Gives examples of major sources of unreliability in multiple choice items in health professions classroom achievement tests (clues to response combinations, mutually exclusive alternatives, implausible distractors) and offers some suggestions for eliminating them when writing such tests. (MF)

Provides high school librarians with information about federal Web sites--those which support the North Carolina high school curriculum--for providing information to teachers and students. Specific attention is given to sites with lesson plans and learning activities. Provides addresses and descriptions of 21 sites in the categories of education,…

Describes a technique for teaching economics that incorporates debate on economic policy proposals, including such topics as flat tax, welfare reform, affirmative action, industrial policy, balanced budget amendment, monetary policy, foreign currency bailout, minimum wage hikes, immigration policy, health care reform. The approach excites…

A University of Toronto effort to develop an accurate measure of affective characteristics in pharmacy school applicants to replace the interview resulted in development of a self-assessment instrument. It was found that a combination of overall grade point average, pharmacy college entrance examination verbal and reading scores, problem-solving…

The Veterans' Administration new Primary Ambulatory Care and Education (PACE) program at the Sepulveda (California) VA Medical Center, departs from traditional VA medical education models by shifting focus of care from inpatient to outpatient settings. The program uses an interdisciplinary team approach and stresses managed primary care. Aspects…

A study evaluated the impact of the reorganization of the academic Sepulveda (California) Veterans' Administration medical center toward primary and ambulatory care. Surveys of several thousand patients were linked to computerized utilization and mortality data and related to the center's strategic plan and goals. Substantial improvement in…

Reviews textbook by Christina Szanton Blanc and others, incorporating viewpoints of students. Analyzes chapters focusing on particular countries, noting that the book sheds light on the old problem of disadvantaged children in postindustrial cities while also shedding new light on the more recent challenge of supporting human development in the…

A formal faculty development exercise designed to enable pharmacy faculty to solve instructional problems is described. Faculty were surveyed to identify and rate problems, and scenarios for each were developed. During a retreat, they discussed the scenarios and proposed solutions. After the retreat, both faculty and student leaders rated the…

Presents a lesson plan examining Rachel Carson's call to arms concerning the harmful consequences of pesticides. Students view a video documentary on Carson's work and read a synopsis of her book, "Silent Spring." Assessment is provided by various activities including writing assignments, creating posters, and editorial cartoons. (MJP)

Asserts the importance of psychological and spiritual factors in the treatment of chronic illness. Discusses the inevitably of sickness, old age, and death, as well as the presence of the physician, patience, pain, and hope. Maintains that reflection on these qualities can benefit both the physician and patient. (MJP)

Reveals that literacy training in small, rural, and primitive communities can affect demonstrable changes in the feelings, attitudes, and well-being of its participants. Utilized interviews, discussions, and observations at two sites in Zambia to highlight the outcomes of literacy training. Discusses the program's weaknesses as well as strengths.…

Describes a pharmaceutical mathematics and statistics course at the State University of New York at Buffalo that integrates traditional classroom instruction and Internet-based resources, including World Wide Web pages and individual and group electronic mail. The approach has enhanced communication and discussion among students and instructor,…

Comparison of 296 pharmacy practice faculty and 57 department heads concerning scholarship found differences between the groups in age, experience, tenure, and workload. Administrators found the department environment more supportive and resources more satisfactory than did faculty. The groups produced about the same amount of scholarly work.…

Compared success at Virginia Commonwealth University pharmacy school of native English-speakers and of students with other first languages, by assessing admissions data/test scores, pharmacy school science and math grades, English skills, and pharmacy grade point average (GPA). Found that first language was not predictive of either number of…

The relationships among drug use, health beliefs, peer use, sex, and religion were examined using data collected from 265 seventh graders in rural northern Michigan and northeastern Wisconsin in January and February of 1984. Positive relationships were found between drug use and peer use and health beliefs. (TJH)