Communication of scientific and medical information and collaborative work are important skills for students pursuing careers in health professions and other biomedical sciences. In addition, group work and active learning can increase student engagement and analytical skills. Students in our public health microbiology class were required to work…

This article discusses the use of a conference format in teaching a required English composition course. The focus of the course is student research and presentation; thus, simulating a conference was a natural fit for the course's overall goals. Students worked in one of four committees: the Call for Proposals Committee, the Proposal Evaluation…

Drawing on experiences in his social studies classroom, Houman Harouni evaluates both the challenges and possibilities of helping high school students develop critical research skills. The author describes how he used Wikipedia to design classroom activities that address issues of authorship, neutrality, and reliability in information gathering.…

The importance of research in professional and personal development is increasingly being acknowledged. So why should children not benefit in a similar way? Traditionally, children have been excluded from this learning process because research methodology is considered too difficult for them. Principal obstacles focus around three key barriers:…

While the usual uses of dictionaries in second-language learning (decoding and direct translation) are often nonproductive, there are good reasons for teaching dictionary use to language students. The dictionary is an interesting and essential resource, and a tool for lifelong learning. (MSE)

A survey of the statistical topics offered to pharmacy students and of the frequency of use of statistical methods in eight pharmacy journals suggests that with increasingly sophisticated statistical methods and increased dependency on literature over experience, pharmacy schools should upgrade students' statistical literacy. (MSE)

Reviews the recent growth of interest in qualitative geography. Discusses whether or not qualitative research can be accepted on the same scholarly level as quantitative research. Contends that qualitative methodology has much to offer geography and geography instruction. (CFR)

The effectiveness of manual and computer-assisted legal research (CALR) methods are examined and compared, and the limitations of each are noted. The current state of law students' research skills is then discussed, and the Brooklyn Law School (New York) response to the problem, integrating the methods, is described. (MSE)

To be effective in the current rapidly changing environment, individuals need more than a knowledge base. They also need information literacy which includes techniques for exploring new information, synthesizing it, and using it in practical ways. Undergraduate education should focus on such resource-based learning directed at problem solving.…

The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools believes that programs to improve the undergraduate teaching and learning process should include an appropriate emphasis on information literacy and other resource-based learning strategies. College mission and goal statements and the accreditation process should all reflect this focus.…

Suggestions for teaching trial practice in law school curriculum are offered, including creating one's own trial problems; making students engage in careful, creative fact investigation; avoiding prepared presentations by witnesses; using surprise; thinking through the simulation's likely course in the classroom; and using first year students for…

A theoretical description of hypertext is presented, and three applications of hypertext are discussed: electronic studying allows linkage of electronic note cards for writing and interrelating concepts; literary exploration allows construction and interpretation of stories with provided literary elements; in qualitative research, hypertext helps…

With resource-based learning projects, college students at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science develop a better sense of the information resources available, the nature of scientific literature, and the characteristics of scientific writing. Faculty motivations, benefits, and disappointments with this approach are addressed.…

A freshman humanities course in reading and research was used by three English instructors to investigate the appropriateness of having students use an online database as a research tool. The results show that the acquisition of basic online database search skills is not qualitatively different from that of more traditional research skills.…

Increasingly, educators are calling for resource-based learning at the core of college instruction. To support resource-based learning, college faculty and administrative leaders must model an integrative approach to learning. Information literacy and availability of information technology must be accompanied by a campus culture that encourages…