It is proposed that college second-language students can increase understanding of the nature of fiction and film in a carefully planned upper-level course combining genres. One Spanish teacher's experience illustrates that this improves students' appreciation of Hispanic values, specific literary and cinematographic techniques, and use of…

The design of medical school curriculum information systems for use by faculty, students, and staff is explored. A system is explained to contain the objectives, content, and/or educational activities that compose the curriculum. Three distinct system designs are discussed: a curriculum database (most helpful for administrators), a curriculum…

Alternative instructional delivery options such as self-paced and flexible enrollment courses are designed to increase enrollment, promote retention, and encourage student success without lowering academic standards. The Fast Track Associate's Degree Program, developed by a team of faculty, staff, and administrators at Richland Community College,…

Many teachers feel that the primary goal of language education is the development of communicative rather than linguistic competence. This shift in focus has affected syllabus design. However, no single syllabus appears satisfactory by itself. The grammatical syllabus is effective to instill in learners automatic production of accurate structural…

The trend toward teaching library users to design and execute their own database searches is examined, three methods of providing this instruction (course-integrated, classroom-based, and self-service) are described, and the librarian's role is discussed. (MSE)

Argues that college teachers need special skills and sensitivities to be competent at distance education, including: skills in course planning/organization, verbal/nonverbal presentation skills, collaborative skills, questioning strategies, subject matter expertise, skill at involving students and coordinating field site activities, understanding…

Assessment of student work in the collaborative classroom is dynamic, ongoing, and can be suited to the particular needs of individual instructors. It enables both instructor and students to reframe their personal understandings of the learning process and knowledge acquisition. The challenges can be met by planning, careful consideration of…

A survey of 603 licensed Missouri pharmacists investigated the need for an update/refresher course for pharmacists changing fields within the profession or returning to full-time practice. Pharmacology/new drugs was the most frequently mentioned topic for such a course, and correspondence study was the preferred format. (Author/MSE)

The following study investigates the relative importance of Web management practices in business curricular pedagogy from an undergraduate student perspective. Using conjoint methodology, the results suggest that students early in their program of studies tend to most value (more) tests in terms of course attributes, while students later in their…

This paper presents the student evaluation of a problem-based learning (PBL) implementation in the postgraduate engineering curriculum of a public university in Brazil. This investigation adopts a qualitative and collaborative design, as suggested when the research objective is to study phenomena in their natural settings in terms of the meanings…

Offering a course across an international border, where students and faculty physically travel to both countries throughout the term, raises a host of pedagogical, cartographic, logistic, and cultural challenges. At the same time, two initial classes find the experience rewarding and evaluate the course positively. This paper reviews the offering…

Two types of feedback are examined, and their use in controlling the processes of instructional development and improvement are discussed. Closed-loop feedback, the most direct, uses immediate feedback about a process or product to make immediate adjustments in it. Open-loop feedback, in which input cannot be changed immediately, uses feedback to…

It is argued that course content should be specified as explicitly as possible in terms of what is expected of the student in the future. Four levels of details are addressed: (1) customary course objectives; (2) behavioral questions; (3) behavioral objectives; and (4) exams. The report described the Statistical Test Item Collection System…

A program model designed to provide intercultural training and foster a global approach to professional education is described. The steps and components necessary to construct a foreign language intercultural course according to this model are outlined. (MSE)

Described is a two-year course for non-college-bound high school students called Principles of Technology. The goals, design, and units of the course are discussed. Criticism of the course is reviewed. (CW)