This article describes and illustrates a physics course for first-year college students whose only knowledge of physics is that they do not like the subject. The physics content is driven entirely by what appears in the daily newspapers and generally covers most physics topics in a semester. This course was structured as a learning community that…

There is growing demand from accrediting agencies for improved basic science integration into fourth-year medical curricula and inculcation of medical students with teaching skills. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a fourth-year medical school elective course focused on teaching gross anatomy on anatomical…

Peer-assisted learning has gained momentum in a variety of disciplines, including medical education. In Gothenburg, Sweden, medical students who have finished their compulsory anatomy courses have the option of working as teaching assistants (TAs). Teaching assistants provide small group teaching sessions as a complement to lectures given by…

There is increasingly a call for clinical relevance in the teaching of the biomedical sciences within all health care programs. This presupposes that there is an understanding of what is "core" material within the curriculum. To date, the anatomical sciences have been poorly served by the development of core syllabuses, although there…

This research examines the delivery of scientific knowledge in vocational BTEC courses in terms of the concept of vocational pedagogy. It draws on empirical data from observations of teaching, semi-structured interviews and a documentary analysis of syllabuses from both A level and BTEC examining boards. Theoretical concepts of pedagogical…

Science has increasingly applied the technologies of biology to people's bodies through medicine, agriculture, and forensics, prompting concerns about the public's ability to respond to these innovations. To help educate and prepare the general public for the age of biomedical advances, for example, medical practitioners and others are promoting…