Technology supplements to college textbooks, such as self-guided quizzes and exercises available over the Internet, have become commonplace. The current study examined student perceptions regarding the utility of technology supplements that accompanied a public speaking fundamentals textbook. At semester's end, students reported the supplements to…

This article describes a content analysis project initiated in an Introduction to Criminal Justice course. Students were asked to analyze presentations of specific players in the criminal justice system, including criminals, victims, police, and lawyers. Students were then required to compare the media presentation with reality, as derived from…

The course syllabus is a contract between instructor and students, a schedule of course assignments and activities, and a roadmap delineating objectives and checkpoints in the course. It is also a planning and reference tool for both students and instructor, and it models professors' expectations for their students. This study investigated whether…

The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) is increasingly offering more Web-based, online orientation courses to students. Since the fall semester of 1999, the community college campuses throughout the VCCS have offered over 100 sections of online orientation courses. However, no assessment data or research for these courses or students exists.…

Over the past two decades, the technology "revolution" has evolved to touch nearly every aspect of the people's lives. More than just a convenience, this force has become a necessity throughout business, government, and education. One of the most invasive forces of technology is the way in which it plays a role in the types of instructional…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional methodology placing primary emphasis on students solving realistic problems in a team-oriented environment. In this article, authors discuss using PBL to integrate a language for specific purposes (LSP) track into an undergraduate biological engineering curriculum as a way to prepare students for an…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

This paper, after a brief review of social construction theory and its application to identity, emotions, and relationships, explores the introduction of social construction of reality into the basic communication course. It offers the broad based theoretical perspective as a way to open the minds of entering college students and to integrate the…

The goal of teaching philosophy is to develop philosophically literate students and to ensure that students develop philosophical literacy by design and not by chance. Perhaps the best method for teaching philosophy to beginning students is the public model, in which the practice of defending positions in the public arena forces students to become…

This is a workbook that assists college faculty to design their own courses. The process is organized in a series of stages each of which is given a chapter: gathering, planning, implementing, teaching and evaluating. The first chapter on gathering describes the process for collecting as much information about the course as possible by describing…

This paper describes a course designed for first year college students, including prospective teachers, entitled "Cultural Diversity in America." Its major goal is to raise consciousness about cultural differences and encourage students to articulate their own cultural perspectives. Based on the premise that knowledge about pluralism enhances…

Beginning with the premise that writing cannot be separated from the subject written about, composition teachers should address themselves to what their students are learning in the process of writing. Some writing courses introduce students to great books but those books are usually written only by white men. Others open students to multicultural…

The University of Southern California's gerontology faculty development program sought to enhance gerontology programs by preparing two to three faculty members from each of several college campuses in Southern California to become core committees that would facilitate an organized sequence of gerontology instruction within their institutions. All…