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	Professor publishes book on introductory religion courses


    
      
        
          Professor publishes book on introductory religion courses

          
            
              
                
                Published: February 21, 2008
              

              
                Author: Michael O. Garvey
              

              







          

          
          
          

          
        
        
        
          

Teaching and Learning in College Introductory Religion Courses: A Study of 533 Classrooms,by Barbara E. Walvoord, fellow in the Institute for Educational Initiatives and professor emerita of English at the University of Notre Dame, has been published by Blackwell Publishing.

The result of her study of 533 introductory religion courses and 66 successful teachers in public, nonsectarian private, and religiously affiliated institutions of higher education, Walvoords book examines student goals, student learning, and effective pedagogical methods.

Supported by Notre Dame, the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, and Kansas State Universitys IDEA Center, Walvoords research concerned the effects of courses on world religions, the nature of religion, theology, the Bible, and Christian formation on a wide variety of students, including self-professed Christians or adherents of other religions, as well as doubters, seekers, agnostics, and atheists.

Surveying 12,463 students in 109 institutions, the study suggests the existence of agreat dividebetween the desires of faculty members to encouragecritical thinkingand studentsdesires for spiritual development, and examines the methods many faculty employ to address it.

According to one review by Raymond Brady Williams of Wabash College, Walvoords new book isinstructive, inspiring, practical. This is scholarship of teaching at its bestcareful analyses of studentsand teachersgoals and evaluations along with detailed case studies of effective teaching. Every teacher can learn from this book how to become a better teacher.

Other books by Walvoord includeAcademic Departments: How They Flourish, How They Change,Assessment Clear and Simple: A Guide for Institutions, Departments, and General Education,Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment,andHelping Students Write Well: A Guide for Teachers in All Disciplines.

_ Contact: Barbara Walvoord at 413-458-1689 or_  " Walvoord@nd.edu ":mailto:Walvoord@nd.edu

TopicID: 26666

        

        
        
          
            

          

        
      
      
    
  
  
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