Because working nurses found it impossible to take time off to become professionally qualified, Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology (Scotland) converted its conventionally taught course into a distance course with six self-contained modules, each covering two or three subject areas and lasting four or five weeks. Describes the conversion…

An approach to teaching optometry combining didactic and problem-based teaching is described, highlighting course procedures that have evolved over a number of years. Problems are organized so students learn portions of required content, building a knowledge base while solving a succession of problems. Cases are usually presented and discussed in…

A University of Limburg (Denmark) study investigated the effects of tutor expertise on medical student performance using curricular materials that have high or low levels of structure and that are poorly or well matched to students' levels of prior knowledge. The study found neither expert nor nonexpert tutors compensated for lack of curricular…

The experience of the United Kingdom and other European countries in designing legal education which responds to the changing needs of the European Union is described. The three-stage British system of legal education is outlined, and the impact of European Union formation discussed briefly. Changes in undergraduate study, professional training,…

Recommends teaching intermediate macroeconomics as a two-part sequence, with the first component based on a benchmark model that reflects accepted theory and applications to policy. Maintains that current intermediate economics courses cover too much material. Argues for spreading this material over several elective courses. (MJP)

Examines the place of language study in the implementation of the statutory national curriculum in England's schools and studies teacher beliefs about the purpose and content of language study. The article argues that language education has been an area of confusion and that politicians' narrow definitions of language study have masked more…

This article suggests that higher education is following an outdated model that does not reflect current educational needs. A number of suggestions for change are offered, including redesign of the academic year, departure from the traditional standardized college education to an emphasis on students' academic competence, reorganization of the…

This paper argues that major curriculum revisions are needed in all dental schools, particularly to train dentists as oral physicians who can treat oral health in the context of overall physical health, as in other medical specialties. An Institute of Medicine report, "Dental Education at the Crossroads," is criticized as supporting a…

A discussion of secondary education curriculum reform, particularly in Eastern and Central Europe, examines potentially conflicting concerns characterizing the current reform debate: stronger national policies alongside calls for curricula responsive to local needs; broad versus core curricula; central versus decentralized control of assessment;…

Studies involving teachers of both Spanish and English as a foreign language reveal that metaphors provide teachers with a useful image to represent their views and the elusiveness of cultural concepts. It is suggested that teachers become ethnographers investigating their own beliefs as well as those of others while developing sociolinguistic…

Fairleigh Dickinson University (New Jersey) students take four core general education courses from the second half of the freshman year through the first half of the junior year. All sections have the same syllabus, and faculty teaching them on separate campuses review and refine the courses together. Core course faculty participated actively in a…

The liberal arts program at Claremont McKenna College (California) departs from the traditional design by involving students and faculty in real-world projects, with outside clients, as class activities. Student teams complete projects in a context more like graduate education. Major successes and difficulties in integrating this approach into a…

This article describes the positive outcomes of a 3-week residential program on mathematics problem solving for gifted rising high school seniors. The program incorporated a curriculum that integrated five process standards espoused by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics including problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication,…

Presents a brief history of early childhood education in Poland and changes occurring in the 1990s. Outlines the government's minimum standards for kindergarten education, including aspects of child development that are considered crucial, and ways in which classroom practices have become more child responsive. Discusses the roles of religion,…

Reviews studies of costs of medical education and looks at trends and issues in medical school cost containment. Finds curricular trends are tending to increase costs, and proposals to restructure medical education to reduce costs are generally maneuvers to transfer cost responsibility to other entities. Sees minimal opportunities for cost…