Laboratory classes are a central element of all biochemistry and molecular biology programs. These play a role in developing students' hands-on and technical skills and also offer much more. The design of laboratory classes depends on many factors including the programs the students are enrolled in, the level they are at, employment destinations,…

Blended learning combines face-to-face class based and online teaching and learning delivery in order to increase flexibility in how, when, and where students study and learn. The development, integration, and promotion of blended learning in frameworks of curriculum design can optimize the opportunities afforded by information and communication…

The college writing center can be most helpful in preparing prospective English teachers for the classroom. Students could be required to spend some time each week tutoring in the writing center. Although the methods course focuses on the theory of teaching writing, the work in the center can put that theory into practice. Before actually…

This paper discusses the Ed.D. and the Ph.D. in Education degrees. Both degrees socialize students into a profession based in service, that enjoys autonomy, and that is grounded in a knowledge base. However, the Ed.D. prepares administrators for professional practice through a practical curriculum, and the Ph.D. concentrates on training faculty…

The Impromptu Teaching Model was designed by the University of Central Arkansas for use by preservice teachers in laboratory teaching experiences. Two teaching exercises, microteaching and reflective teaching, form the basis for impromptu teaching. Microteaching provides teachers with the opportunity to master various technical skills of the…

A problem solving, laboratory experience was devised in which first-year medical students were given a case description and then required to make judgments about what microbiology specimens should be collected and to analyze the results of laboratory tests in terms of implications for patient care. Over a four-year period revisions were made in…

Increasingly, business and education professionals recognize the centrality of oral communication in everyday activities, and such a competency is best developed through repeated instruction and application. However, few colleges or universities have implemented speech communication laboratories, and where they do exist, they are often constrained…

Three outcome studies were conducted in order to evaluate various treatment procedures for subjects experiencing dating anxiety. The treatment procedures of specific focus was a skills training package using modeling, behavioral rehearsal, feedback, and in vivo practice as major components. The data from two studies indicates the skills training…

Past research on the effectiveness of laboratory training (the use of small group methods of experienced-based learning to produce personal change in attitudes and behaviors) has been deficient both in experimental design and in the concept of change. College students (N=128) participated in a study which used a series of 11 measurements to assess…

In training facilitators for laboratory groups, also known as T-groups or encounter groups, the majority of group facilitators and therapists advocate an experiential apprenticeship in an ongoing group. However, the actions of an inexperienced facilitator trainee may have a negative effect upon the members of the group. The author experimented…

This study, part of an instructional development project, explores the effects of three different representations of functional algorithms in an introductory chemistry laboratory. Intact classes were randomly assigned to a flowchart, list, or standard prose representation of the procedures (algorithms). At the completion of 11 laboratory sessions,…

The purpose of this study was to examine the activities and discourse between scientists and high school student apprentices (from Santa Barbara, California) in research laboratories and how these supported and/or constrained student learning of science. The study covered 3 consecutive years of a summer science program and included 32 high school…

This paper proposes the restructuring of preservice professional laboratory programs in order to make these preservice experiences meaningful for prospective teachers of students whose racial, social, religious, and cultural backgrounds differ from the mainstream. Professional laboratory experiences are defined as learning activities in which the…

An educational psychology curriculum for preservice teachers that attempts to overcome some of the shortcomings of most such curricula while providing clinical experience is described. The curriculum is based on three major propositions: (1) preservice teachers must acquire psychologically informed inquiry skills and a general understanding of…

Dissatisfaction with existing preschool teacher training programs, which overemphasize educational theory and neglect practice teaching, led to the development of the preschool teacher training program described in this paper. Initial activities of the program involve group dynamics principles and human relations training to assist students to…