This report addresses issues concerning arts and sciences majors, including how students and faculty view the major, the organization of the major in many institutions, restructuring the major, the importance of "connected learning," underrepresented students, and common dialogues across disciplines. Also, the report stresses the importance of the…

This report presents summaries of important issues and needed changes in how colleges and universities treat the undergraduate liberal arts major. This volume, volume 2, contains abridged versions of 12 field reports, written by task forces appointed by the participating learned societies. In the reports, campus practices within the liberal arts…

The purpose of this guide is to present dance education as a discipline and to encourage student participation in a wide range of dance activities. The unit, "Rationale/Philosophy/Goals," contains an introduction to the program, a rationale, and overall goals. "Scope/Sequence/Strategies," presents a chart which lists basic…

In academic contexts, self-sufficient learners engage autonomously in study activities that promote effective criterion performance. Their expertness in studying presumably increases as students develop and move from one educational level to another. A correlational investigation was undertaken to evaluate four hypotheses about differences across…

Student course performance and course evaluation were compared for two methods of teaching general psychology. The self-paced method consisted of a modified Keller Plan (PSI) arrangement in which students progressed through small instructional units at their own pace. The lecture/discussion method consisted of a modified form of the traditional…

Small Group Instructional Diagnosis (SGID) is a formative evaluation process used in the Seattle Community College District (SCCD) to help instructors assess their effectiveness and improve their performance in class. Instructors invite a SGID facilitator to meet with their classes in the middle of the term. In the instructor's absence, students…

The Women in Technology program, which ran for three years through the Open University, was a retraining program for qualified, experienced women technologists who had left paid employment for family reasons. It was designed to assist in the updating of technical knowledge and the promotion of confidence and skills in career planning for those…

A method pertaining to the identification and analysis of course objectives is discussed. A framework is developed by which post facto objectives can be determined and students' attainment of the objectives can be assessed. The method can also be used for examining the quality of instruction. Using this method, it is possible to determine…

This study evaluated the acquisition of study skills in high-risk college freshmen enrolled in a developmental course, "Introduction to University Studies." The construction of the 30-item multiple choice instrument was described. The test reflected the objectives of the course, covering traditional study skill topics such as…

A description is provided of a course, "Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing," designed to teach students at Level 3 of a two-year college nursing program about the role of the nurse in a psychiatric setting and about concepts of mental health and psychiatric disorders, using both classroom and clinical instruction. The first section of the course…

An economics project for third grade children is described and lessons for teaching basic economic concepts are provided. In the first semester, students studied basic economic concepts; in the second semester, they learned about the origin, production, and distribution of rice and poultry and how these products affect the local and state…

One means of making undergraduate instruction more relevant to students' needs and interests has been to use popular media to illustrate concepts in psychology courses. College students (N=54) in a theories of personality course wrote brief essays explaining the behavior of television characters in terms of theories taught in the course. The…

Student questionnaire data concerning the evaluation of instruction were collected over a 3-day period. Multivariate analyses of variance were used to investigate the statistical analyses of evaluation data. It was found that: departments differed significantly on overall ratings of instruction; class size and level of instruction affected all…

Responding to faculty concern about the Course-Instructor Survey (CIS) program at the University of Texas at Austin, the general faculty was surveyed to find obvious trends and identify areas for program revision. CIS annually receives 200,000 student ratings of 8,000 classes and instructors. The results are published in "The Student Guide to…

The Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) survey of its high school graduating classes gathers information about (1) the postsecondary institutions they plan to attend and the kinds of jobs they hope to hold; (2) students' perceptions of the quality of the courses taken in high school and of their preparation in academic skill areas; and (3)…