Professional development courses help teachers integrate new content knowledge into the high-school curriculum. Designing practical online courses for this purpose is challenging, particularly in emerging fields such as nanotechnology. In this study, we evaluated such a course in three complementary dimensions: (1) knowledge, (2) the complexity of…

This study looked at a life science course that was offered at and taught by education staff of a large informal science institution (ISI) located in the Midwest. The curriculum, materials, and agendas for the course were developed by education staff and complemented a permanent life science exhibition. The researcher developed a content test…

For the forty-fourth time, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is sponsoring the publication of these Proceedings. Papers published in this volume were presented online and onsite during the annual AECT Convention. Volume 1 contains papers dealing primarily with research and development topics. Papers dealing with…

The term "assessment" sends shivers down academic spines. For faculty, it signals marching orders from external parties who may or may not appreciate the subtle and not always quantifiable value of faculty efforts. For administrators, it means the dual challenge of recalibrating internal measures to meet external mandates but also…

Issues associated with the preparation of engineering faculty to teach online courses are examined. This includes: the nature of online teaching, engineering course materials, training faculty to teach online, use of online resources, course development, and evaluation of online courses. Selection of faculty and providing adequate support are…

How do evolving academic priorities influence the review and reform of a pioneering general education program?

Suggests that higher education institutions should provide faculty development opportunities for service-learning that develop a common understanding on campus concerning the nature of service-learning, establish and maintain academic integrity of service-learning; increase faculty confidence in implementing a new pedagogy, and increase the…

A program of course evaluation by faculty peers at the University of Birmingham (England) between 1974 and 1978 is described that used reciprocating partnerships of teacher and evaluator and a flexible combination of evaluation procedures. Implications for evaluation methodology, staff development, and course development are discussed. (Author/MSE)

In developing criterion-referenced reading tests, staff in a Skokie (Illinois) school district answered parents' concerns about accountability, participated in a valuable inservice learning experience, and achieved coordination between elementary and junior high programs. (Author/WD)

Feminist scholarship has the potential of modifying the assumptions, values, and methodologies of any discipline because it examines that field from the viewpoint of both men and women. Faculty development programs across the country are aimed at incorporating this new scholarship into the curriculum. One such program, the University of Maryland's…

To examine faculty development activities to improve teaching effectiveness, a midwestern college awarded grants to 17 faculty members for the purpose of revising existing courses and/or developing new courses. The faculty members had from 3 to 23 years of experience and represented all academic divisions. Student evaluations of a total of 27…

A recent inquiry into training needs in curriculum development and educational technology in further and higher education is documented. This book describes a research project begun in 1973 at Sussex University, which identified instructional and individual procedures, problems, and requirements in training and weighed them against current…

To prepare preservice teachers for the technology-rich environment of today's schools, faculty involved with the preparation of teachers must model technology use in their own instruction. The purpose of this PT[superscript 3]-funded project was to design and implement a faculty development program focusing on the effective integration of…

This report describes the development over three trial semesters of a required course for sophomores at Baker University (Kansas) to develop reasoning and critical thinking skills that would prepare them for a required senior capstone course. The report describes the work of the faculty team that prepared two textbooks ("Reasoning and…

Evaluation of a Domestic Violence Module taught in the University of California, Los Angeles medical school found it to be innovative, well planned, and well received by both students and faculty. Areas identified for improvement included opportunities for students to practice skills and receive feedback, consistency in content across classes, and…