Use of active learning techniques in upper-division probability courses at the University of Minnesota is discussed. Techniques include cooperative, small-group learning, and essay-writing about technical topics. Emphasis is on student participation, interaction, and broadening of student perspective. Student response to the approach is also…

In response to the national push to raise academic performance of all students, most states have adopted policies designed to raise academic standards, monitor progress toward those standards, and hold schools and students responsible for attaining them. Given the complex nature of the educational process, these policies are likely to have mixed…

A project evaluated the overall effectiveness of the Advanced Courses Development Programme (ACDP) of the Scottish Vocational Education Council. A peer review of selected Higher National (HN) unit specifications involved 195 subject experts who completed evaluation questionnaires on specifications in their specialist areas. The main body of the…

Instructional materials for use in advanced Arabic second language instruction are presented in two separately-bound parts. The first contains 28 lessons on a wide variety of subjects using a series of authentic texts, all in Arabic. These texts include personal and formal correspondence, short stories, essays, plays, poems, proverbs, and excerpts…

Reciprocal teaching, a method of teaching first language reading comprehension, is explained and three distinct applications of the method and materials in second language instruction are described. Reciprocal teaching is viewed as a three-level hierarchy of components and strategies, reflected in the organization of materials and activities. The…

An innovative, flexible scheduling technique for advanced levels of a foreign language program is described. The technique, predicated on individualized pacing and continuous progress, is generalizable to all elective programs, and offers a workable solution to satisfy the enrollment "numbers game" and to lend breadth and depth to the curricula of…

Traditional preservice and inservice training programs have focused on specific techniques for teaching and testing specific aspects of the target language, usually grammatical structures. With proficiency as the organizing principle, both what teachers think and what they do in the classroom can and must be viewed from this new perspective.…

In the following general report the aim is to present a concise view of the organization, methods, and problems of the teaching of mathematics in the United States, touching particularly upon the larger questions that seem to merit especial emphasis, and referring to the special reports for details with respect lo the various types of schools. The…

A formative assessment pretest was administered to undergraduate students at the beginning of a science course in order to find out their prior knowledge, misconceptions and learning difficulties on the topic of the human respiratory system and energy issues. Those findings could provide their instructors with the valuable information required in…

A study was conducted to examine relationships between community college transfer and curricula by analyzing course offerings at the remedial and advanced levels. The study analyzed the Center for the Study of Community Colleges' National Curriculum Database, containing data on 1991 liberal arts course offerings for 164 representative community…

Sample materials demonstrating the use of a five-step procedure for teaching reading in another language, are provided as part of an inservice program for teachers. The manual includes passages, class activities, and instructional suggestions for each step of the learning process in these languages: Mandarin Chinese (intermediate), English as a…

Criteria for developing an advanced conversation course for second language learners are examined. It is suggested that the teacher needs to approach the development of the course with an awareness that most students enrolled will probably be suffering from an acute lack of self-confidence when conversing in the target language. The proposed…

The document describes various approaches to advanced courses in social work research in Canadian Universities. Following an introduction to the report in Section I, Section II presents course outlines for the master of social work degree. Outlines are arranged according to categories of advanced design, evaluation research,…

Some students, who complete a preparatory or pre-vocational course in the vocational education and training (VET) sector, re-enroll in the same "enabling" course or at the same level of qualification in following years. Since one of the primary aims of enabling courses is to provide students with remedial education or preparatory…

One college instructor's methods of incorporating global issues into advanced classes of English as a Second Language are described. The objectives are to enable students to identify, access, organize, interpret, and respond to information about world affairs in print and non-print forms from diverse sources, and to enable them further to analyze…