Although conventional psychology is often characterised as the science of the individual mind, it is also important to introduce students to the potential interdisciplinary and multi-dimensional nature of psychology. In this paper we outline the design, development, and delivery of an innovative course that employed an ecological framework to…

Two rule-based mathematics curricula were compared experimentally. The discrete rules curriculum was cut from 303 lower order rules to 169 rules plus 5 higher order rules by a higher order curriculum. Higher order curriculum subjects were taught less, but learned more. (Author/SE)

Paper reports the development and application of a framework for assessing course characteristics. Discussion focuses on the usefulness of the framework for predicting variance in students' performances and constructing, evaluating, and revising curriculums. (RB)

As a result of the ideas of a university sophomore and senior and their dissatisfaction with the traditional lecture and exam format, George Washington University (Washington, D.C.) offers an experimental undergraduate course entitled "Confrontation and the Development of the Individual Mind." The English department course is taught by…

To discover how courses are planned and taught, faculty and their students at three community colleges, two liberal arts colleges, two comprehensive universities, and one doctoral university were interviewed with a protocol based on current theories of course design. Their candid responses indicate that academic content, materials, student…

Collaboration between a public affairs faculty member and an instructional developer resulted in design of a learner-centered large lecture course. Evaluation after three years revealed which elements of the course format generated the most student interest and, in some cases, changed attitudes about learning in college. Suggestions are made for…

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a 4-year project was undertaken to restructure the sophomore elective course in social science for natural science and engineering students. The restructured course emphasized an objective, rigorous, and exact approach to social phenomena. Readings were designed to carry the student step by step from…

A course was designed to teach the use of learning principles in the development of teaching materials reflecting the best in the present state of the "theory of instruction." Based on Keller's Personalized Instruction System, the course aimed to establish in students a working knowledge of behavioral principles, the ability to…

Patterns that emerged from reviewing syllabi for courses on the American college student are discussed, and two sample syllabi are presented. These courses are offered as part of graduate level studies in the field of higher education administration. Five major objectives of courses on the college student are identified. In general, the objective…

Although a basic premise of higher education is that students must take the primary responsibility for their own learning, problems arise when the focus throughout elementary and secondary schooling is on passive, rote learning with the student totally dependent on the teacher and text, as in Islamic schools. The educational shock experienced in…

This article documents the conception and development of a tool for providing academic and counseling support to meet the needs of minority adult students in an urban community college environment. Specifically, the tool is a course having as its base the proper assessment of student needs and the revision of the syllabus to fit those needs.…

Uses the concept of oppression to teach about gender, race, and class in an introductory social psychology course. Discusses the intersections between them and suggests how issues about oppression can be integrated into the classroom. Directs course toward White, middle-class students who lack a comprehension of societal oppression. (Author/NL)