An approach is described for teaching undergraduate sociology students social research skills through student use of packaged computer programs while carrying out their own research projects. Two back-to-back courses focus on training in data collection methodologies, followed by training in data analysis using the computer. In order to meet the…

Because of course difficulty and dryness, students of elementary accounting often have poor grades and manifest low interest and a 40-50% dropout rate. In answer to these problems, an experimental multimedia approach to teaching the accounting cycle was tested with 58 students against a control group of 62. Both groups consisted of male and female…

Among students of public health, there is a wide variation of aptitude, preparation, and motivation for the study of biometry. Self-paced instruction offers a way to deal with problems arising from such diversity. The Proctorial System of Instruction (PSI) as described by Keller was used to present two elementary biometry courses. Although there…

Personalized systems of instruction (PSI), also called individualized instruction or contingency-managed instruction, were developed in the mid-1960s at the college level by Fred Keller, a reinforcement learning theorist. The Keller plan consists of five features: self-pacing, unit mastery, student tutors, optional motivational lectures, and…

Secondary students in the New Haven, Connecticut schools are offered a community high school program as an alternative to traditional education. The program is committed to three basic goals: (1) building student skills; (2) increasing student motivation to learn; and (3) encouraging students to become responsible, independent members of society.…

This document includes the descriptions of the 179 projects that received support from the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education in 1975-76. The content represents resources for change, not capital resources, but those noncapital resources essential to improvement--people, institutions, and ideas. The Project Directors named are…

The Satellite Technology Demonstration (STD) is based on the premise that wide-scale distribution of instructional television beamed by a communication satellite is an alternate way of achieving instructional goals. Difficulties encountered are due to the fact that the traditionally stated goals of schools are ambiguous, there is little…

The Center for Learning and Development (CLD) at McGill University offers services and support to faculty in matters of course design, development, and evaluation. It serves as a resource center providing literature, consultations, and workshops on new developments in educational theory. CLD members research contemporary issues in education, and…

Using four IMPACT innovations as examples (EXPER SIM, Guided Design, TIPS, and Student-to-Student Counseling), this study attempts to define the nature of technological and social changes in university teaching. Data were gathered in three phases: (1) a questionnaire was mailed to individuals who requested information; (2) the adopters of…

The purpose of the awards program is to initiate a new merger between economics and education by sharing innovative methods with all Illinois teachers for the teaching of personal economics. Personal economics is defined as the study of the individual's decision-making process and his/her participation in economic life in the roles of consumer,…

Little research has been done on attitudes toward and levels of support for nontraditional academic programs in higher education. A research project was conducted involving students, faculty, professional staff, and administrators at three institutions of varying size, location, and academic program: The University of Massachusetts at Amherst;…

Thirty-three undergraduate students from Michigan State University enrolled in a three-month children's literature course which focused on the use of a set of instructional modules and instructional techniques associated with the open classroom. The course was built on the following assumptions: (1) that individual differences would be…

In order to meet the needs of the heterogeneous student body resulting from an open admissions policy, an audiotutorial system is recommended for the City University of New York. The proposal would combine the efforts of the three distinct units offering instruction on each campus: (1) traditional academic departments, (2) a remedial academic…

A criterion-referenced approach to a physical science course for nonmajors was implemented at Rhode Island Junior College. The basic unit of knowledge for this study was motion and the related topics of force, work, energy, power, and momentum. At completion, each student was expected to exhibit the ability to: (1) use energy more efficiently, (2)…

Although educational radio has been part of the American scene for nearly half a century, it does not enjoy the governmental participation and national commitment that it receives in many other countries. The position of educational radio did improve with the advent of Frequency Modulation (FM) broadcasting, and today there are more than 450…