Analyzes course requirements to determine the amount of required mathematics and science for production-oriented agronomy majors. Reports that mathematics requirements center around college algebra and statistics; science requirements generally include chemistry, biology, plant physiology, and genetics; and land-grant institutions have a…

The defining task for undergraduate departments is the design of a major, including the number and content of courses as well as other requirements. Department members must weigh the desire to produce graduates superbly prepared for further study against the charge that the major requires too large a share of an undergraduate's course options.…

This study reports on the measured change in the attitude of students toward teaching science as a result of their experiences in an elementary activity-based science course for preservice elementary teachers. Overall, the students in this study showed a positive shift in attitude as measured by the Revised Science Attitude Scale instrument that…

Seventy undergraduate class sections were examined from the database of Astronomy Diagnostic Test (ADT) results of Deming and Hufnagel to determine if course format correlated with ADT normalized gain scores. Normalized gains were calculated for four different classroom scenarios: lecture, lecture with discussion, lecture with lab, and lecture…

Gathers systematic national data in the English curriculum through surveys sent out by the Modern Language Association (MLA) to a stratified random sample of English programs. Summarizes two major sets of findings: those relating to courses offered during the 1989-91 period and those relating to the English major. (RS)

Discussion of relationships between computer anxiety and achievement focuses on a study of students enrolled in a required computer course in an urban university. Topics discussed include the Computer Anxiety Scale; Computer Aptitude, Literacy and Interest Profile; Math Anxiety Rating Scale; and the correlation between high anxiety and low…

A survey of 300 technology teachers in Finnish primary schools received 212 responses indicating that woodworking was a predominant activity and the design-based teaching method was most common. Age, education, and experience of teachers was not related to technology-education practice. Familiarity with technological equipment was not considered…

Many higher education courses, across the whole range of disciplines, include subjects that are somewhat problematic because they appear to be unrelated to other components of the curriculum. Students frequently perceive them as irrelevant and boring. This makes it extremely difficult for lecturers to stimulate interest and results in an…

Background: School health education can effectively help reduce the prevalence of health-risk behaviors among students and have a positive influence on students' academic performance. This article describes the characteristics of school health education policies and programs in the United States at the state, district, school, and classroom…

Described is the administration and outcomes of an asynchronous, Web-based, comprehensive exam covering MSW foundation curriculum. Over a 48-hour period of test availability, 198 students completed the 4-hour-long exam composed of 100 randomly generated questions. Significant differences in student performance across college locations were found.…

In an effort to improve active learning in introductory statistics, we introduce the use of concept mapping techniques as part of the course. While previous papers have touted the use of this and other interactive teaching methods in statistics education, we add to this literature by providing additional assessment of its efficacy. This comes…

This paper examines academic degree programs that train outdoor leaders. A review of previous studies of outdoor leadership noted 12 critical core competencies of an effective outdoor leader. A survey of college outdoor programs identified 15 four-year academic degree programs in outdoor leadership at U.S. colleges and universities. The programs…

A survey conducted in 1982 and repeated in 1986 was replicated in 1990 with data collected from 356 of 700 2- and 4-year colleges. Results show that business communication is often a required course, enrollments are constant, class sizes are decreasing, and a wider variety of related courses is being offered. (SK)

One group of college students who had no previous keyboarding instruction and one group who had were tested after three months of microcomputer use. Previous instruction was found to increase speed; no significant difference in mean error scores appeared. Proficiency appeared to be enhanced by previous keyboarding instruction. (SK)

Reports on a national survey of 520 psychology programs on the number of mathematics and science courses required as part of the general education requirements for an undergraduate degree. Finds that an average of one mathematics course and two science courses are required. (CFR)