In response to a low passing rate in a general psychology course taught at Howard Community College (MD), as well as to student and instructor dissatisfaction with the course, a systems model was developed and applied to improve course quality. The development of the model involved nine steps: (1) enumerating precise skill objectives which could…

Instructors of courses in mass society, culture, and communication start out facing three types of difficulties: the historical orientation of learning, the parochialism of various disciplines, and negative intellectually elitist attitudes toward mass culture/media. Added to these problems is the fact that many instructors have little or no…

Engineering instruction is examined as revealed in a study of science education at two-year colleges which involved a review of the literature, an analysis of the catalogs and class schedules of 175 institutions, and a survey of 144 engineering instructors. The report first presents a general profile of engineering technology education based on…

The first and last essays of 209 randomly selected students who had received a passing grade in English Composition I at Bucks County Community College during Fall, 1976, were evaluated at the end of the semester by a committee of English teachers from other institutions. The committee assessed improvement in relation to several instructional…

Competence in humanities may be considered in terms of knowledge (the mental processing of information), thinking skills (the organization of knowledge), communication skills, and personal integration (the effect of knowledge upon the individual). Specific competencies to be acquired in an interdisciplinary twentieth century humanities course…

Outlines are presented for the courses that make up the three-tiered general education program at Los Medanos College. Part 1 provides background on the Los Medanos model and includes a position paper on the criteria and format for a Tier I course. Part 2 provides outlines for Tier I courses, which focus on providing a breadth of knowledge in six…

This report is the outcome of a project designed to study the literacy demands of selected academic, vocational/technical, and developmental studies programs and courses and of administrative tasks in relation to the literacy skills of minority and other community college students. Chapter I discusses the nature and value of literacy in modern…

This three-chapter guide was the result of a curriculum development project undertaken by the North Carolina Department of Community Colleges to align vocational curricula with valid, on-the-job performance requirements. It outlines a suggested curriculum designed to train individuals for career opportunities in horticulture. Chapter I describes…

Maine's York County Technical College (YCTC) developed a College Success Management course to help students learn and adopt strategies that promote their college success. In designing the course, a review of related literature was completed to determine the background and purposes of student success courses, data on student attrition, expected…

Reviews study that found, through use of a "performance instruction" model, a significant misalignment between the cognitive complexity levels of planned course content and that which is tested. (32 citations) (YKH)

Coastline Community College has developed a series of guides to assist adults who wish to obtain college credit or advanced standing in evaluating and verifying their non-college learning experiences. This guide lists the competency requirements of seven courses within the Business Management and Marketing program: Principles of Accounting,…

Coastline Community College has developed a series of guides to assist adults who wish to obtain college credit or advanced standing in evaluating and verifying their non-college learning experiences. This guide lists the competency requirements of seven courses in the Personnel Associate program: Employee Selection and Placement, Special Services…

Designed to acquaint new instructors at the Community College of Vermont (CCV) with the workings of the college and to offer all instructors some thoughts and tips to enhance their teaching experience, this handbook presents a mix of information on theory and practice of teaching and learning and on practical administrative matters. Following…

Many who believe in the value of the study of the humanities are faced with the problems of how to attract vocational students to humanities courses, maintain their interest in such courses so that they fulfill the general education requirements for graduation, and, if possible, generate an ongoing interest in the humanities. In response to these…

A study was conducted at Miami-Dade Community College (Florida) that involved: (1) establishing 14 objectives for a general education art course; (2) pre-testing 471 students enrolled in the course using an instrument referenced to these objectives; (3) conducting individual conferences with four instructors of the course to assist them in…