| This study was designed to look for pedagogical commonalities in the best learning experiences of undergraduate college students taking classes to meet liberal arts requirements. A sample of twenty-five second, third, and fourth-year students were interviewed and asked to describe the class or classes that seemed to them to have been exceptional in some way.; Their responses were tallied, and the five instructors whose classes were mentioned three times (the most achieved by any), plus a biology instructor who was mentioned just once, but for compelling reasons, were interviewed as well. Instructors described their goals, their assumptions about their students, and their level of concern and involvement with pedagogy.; Finally, the classes of four of the six instructors were visited in order to have direct experience of the learning environment. All of this information was examined to determine what aspects of teaching, of personality, or of instructors' attitudes might prove to have an impact on students' perceptions of an "especially good" class. Although many aspects currently in the literature were supported, one item stood out as something not typically mentioned in current research: all but two instructors in this study identified in some way with the students that they taught. One of the two attributed the differences to a radically different cultural background and used pedagogical strategies that allowed her to create a kind of facsimile of identification with her students. The final instructor used intellectual bridge-building to reach his students successfully.; Other findings included a strong student preference for humanities classes in evaluating their best learning experiences as well as a preference for gaining declarative knowledge and/or practical application of the material. Also, ways in which exemplary instructors might be utilized in collegial discussion of pedagogy with both new and experienced faculty members are discussed. In conclusion, the continued relevance of the liberal arts tradition is considered. |
