End-of-course examinations are only as good as the assumptions used in designing them. What is a course's "essential" content? And what does it mean to master it? The end-of-course examinations developed by ACT are derived from assumptions that offer unique and challenging answers to these questions. This brief explains the process used to develop…

Education outside the classroom can be defined, in its broadest sense, as any structured learning experience that takes place beyond the classroom environment during the school day, after school or during the holidays. It can include, among other activities, cultural trips, science and geography fieldwork, environmental and countryside education,…

This paper describes the results of a project to develop a graduate-level business course in Investment and Portfolio Management for use in a Master of Business Administration degree program at Warner Southern College (Florida). The development of the course had three phases: (1) learning outcomes were derived from a literature review on…

A study assessed the status of the undergraduate communication theory course at small and large colleges. An investigation of communication theory course descriptions (offered by 261 communication programs) found that the course is taught at both small and large colleges, but there is little general agreement about what should be covered in the…

A descritpion is provided of "Growth and Development," an overview course for two-year college allied health majors which outlines the processes through which the infant, young child, and adolescent mature physically, socially, and emotionally. First, the course description presents the goals and emphases of the course, curricular placement…

This description of course objectives, content, students, and evaluation of an interdisciplinary social welfare course concludes that teaching social welfare in a comparative cross-national framework contributes to instilling an understanding of key social welfare concepts, programs, and issues. (JT)

"Points of View" addresses issues faced by many people within the life sciences educational realm. This issue addresses the question "What should a biology student know?" There has been a long, evolving, and often politically charged debate as to what the nonmajor student should know about science. In order to establish a basis…

Teaching critical thinking is difficult in elementary music instruction because of the limited time devoted to music; yet it must be considered a vital part of music instruction, as students must not only become knowledgeable about music, but should also learn to think intelligently about music. Recommendations for the content of elementary music…

Teacher educators from the preservice programs in the Teacher Education and Learning to Teach Study were interviewed about the purposes of their methods courses, using an interview schedule constructed around individual course syllabi. The respondents seem to have complex, hazy, and perhaps unconscious purposes for these courses. Many of the…

A description is provided of a course, "Care of the Patient with Renal Disease," offered at the community college level to prepare licensed registered nurses to care for patients with renal disease, including instruction in performing the treatments of peritoneal dialysis and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). The first…

A description is provided of a course, "Nursing in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit," offered for senior-level baccalaureate degree nursing students. The first section provides information on the place of the course within the curriculum, the allotment of class time, and target student populations. The next section looks at course content in…

Designed to assist California community college personnel in implementing 1986 regulations concerning associate degree requirements, this paper analyzes the key terms in the new policy, "college level" and "critical thinking," and discusses practical implications for assessment, curriculum, and instruction. First, the paper…

Principles are presented for teaching history in the two-year college. The first section offers guidelines for the selection of the subject matter to be taught, indicating that faculty meetings can be a helpful method of identifying vital facts, concepts, and relevant content for student mastery in the classroom. The next section considers…

Addressing the problem of providing an appropriate mathematics education for vocational/technical students, this paper proposes the development of a technical mathematics sequence through the cooperative input of both math and technical faculty. First, introductory material discusses the liberal arts bias and lack of technical knowledge of typical…

Developed for senior high school social studies classes, this Alberta (Canada) curriculum guide provides: (1) a social studies program rationale and philosophy; (2) social studies education's goals and objectives; (3) a general statement of the content and time allotment of required and elective social studies courses; and (4) evaluation…