Articles

Teaching History to Undergraduates with Primary Sources: Survey of Current Practices

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Abstract

This study reports the results of a 2008 on-line survey of 627 American history faculty in the United States about teaching undergraduates with published, on-line, and archival primary sources. Results show that faculty primarily rely on published source books, with a trend toward the increased use of on-line primary sources, due in part to such use by newer faculty. Most faculty reported they already had adequate access to on-line primary sources, but needed help finding on-line sources relevant to their courses. About one third of respondents noted that limited holdings, space, and open hours made archival assignments inappropriate for large survey classes. A significant number of faculty, however, noted high student satisfaction if archival assignments were well-structured. Users of all types of primary sources agreed that teaching with primary sources requires more time, but that students learned history ina more meaningful and intellectually challenging way.

How to Cite:

Malkmus, D. J., (2007) “Teaching History to Undergraduates with Primary Sources: Survey of Current Practices”, Archival Issues 31(1), 25–82. doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/archivalissues.10957