Over the last twenty-five years, the Minnesota Historical Society, the University of Minnesota Libraries, and Minitex have developed a partnership centered on creating pathways to higher education by engaging local middle school and high school students in immersive programs at academic libraries. These activities vary in scope and content, but…

"Foundations for Critical Thinking" explores the landscape of critical-thinking skill development and pedagogy through foundational chapters and institutional case studies involving a range of students in diverse settings. By establishing a link between active learning and improved critical thinking, this resource encourages all higher…

The integration of technology into modern classrooms has enhanced learning opportunities for students. With increased access to educational content, students gain a better understanding of the concepts being taught. "Flipped Instruction: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice" is a comprehensive reference source for the latest scholarly…

Research-like experiences range from relatively "canned" labs that are highly controlled by the instructor (such as those described in Lord and Orkwiszewski 2006) to more individually designed projects (e.g., Switzer and Shriner 2000; Wyatt 2005). This article describes a laboratory approach that allows for many of the benefits of independent or…

Discusses problems that students have in appreciating the relevance of the philosophy underlying geography instruction. Presents an activity that requires students to apply geographic concepts to decisions concerning the location of urban retail outlets. Includes details on implementation, rationale and background, and procedures. (SG)

Conventions offer high school psychology students an opportunity to meet psychology students from other schools, present projects developed in class, and have those projects evaluated by students and teachers from other schools. If the convention is held on a college campus, as was the one described in this paper, the college also gains by…

Discusses the use of tabloid newspapers in the teaching of human sexuality. Suggests that many people obtain sex information from such publications. Explains how research projects using the papers were organized. Describes advantages and disadvantages and student reactions to the assignment. Includes an appendix containing example bibliographies.…

This document addresses the various sources of information that the political scientist can rely on and make use of via electronic mail. What network sources are available, where they can be found, what to do to get them, how to use them, and what sources to make use of in order to obtain maximum information are discussed. The article examines the…

Discusses several characteristics considered to be important to a good undergraduate research program in chemistry. They include providing adequate time for students, proper selection of the research problem, a firm requirement that significant work will be performed, and a suitable format in presenting the research results. (JN)

Discusses an undergraduate class' study of rural Clarion, Pennsylvania's linkages with the global community. Describes data collection methods. Reveals some indicators of the town's interdependence with the rest of the world. Lists questions for students concerning Clarion's global connections. Identifies possible interpretive topics that such…

In order to have freshman composition students review and strengthen their research and documentation skills, they are asked to write 700 to 1,000-word papers synthesizing from sources such as anthologies, journals, government documents, films, biographies, almanacs, and interviews. Three assignments require the students to gather information…

A technique used in an undergraduate psychology class to reduce student incentives to fake data as they undertook a research project concerning marriage relationships is described. An evaluation of the technique suggested that it works. (RM)

Students ask five individuals what three terms or words come to mind when they hear the term old person. The student prepares an overall list and frequency count of responses. Students present their findings to the class. Each response is discussed and its connotation (e.g., negative, positive, neutral) determined. (RM)

Providing students with historical documents as the basis for research projects motivates students; allows the instructor to tailor research topics to student interests; provides the building blocks for detailed, factual investigation and analysis; and helps develop student confidence. Students also enjoy it. (MSE)

A college shares insights on the development and integration of a new molecular biology major into the curriculum. (ZWH)