We transformed our first-year curriculum in biology with a new course, Biological Inquiry, in which greater than 50% of all incoming, first-year students enroll. The course replaced a traditional, content-driven course that relied on outdated approaches to teaching and learning. We diversified pedagogical practices by adopting guided inquiry in…

The purpose of this study was to understand one case of undergraduate inquiry-based instruction through the words and actions of students and instructors. The data sources included fieldnotes from 16 of 29 classes, two sets of student and instructor interviews (beginning and end of the semester), and a collection of artifacts, such as the…

This paper examines the articulation of goals and means of sociological instruction in course syllabi. Three questions guide this inquiry. First, do sociology instructors articulate common learning goals? Second, what pedagogical means do instructors commonly employ to meet these goals? Third, to what extent have sociology instructors incorporated…

Describes a course created for preservice elementary teachers entitled "Discovering Chemistry with Lab" which covers basic principles of chemistry and their applications in daily life. The course promotes reasoning and problem-solving skills by utilizing computer-based technologies and hands-on, discovery/guided-inquiry and…

Focusing on America from 1900 to the present, the major social, political, and economic developments in this century are presented in this course for grades 11 and 12. Large and small groups, panel discussions, and individual and group reports are all employed, with an emphasis on research techniques. Each student selects a major problem in 20th…

The report summarizes the background, objectives, developmental work, conclusions, and recommendations of Cardozo High School's urban problems program. A one semester elective civics course for seniors was developed. The objectives of the course are: 1) to develop knowledge and practical skills (comparative shopping, budgeting, housing) to cope…

The guide outlines units of study for grade 9 in political science and economics. The major objective of the curriculum is to help the student become a useful citizen and develop the thinking process in solving the many problems of society. Students are presented with information through the use of readings, some of which are from primary sources,…

Two papers are presented--a summary and a lengthier description of an interdisciplinary college-level liberal arts course. Both papers are intended for use by humanities and social science teachers as they develop and implement interdisciplinary and competency-based curricula. Five areas of academic competency serve as course objectives. These are…