Inquiry-based instruction is widely promoted to increase both students' conceptual understanding and their engagement in course content. What this means for day-to-day practices in the classroom is more elusive. Instructors adopting inquiry-based curricula often are unaware of the typical instructional challenges they may face. In particular,…

Explores some of the problems that may be encountered by an institution when trying to design science courses for delivery at a distance. Describes solutions to these problems that have been adopted by Athabasca University in Alberta, Canada. (DDR)

Describes a course designed to teach students the fundamentals of coastal oceanography and the scientific methodologies used in studying this field. Business applications of this information also play an important role in the course. (DDR)

Describes a remedial course that uses an experiential approach. Presents the major topics in the course, outlines the subsections and modules used in the first unit, and explains the method used for student evaluation. (GS)

Describes an introductory earth science course concerned with catastrophic events and processes in geology. Includes a section on lecture topics, readings, and visual materials. (MA)

Describes a chemistry curriculum for college freshmen that uses laboratory study of the chemical composition of meals eaten by students as the central activity from which theoretical and practical learning are derived. Presents a meal analysis flow diagram and a table of concepts included in the program. (GS)

Describes the phased development of a program in Blood Transfusion Technology at Staten Island Community College of the City University of New York. Presents a detailed outline of the instructional content of the course. (SL)

Describes an approach to the instruction of science writing which includes both a collaboration between the librarian and the scientific writing teacher and the incorporation of ongoing and incremental library instruction that is integrated with the writing assignments. (DDR)

Described is the development of a course for future science teachers through the collaboration of middle school teachers, mathematicians, scientists, and science educators. The experience of the team approach and a field test of the resulting activities are discussed. (CW)

Discusses a questionnaire sent to 763 Society for College Science Teaching members to identify problems of teaching nonmajors. Notes the questionnaire had a high return rate. Lists the eight major problems: post negative experiences; motivation; what to teach; abstractions; how to introduce relevance; staying power; inquiry material; and…

Discusses the Bradford Plan's general education core curriculum which includes a course in scientific literacy. Advocates an understanding, awareness and appreciation of the science field. Provides the course objectives and outline. (MVL)