Proposes that college teachers in most of the academic disciplines teach students to write essays in their given subject matter area. Bloom's "Taxonomy of Educational Objectives" is offered as a guide to organizing instruction and student learning around the demands of well-constructed essay questions. Sample questions and classroom…

A required one-credit discussion course in research ethics for graduate students in biology is described. The course has four parts: (1) overview of major issues; (2) practical issues in scholarly work; (3) ownership of research results; and (4) graduate student training and personal decisions. A list of weekly topics and related readings is also…

An "Introduction to Bionics" course is described, focusing on objectives, the case study method used in the course, a sample case involving the design of a self-locking spine positioner for a catfish, course coverage, idea-generating techniques, and course benefits. (JDD)

An advanced college-level composition course highlighting differences in writing intended for different cultural groups was designed to teach American students how to communicate thoughts and feelings effectively to various international audiences. (MSE)

Images as a multi-faceted topic were used to teach an introductory course in Technological Studies. Widely differing thought patterns between the liberal arts and technologists were observed and are described. The syllabus is found in an appendix. (Author/YP)

Addresses the problem of covering the entire spectrum of U.S. history within a one-year course. Suggests a combined U.S. government and U.S. history course held as a double period class in order to prepare students for the Advanced Placement U.S. History examination. Presents a syllabus which covers both courses simultaneously. (LS)

The University of Alberta's (Canada) four-year experience with development of a medical school course in behavioral science is chronicled. The course began as a traditional lecture course and evolved through several formats into a clinical course. Attention given to the quality of the educational experience is highlighted. (MSE)

A year-long study of knowledge development in 40 college students focused on the relationships between the historical and philosophical dimensions of the curriculum, teaching method, and quality of learning. Student exposure to the discipline's history and philosophy, discussion-based instruction, and personally meaningful topics were seen as most…

Briefly describes two guidebooks, published by the National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, designed to assist both teaching assistants (TAs) and professors to improve instruction. Stresses the importance of course planning and writing effective syllabi. Argues TAs need to learn skills from their current…

Use of Robert Gagne's model of instructional design for teaching English as a Second Language is illustrated in a unit intended for community college students of varying linguistic and educational backgrounds. Students must be literate in English, have a prescribed level of listening comprehension, and be familiar with certain English vocabulary…

The Flexible Business Language Curriculum is a curriculum model designed for customization of foreign language instruction for businesses and commercial organizations. It uses traditional language content areas (grammar and functions) but in contexts less familiar to language teachers. The model is based on the communicative approach, with…

The Fox Valley Technical Institute's approach to teaching adults about computers is based on three underlying premises: there is a widespread need for adult education related to desktop computers; the needs are not the same for everyone; and to be effective, a program that addresses these needs must be flexible, pertinent, and current. (Desktop is…

The active learning approach promotes student achievement of higher-order skills such as independent reasoning, problem solving, and critical assessment. Active learning has been shown to foster student retention and encourage a more positive attitude toward school. The goal of the consumer decision-making class for university students and adults…

The proposed changes and plans for a new science methods course in an elementary teacher education program at Utah State University are discussed in this paper. The course uses a hands-on individualized curriculum which emphasizes an interactive student and teacher problem solving and helping relationship. Information presented in this paper…

This guide was developed to help preservice or inservice vocational teachers to understand the general nature and use of the National Center for Research in Vocational Education's performance-based teacher education (PBTE) materials. (The PBTE materials are a series of modularized learning packages focusing upon the specific professional…