Students' expectations (obtained on the first day) and the violation of these expectations are two possible factors that affect course evaluations. Their effects on students' final interest and future intentions are compared with students' actual reports of the class given at the end of the semester. (Author/MLW)

Reports results of a study designed to assess the effects of organizing a physical geography course according to the General Theory of Systems in order to help students think about the environment in more holistic terms. Concludes that more committed, achievement-oriented students did better under this approach, while those with a nonacademic…

Parental evaluations of their children's participation in a school-based sex education program were conducted by interview using a structured questionnaire. Results indicated parental support for the program, and the evaluation provided information for program revision. (Author/DF)

Deindividuation is a complex process in which a series of social conditions lead to changes in perception of self and of other people. Described is a classroom demonstration that illustrates this concept, revealing that even normal, well-adjusted college students are capable of highly inappropriate, antisocial behavior under certain conditions.…

The redesign of a course on 'Learning' and some of the issues involved are examined. The problems and opportunities associated with group heterogeneity, and the problem of assessing co-operative assignments, and student perceptions of the teaching/learning processes experienced are discussed. (Author/MLW)

A seminar for training psychologists and related professionals in the area of premarital education, via counseling testing, is described. Focus is specifically on mate selection factors operating at the unconscious level. (Author/RM)

Compared results of teaching courses using the lecture method with courses incorporating televised instruction. Findings indicate no significant difference in the amount of learning (academic achievement) between telecourse students and students in parallel on-campus courses. (JN)

Reviews surveys on the status of the basic speech communication course. Identifies issues and concerns about instructional approaches, staffing, textbooks, philosophy, etc. (PD)

A graduate level practicum that introduces clinically-oriented psychology students to the applied and practical aspects of the field of psychiatry is described. The course format, goals, and benefits are examined. (RM)

Graduate and undergraduate students showed a reduction in anxiety during a 16-week course designed to include information on the causes and effects of stress as well as practical techniques for stress management. A follow-up study showed that the students were still successfully using the stress management techniques a year later. (RM)

The benefits and limitations of an interdisciplinary course, combining sociology, history, and political science, on America in the 1960s are analyzed. Both structure and content of the course are discussed. (Author/RM)

Student points of view in their ratings of courses and instructors were analyzed within three specific college courses and then generalized by analysis of a sample of responses from over 400 classes in five colleges. A factor analysis yielding three different student points of view is presented. (Author/JKS)

The author describes a non-traditional art course offered by the British Open University. The aims of the course are more affective than cognitive, and this led the course developers to modify the educational technology approach to its design.

In a study of 637 students enrolled in 17 classes, cognitive dissonance was shown to be an applicable but weak conceptual framework for understanding course evaluations. Results of this study are similar to those of an earlier investigation by Canter and Meisels. (LBH)

The roster of developmental programs available to students in community colleges is expanding, though remedial education itself does remain a marginal aspect of higher education. The programs are usually under-funded, segregated from "regular" offerings, and taught by part-timers. This report suggests that the colleges are sending signals that…