Gender Differences in Teaching Practices in Higher Education

A new report from the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI) at the University of California at Los Angeles finds gender differences in teaching methods and practices by faculty at American colleges and universities. The institute surveyed nearly 24,000 faculty members at 417 institutions of higher learning across the United States.

The results showed that male faculty were more apt than women faculty to rely on extensive lecturing. Women professors were more likely to have their students participate in group projects and cooperative learning exercises. In nonscientific courses, almost all men and women faculty used classroom discussions of course materials. But in STEM fields, women faculty were far more likely than men to include classroom discussions.

In both STEM fields and non-scientific disciplines, male faculty were more likely than their female counterparts to grade on a curve.

The full report can be downloaded by clicking here.