Teaching university-level family studies courses: techniques and outcomes

This article provides a brief overview of various teaching techniques used in interpersonal and family relationships courses over the past decade. Additionally, empirical studies that have assessed teaching techniques and the outcomes of courses in terms of changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors are summarized. The last decade has seen increased attention paid to meeting student needs by helping students to clarify their values and to learn specific skills in addition to enhancing their knowledge about interpersonal and family relationships. However, there is still a critical need to assess the effectiveness of various teaching methods and to assess whether family relations courses result in desired outcomes in terms of student knowledge and competence in interpersonal relationships.