggest that students and course structures should be matched in their motivational properties.