An opinion survey was mailed to former education graduate students in order to assess the effectiveness of an introductory educational research course given at Memphis State University (Tennessee). The purposes of the study were to determine the extent to which the course was helpful to students: (1) in subsequent graduate courses; (2) in their…

Describes a one-semester course in environmental chemistry for students who have had a full year of introductory level chemistry. Illustrates how material from this upper-level course was integrated into a general chemistry course. Examples of content are provided. (CW)

Described is an undergraduate biology course which uses exercises for teaching critical thinking. A line-of-reasoning model is presented. Evidence for the effectiveness of this approach is presented. (CW)

Described are modifications made in a traditional introductory biology course and the resulting improvement in student achievement and attitude. The use of cooperative learning groups is stressed. (CW)

Course of study, target student population, structure of matriculation examination, student outcomes and attitudes of student toward various components of this examination are described. It was found that this examination not only offers a fair, educationally valid assessment but also provides support and direction which result in more effective…

Education is one important role of zoos, but there is relatively little research on the extent to which zoos are serving this role. Traditional methods for collecting and analyzing such information have significant disadvantages in zoo settings and should be supplemented (not replaced) by nonreactive measures. To test this concept, teams of…

Describes how the Educational Software short course produced by the Open University Micros in Schools project trains inservice teachers to select suitable educational software for classroom use. Findings of a formative evaluation of an activity in the course in which teachers examined three commercially produced educational software packages are…

Described is a Dutch thematics physics curriculum recently developed for the average academic secondary student. Discussed are the structure, contents of units, and systematic units of the curriculum. (CW)

A college advanced speaking course designed with the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines is described. Students prepared and performed many communicative tasks, including narrating, describing, hypothesizing, supporting an opinion, debating, and interviewing for a job. Other components include pair and small-group work, audio and videotaping, and pre-…

This paper addresses several problems relating to the use of research materials and information resources by graduate students and proposes teaching educational research skills in an introductory-level graduate research course, "Information Resources for Educational Research," to be taught by the Memphis State University (MSU) Library…

In the face of widespread geographic ignorance, the article applauds the improved status of geography in the schools, describing it as the science best able to meet the challenge of ensuring that students' mental maps of the world are filled in with great and accurate detail. The field is defined through a multiple definition as both a physical…

There are numerous examples of highly trained, capable individuals that face layoffs because of technological or economic changes that have eliminated the need for their services. This project was designed to provide a one-step opportunity for people such as these to identify opportunities in emerging technologies, to plan a retraining program, to…

Discusses the incorporation of environmental chemistry topics into the traditional high school chemistry curriculum. Describes and provides lesson plans for the sulfur cycle and acid rain, and radioactivity and nuclear energy. Considers possible laboratory experiments. (CW)

The advantages of using videoconferencing in engineering education are stressed. Discussed are technological change, engineering practice, faculty development, educational effectiveness, and teleconferencing vendors. An example of a campus-based teleconferencing service is cited. (CW)

Described are chemistry and physics courses at several colleges as applications of the New Liberal Arts program for nonscience majors. The major themes of the program and several examples of this approach are discussed. (CW)