A Comprehensive Approach To Classroom Teaching: Does It Work?

An instructional model has been previously described which provides a comprehensive approach to classroom teaching. At its core this model consists of a structured format for preparation and presentation of lecture material, and techniques for engaging students in the classroom and developing interpersonal rapport with them. This paper presents the author’s experience implementing this model in a large research university. In addition to describing modifications required in this setting, a comparison of teaching evaluations for the same course before and after implementation will be presented. A t-test was conducted for each of 27 evaluation questions to determine which were affected by the change in teaching style. Improvements could be divided into three general categories: communication of course goals and objectives; questions associated with the students’ feelings about the course and the instructor; and questions relating to the course content.