Proposes that college teachers in most of the academic disciplines teach students to write essays in their given subject matter area. Bloom's "Taxonomy of Educational Objectives" is offered as a guide to organizing instruction and student learning around the demands of well-constructed essay questions. Sample questions and classroom…

Culture courses, currently popular, can bring increased enrollments to language departments. Presented here is an outline of some reasons for offering culture courses, teaching methods employed, and problems encountered. (CHK)

Discusses experiences with the use of problem-based learning as applied to knowledge-rich biochemistry courses. Concludes that problem-based learning is not only effective in promoting habits of mind that support higher order thinking but also a powerful vehicle for conveying knowledge by imparting separate bits of knowledge as interconnected…

Describes the efforts of the Maricopa Mathematics Consortium, in Arizona, to develop a comprehensive mathematics curriculum focusing on application-driven materials at the precalculus level. Reviews the resulting three modules of sample course materials, and discusses three phases of field testing used to assess the modules. Summarizes results…

This article describes a collaborative effort of educators from a university, state department, and local school district to redesign a master's level course in instructional strategies. Delivery format was changed to a week-long summer course; content changed to emphasize research-based instructional practices and more local and state (Florida)…

Offers a view of writing as a process involving three forms of collaboration: coauthoring, workshopping, and knowledge making. Offers guidelines for designing courses in which writing is consciously, deliberately collaborative in all three of the realms identified. (MG)

A year-long study of knowledge development in 40 college students focused on the relationships between the historical and philosophical dimensions of the curriculum, teaching method, and quality of learning. Student exposure to the discipline's history and philosophy, discussion-based instruction, and personally meaningful topics were seen as most…

Describes an approach to teaching undergraduate anthropology focused on anthropological modes of thought rather than accumulation of exotic data. Central technique is use of a journal focused on relating classroom material to students' daily lives. Aim is to teach students to be participant-observers in their own cultures. (Author/JS)

Discusses the design of an undergraduate survey course in anthropological linguistics that both acquaints students with language structure and traces the cross-fertilizing relationships that bind it to other specialties within anthropology. Considers utilizing the holistic approach which views language and culture as forming a continuum of coded…

Discusses the use of student-based focus groups as one component of university course evaluations. Steps in planning and conducting focus groups are detailed and applied to the evaluation of a freshman-level general health course. Finds that participants wanted to retain the health content but add more of a teaching emphasis to the course.…

How could we design course programmes in a teachers' learning community context? Is it possible to conceive a concrete and appropriate course model? And if so, how could we assess the effectiveness of such a course model in such a complex learning situation? In this paper, a model implementation of technology-based courses is presented. The model…

To help meet the needs of adult students who find it difficult to attend classes regularly on campus, New York's Iona College developed video distance learning courses in psychology that combine independent reading, guided study, video program viewing, and faculty mentoring to provide a challenging learning experience for students. Video courses…

A project was undertaken to examine sources of variety in developmental survey courses found under the headings of developmental psychology and human development. Specifically, the project sought to determine how development-related content and pedagogy were customized to adapt to such academic contexts as psychology major courses and service for…

Sport facility design and management courses rely heavily or exclusively upon lectures and readings--modes of instruction that engage students in a passive form of learning. This paper advocates one method of stimulating higher-level thinking and active learning in facility courses--the use of cooperative small-group learning. In facility courses,…

The active learning approach promotes student achievement of higher-order skills such as independent reasoning, problem solving, and critical assessment. Active learning has been shown to foster student retention and encourage a more positive attitude toward school. The goal of the consumer decision-making class for university students and adults…