Discusses the advantages of using content specific problem solving as a vehicle for undergraduate instruction in biology, and describes different software tools used to implement this model. The areas discussed include simulated laboratories, the construction of binary classification schemes using computer programs, and scientific writing using…

Provides data (obtained from an American Chemical Society survey) on undergraduate studies in chemistry. Lists and discusses chemistry, elective chemistry, and supporting courses (such as writing and physics) considered to be important by professional chemists. Also recommends that undergraduates pursue studies in biochemistry, polymer chemistry,…

Although recent results from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) suggest there is considerable variation in levels of undergraduate student engagement within Carnegie institutional classifications, research also suggests different classifications of institutions exhibit different types (Pike and Kuh, 2005) and levels (Pike, Kuh and…

This study describes the process of developing a partnership among a business firm and two separate departments within a public university. This research examines the multiple rationales for developing this partnership and the anticipated outcomes. Not only is the process of successful partnership development identified, the impact of the project…

This paper reports on a study of a structured active learning approach to an analytical chemistry course. The purpose of the study was to assess the longitudinal outcomes of this approach and to provide feedback to curriculum developers about the effects of the changes being made in the chemistry curriculum. The data, collected from a cohort of…

This report on student indebtedness is based primarily on a current study which is measuring the average Stafford loan balance facing students, as well as indicators of payment stress. The study is based on data on about 325,000 loans from the USA Group's entire loan servicing portfolio, which includes both subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford…

Describes an evaluation of performance-based teacher education (PBTE) programs conducted in three Australian states for technical and further education teachers during 1979. The objectives of the research included effectiveness of the PBTE approach, reactions of participants in the programs, and institutional considerations in its operation.…

Discusses 7 interrelated issues critical to education for librarianship and argues that each issue is amenable to resolution. Areas discussed include professional versus academic expectations, library science and information science, undergraduate programs, minority recruitment, international librarianship, size and organization of library…

An approach to program assessment taken by one bachelor's in social work (BSW) program involved evaluation of the collective work of randomly chosen seniors on three assignments. Results revealed strengths and weaknesses of the program and led to reexamination of assignments, statements of desired program outcomes, and curriculum changes.…

A multimedia system for teaching physiology, using interactive video, introduced into the undergraduate veterinary curriculum at the University of Veterinary Science, Budapest, Hungary, was found to enhance creativity in learning. (AEF)

The United Kingdom's developing policy to integrate higher education curriculum and the demands of the workplace is explored, particularly in the context of undergraduate and graduate programs based on learning within the workplace. The policy itself, the relationship between work-based learning and conventional college instruction, and validation…

Decline in quality of undergraduate instruction is due not to general decline in faculty values but to an active market for faculty in which prestige-seeking colleges and universities compete to build institutional excellence through the faculty they hire, at the expense of undergraduate teaching. (MSE)

Discusses whether change in favor of vocational preparation compromises liberal arts values and what effects such a change would have in undergraduate psychology programs. Proposes a new liberal skills model and curriculum changes emphasizing career advising, career-relevant coursework, curricula enrichment, and fieldwork. Urges that career…

An examination of the Japanese system of higher education, viewed in comparison with the U.S. system, looks at the cultural context of education in general, organization of institutions and instruction, college admission, women's education, undergraduate student life, and Japanese interest in higher education change. Prospects for change are…

There is substantial evidence that scientific teaching in the sciences, i.e. teaching that employs instructional strategies that encourage undergraduates to become actively engaged in their own learning, can produce levels of understanding, retention and transfer of knowledge that are greater than those resulting from traditional lecture/lab…