Course selection can be a daunting task, especially for first year students. Sub-optimal selection can lead to bad performance of students and increase the dropout rate. Given the availability of historic data about student performances, it is possible to aid students in the selection of appropriate courses. Here, we propose a method to compose a…

Pre-assessment has a bad reputation, write Hockett and Doubet--but that's largely because it's often misused solely to compare pre- and post-results. Used this way, pre-assessment serves as little more than a thief of instruction and a discouraging exercise for students. The authors describe how teachers can design thoughtful…

Current educational reform calls for increased integration between science and mathematics to overcome the shortcomings in students' quantitative skills. Data Nuggets (free online resource, http://datanuggets.org) are worksheets that bring data into the classroom, repeatedly guiding students through the scientific method and making claims…

As a part of the increasing emphasis among schools on meeting important statewide academic goals, schools are focusing more closely on the progress of individual students. Parents have a similar goal--to monitor the progress of their child. Frequent student progress monitoring accomplishes this common goal, in that it is used to track the progress…

Asserts that legal mandates increase the probability that postsecondary instructors will have blind and visually impaired students in their classrooms. The graphical and symbolic notations used in economics courses present special problems for these students. Recommends and describes the usage of tactile graphs and raised line drawings. (MJP)

Work with PLATO, a computer-based teaching system which provides a means for individualizing instruction, is described. Children sit at terminals and respond to directives and questions on the screen by touching it or by typing a message. PLATO responds, and prescribes work in accordance with the child's previous performance. Curricular materials…