A study of the influence of several instructor and course variables on student ratings found no significant effects related to instructor's rank or gender, course content, or class size. A finding that elective courses yielded more positive ratings than required courses was consistent with previous findings. (MSE)

A survey completed by 319 principals of high schools with enrollments under 500 was used to determine the core curriculum and the specific curriculum needs of today's small high schools. Principals indicated a need for additional courses in computer-related areas, remedial reading, speech, first-aid, geography, creative writing, and consumer…

Suggests that most current college English curricula, consisting largely of required survey courses, traditional electives, and new elective courses in subjects such as film and science fiction, do not appear to students to be coherent or to meet their needs. Offers two alternative curricula: one based on knowledge of alternative worlds, the other…

Examines the required and elective geography courses, staffing, textbooks, and methodology used in Dutch secondary school geography instruction. Shows that geography enjoys a high status, that Dutch textbooks tend to apply major geographic themes to a specific regional setting, and that active learning plays a prominent role. (MJP)

Midwestern University-Chicago College of Pharmacy has developed a five-week elective community pharmacy management rotation in partnership with local pharmacies. Students work directly with district and pharmacy managers, covering a list of topics developed by faculty and preceptors and performing one major project and several smaller ones.…

The Drake University (Iowa) pharmacy school has developed an elective teaching clerkship to help prepare pharmacy students as university teachers. Course goals were to familiarize students with issues in university-level teaching, promote understanding of theories underlying specific teaching methods, and apply general teaching technique and…

Summarizes efforts to inculcate computer literacy in teachers in Macau (Portuguese territory down the coast from Hong Kong scheduled to return to Chinese sovereignty 12/20/99) to prepare for the information era. Topics include course objectives, core studies, optional studies, construction of Web-based learning environments, and multimedia…

Reviews curriculum reform being implemented at the Library School of Stuttgart for students planning to work in public libraries. Components of the new curriculum include core courses in library science, electives in special areas of librarianship, seminars in chosen subject disciplines, and field work in libraries and government agencies. (LRW)

Pharmacy assistant training in Bulgaria involves going to a special institute for a two-year program with five components: general, biomedical, professional, practical experience, and electives. Evaluation is based on quizzes and examinations, followed by successful passing of state examination for practice. There are more assistants than…

Describes New York City Technical College's "Law through Literature" course, an English elective especially for Legal Assistant Studies students. Quotes from students' essays about personal experiences related to characters/events from Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird." Recounts class discussions about influences on…

Provides a summary of the competencies needed by librarians and suggested curriculum components which were indicated in the literature about librarianship, 1988-94. Highlights include graduate programs, core curricula, elective curricula for specialist education, school library media specialists, public libraries, catalogers, various special…

Culminating a 10-year effort to include the study of Native Americans and their music as it reflects cultural realities, life, thought, religion, and history as a choice in requirements for graduation, the elective course, "Native Music of North America," is now recognized at Washington State University as meeting both…

A small rural high school initiated an 8-period day to offer students the increased number of credits required for graduation. Elective offerings, elective enrollments, and participation in extracurricular activities increased. Teachers and students liked shorter classes, grades improved, dropout rates declined, and teacher-pupil ratios dropped in…

A survey of secondary schools in England and Wales indicates that, due largely to sex stereotypes, a minority of male students is likely to study home economics. Among strategies to ensure equal educational opportunity, "special escalator" and "equal outcomes" approaches are more effective than "unlocked door" or…

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy guidelines for required and elective instructional content concerning substance abuse for pharmacy students is presented. Recommended required content includes psychosocial aspects of drug use; pharmacology and toxicology; identification, intervention, and treatment of addiction; and legal issues.…