Two distinct courses, "Molecular Biology" taught by the Biology Department and "Advanced Biochemistry" taught by the Chemistry Department, complement each other and, when taught in a coordinated and integrated way, can enhance student learning and understanding of complex material. "Molecular Biology" is a comprehensive lecture-based course with a…

Does taking advanced courses improve scores on basic achievement tests? This question is difficult to answer because there are many systematic differences between students who choose to take advanced courses and those who don't. This paper uses cutting-edge propensity score methods to control for the selection bias that exists when studying the…

Textbooks for GCE Advanced Level Biology have provided over-simplified and inaccurate accounts of Charles Darwin's contribution to the study of evolution over a period of many decades. They have credited him with field skills and insight that he did not possess, and repeated several historical inaccuracies. Darwin's strength was as a synthesiser…

This study investigated the interaction between students' academic background (high school grades, standardized exams, and enrollment in advanced high school courses) and how much autonomy they reported having in high school science through labs and projects. The objective was to see if students who reported experiencing more or less self-directed…

The French as a Second Language model tests for advanced levels 7, 8, and 9 were designed to evaluate students' language performance, as outlined in the program of studies for Alberta, Canada, in listening and reading comprehension and oral and written production, communication skills, culture, language and general language knowledge. The tests…

In an era of educational retrenchment in which career-oriented students are seeking useful, practical instruction, the challenge facing writing departments and writing teachers is to develop a curriculum serving a variety of undergraduate majors without straining budgets and without expanding staffs. Toward that end, the "Concentration in Writing"…

This article describes an ecology course based upon the concepts of diversity and dynamic interaction. Most of the class time is spent doing field or laboratory activities; students assume most of the preparation and participation responsibilities. Activities include aquatic studies, museum visits, and terrestrial studies. (MA)

Offers a practical model for teaching the extended modifier that is economical and linguistically sound, based on the insights and methodology of transformational generative grammar. Five transformational rules are given for generating extended modifiers from relative clauses. Examples of transformations and two class exercises in German are also…

Describes a funding simulation for use with college students in an advanced experimental psychology laboratory. Students write an original research paper and submit it to the professor--the "funding agency"--as a grant proposal. Projects are funded with grade points with which the student director purchases help from unfunded classmates. (RM)

Describes a comparative psychology course in which advanced college students learn by observing animals in their natural habitats in Kenya. The author tells how the objectives of master of observation, taxa adaptive behavior, echo systems, conservation, and field methods are satisfied. (RM)

Reports on a study that (1) analyzed the functions and training needs of adult educators in African countries; (2) evaluated existing courses in the home countries and in the United Kingdom for ability to meet training needs; and (3) made recommendations for advanced courses in both regions. (CH)

Project Outreach, operated by the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, uses computer telecommunications to offer advanced content courses in math, foreign language, science, and the arts to gifted students in rural areas. Evaluation has shown favorable responses from participants and significant gains on a national calculus exam. (DB)

Examines content-based instruction as a possible strategy for easing students' transition from beginning to advanced foreign language courses, as well as for developing students' interest in pursuing language study beyond required courses. Content-based instruction is reviewed, four common models are outlined and compared, and research findings on…

Examines classroom assessment techniques and how technology can be used to enhance their effectiveness. Examples from upper-division courses in German, French, and Spanish are given. (Author/VWL)

A critical issue related to the use of simulation environments in school-based learning is the relationship between the use of these environments and the structure of traditional curricula. Teachers are often caught in the bind of attempting to address significantly raised standards for what all students should know, yet receiving very little…