The development of an interpersonal communications skills component in the curriculum of the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy is traced from its conceptualization through design of course objectives, materials, and methodology. Student reactions to the course are reported. (MSE)

Discusses the organization of a course in English centering on student needs and interests. (RK)

Discussion of the theory-practice gap focuses on a course for education students that integrates instruction on conducting both theoretical and practical research. The dual approach illustrates the value of theoretical research to students' practice as teachers. Highlights include a literature review, course objectives and assignments, course…

This article describes the successful use of videoconferencing in a sociology capstone course as a way to introduce students to eminent scholars and authors across the country. The author begins by discussing the institutional context, and how videoconferencing fits with the departmental capstone philosophy and with her course goals. This is…

At the end of the fifth year of a successful, ever expanding freshman seminar program, students in selected sections of the course, who were also enrolled in developmental reading/writing, were asked to evaluate the worthiness of the goals in terms of their own freshman year experience. The fifth year was a new pilot year for the program. Some…

In order to help science students communicate more effectively with people outside their field, a two-semester technical writing course was developed with an emphasis on thinking rather than on blind adherence to the rules and forms of technical writing. The initial test group was composed of freshman science majors with exceptional writing…

For a related document, see H. Ned Seelyehs "Performance Objectives for Teaching Cultural Concepts," in this issue of "Foreign Language Annals." (DS)

Describes an initiative to incorporate folktales and legends from francophone West Africa into a college-level advanced French literary and cultural studies course. Students recorded their reactions to various texts taken from France and West Africa in reading journals. Analysis of the journals shows that critical competencies in Western culture…

Describes an essay activity used in freshman English-as-a-Second-Language classes to teach observation of detail. Components of the approach include the following: (1) students must learn how to observe; (2) they must begin with a realistic, clearly defined task; and (3) they must work through the process of generating and organizing ideas…

Compares effect of two different outdoor education programs (Van Matre's Sunship Earth and a traditional nature study program focusing on plants, animals, water, and soil) on attitudes and knowledge of 266 selected Washington County (Oregon) sixth graders attending a five-day residential outdoor school program. (NEC)

Summarizes educational benefits of experiential learning from the literature, identifies course objectives, and describes a course offered by Department of Management at University of Central Florida. This course used experiential learning devices to teach students about personnel and staffing in organizations. Course outcomes and student…

Discusses the importance of clear objectives, pleasant learning atmosphere, and positive attitudes in the second language classroom handling low-ability students. A student questionnaire form is appended. (AM)

Describes the development and implementation of an undergraduate course in information retrieval and technologies. The discussion covers the objectives of the course, strategies used to obtain faculty and administration support, student reactions, and future plans. A list of hardware and software demonstrated in the course and a directory of…

Discusses the relationships between instructor and student goals, course design, and student strategies for learning physics in a traditional introductory undergraduate physics course for nonmajors. Results indicate that diverse goals and the structure of the course inhibited the understanding of physics and were conducive to students engaging in…

Presents an account of how a composition program can effectively address English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writers' linguistic, strategic, and rhetorical differences without separating them from their native-English-speaking (NES) peers. The program provided a positive cross-cultural communication experience for the ESL and NES participants. (six…