The 'Global Student Collective' is a telecollaboration project on the International Foundation Year (IFY) programme at the University of Southampton. IFY students were connected with volunteers in Brazil, India, Hungary, and Italy online in order to find out more about their countries. The project required the students to exercise multiple…

Discusses the "Exercise in Hard Choices," a simulation published by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), that requires students to make decisions on some of the most significant and controversial budget options facing the U.S. Congress and president. Reports on the simulation's classroom success, stating that it…

Contends the impact of a final examination on grades surpasses its role in shaping the learning experience. Suggests issuing final examination questions in the syllabus to provide a structure for the learning process and for organizing data. Includes guidelines for essay examination questions and describes an introductory comparative course in…

Offers suggestions for improving classroom lecturing in terms of the sender, the content, and the receiver. Provides guidelines for lecture preparation. Explores importance of format, delivery, and timing in presentations. Discusses value of assessing the lecturer and states good lectures attract students, while bad ones drive them away. (NL)

Examines proposals to computerize the political science curricula. Maintains that technological changes can support mainstream political science education, and provides criteria to determine whether microcomputers should be introduced. Questions whether fundamental abilities are improved by technology, and warns students may believe outcomes will…

Questions content of many introductory courses in political science, pointing out most courses focus on the U.S. political system, not the discipline and its basic theoretical and conceptual elements. Argues for a generalist approach that gives students a better understanding of political systems and the global world. Includes authors, choices,…

Presents simulation materials for teaching the U.S. congressional budget process that was developed for an introductory course in public policy. Follows the class throughout the simulation experience. Includes a summary of the scenario and description of students' experiences with mechanics, schedule, assignments, roles, and rules. (NL)

The five instructional packages in this collection were created by faculty members in the California State Universities to introduce students--and even faculty--to the easy steps involved in working with computers in instructional settings. Designed for students and faculty in entry-level courses who have little or no background in quantitative…

Describes factors that impact faculty evaluations made by students. Discusses different teaching styles and how student evaluations may be influenced by teaching style. Provides suggestions for faculty assessments. Reviews methods used by English universities, noting differences between larger research institutions and smaller liberal arts…

Provides an annotated bibliography from the ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) Social Studies Social Science Clearinghouse on the Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations given to high school students. Resources focus on the relationship between success on the AP Examinations and subsequent success in college courses and on other…

College internship programs in a political science curriculum are discussed. After considering the perspectives of the university, students, faculty, and the government agency that serves as the learning site, a description is given of college internship programs that illustrate a variety of approaches at the following institutions: University of…

Suggests college teachers examine their nonverbal expressions (eye contact, voice quality, movement, clothing) and align them to complement verbal expressions. Surveys studies that found teaching effectiveness improved when verbal and nonverbal communication styles corresponded. Reveals how students trusted nonverbal expressions to mirror…

Describes a study where college students studying political geography ranked the geopolitical importance of 55 countries of the world with populations of at least 15 million. The students consistently emphasized the importance of Western Europe, Russia, China, and Japan over less developed countries. (MJP)

Describes teaching Western political theory at Beijing University (China) in 1987, a period of political modernization. Suggests changes to enhance education and scholarship in China concerning instructional pedagogy. Notes the need for critical writing skills, finds students limited in their ability to analyze scholarly writing, and recommends…

This volume is part of a series of 18 monographs service learning and the academic disciplines. This collection of essays focuses on the use of service learning as an approach to teaching and learning in political science. Following an Introduction by Richard M. Battistoni and William E. Hudson, the four essays in Part 1, "Service-Learning as…