Introduction

Our topic for Teaching and Learning Effectiveness Symposium-2003 centers on maximizing the student learning environment. The Faculty Development and Benefits Committee was particularly interested in receiving papers related to the methods and techniques utilized in creating a positive learning environment in a variety of settings and course deliveries. Through the years, much has been written and discussed regarding the most appropriate teaching methodology for a given academic setting. Recently, there has been a gradual movement within academe towards an awareness of the learning of the student vice the teaching of the faculty member. This awareness and the tools to construct a positive learning environment for our students have been our twin foci. Within the Extended Campus of Embry-Riddle, the combination of classroom settings and delivery timetables is so varied that the establishment of a positive learning environment takes on a particularly important meaning. Most of our courses last less than ten weeks, and are seemingly nearly over even as we start each new term. In this challenging andragogical environment populated by industry-successful working adult students, the focus on learning vice teaching becomes even more critical than in more traditional collegiate classroom settings