Portland State University (PSU) is a public university with more than twenty-three thousand students enrolled in 120 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs. In the fall of 1994, the PSU faculty initiated the revised general education program, University Studies. The culmination of this four-year, interdisciplinary general education…

With the introduction of online course surveys comes the related issue of reporting survey results. This article is based on the experiences of Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta (Georgia Tech), a large, Doctoral/Research-Extensive institution where all end-of-term course surveys have been online since the fall semester of 1999. This…

Introduction to Biological Investigations is a course that was developed to introduce the scientific method through practical application. This active, student-centered experience fosters fundamental skills that promote creativity, critical thinking, and scientific-communication. The course has been well received by first-year students, and…

This paper describes an approach to task evaluation that emerged out of the process of the negotiated development of a course between two co-teachers. The course was co-taught by one ELT specialist and a specialist in a subject area. The teachers were equal partners in this self-contained course. While teaching a new class, the teaching partners…

This inquiry uses teacher-candidate critiques of science lessons as a means of evaluating the effectiveness of an instructor's pedagogical approach to promote teacher candidate understanding of the nature of science (NOS) in a science methods course. Three cohorts of teacher candidates enrolled in a middle-years teacher education program were…

Secondary teachers increasingly face student differences in ability, background, socioeconomic status, and language. One method designed to prepare future teachers for dealing with these challenges is the teacher work sample (TWS), which has been widely adopted by colleges of education as part of performance-based accreditation requirements. A…

This exploratory research study examined the impact of using feedback from weekly multiple-choice tests on final exam scores and students' IDEA course ratings. The teacher researcher taught two sections (N=33; N=34) of a graduate-level, semester-long, online course in advanced human growth and development. Each section had identical course…

This article focuses on student leadership and transformation because of the belief that a) students have a tremendous influence on the academic leadership of an institution, and b) students themselves form part of this academic leadership--whether they are formally recognized for it or not--and can transform it in significant ways. The article…

Calls for reform in university education have prompted a movement from teacher- to student-centered course design, and included developments such as peer-teaching, problem- and inquiry-based learning. In the sciences, inquiry-based learning has been widely promoted to increase literacy and skill development, but there has been little comparison to…

Northeast Louisiana University's Professional Semester began in 1976 to respond to a need for more practical application of what was taught in the required methods courses of the elementary education degree program. It was designed to avoid duplication of generic activities and to let students apply theory and teaching techniques in the classroom.…

The attitudes, expectations, and reactions of students taking a new multimedia Irish language course offered in 1982 by Ireland's Radio Telefis Eireann were surveyed. The course "Anois is Aris," is intended for adults who have never spoken Irish and is suitable for beginners as well as those who have studied Irish at school. The 20-week…

Instructors whose teaching was evaluated by students rated how applicable the evaluation items were to their classes. Results show that while weighting composite evaluation scores by means of faculty applicability judgments does not affect those overall scores, the distributions of certain items may be altered. (Editor/JT)

Describes a course which is an attempt to make chemistry a relevant course for any CSE student. Emphasis is on scientific approach to problem solving, experimental design, and intellectual skills. (GS)

A traditional college economics course and an experimental economics course where students may purchase lecture notes are compared for student achievement. (DE)

Technology shows a fast development thus affecting our social life in management, banking, education and so forth. Therefore, educators should respect scientific and technological developments. Taking into consideration the fact that most education reform leaders recognized that technology is just a sideshow and that education is an eternal…