With professional educators becoming the target of litigation in increasing proportions and most state legislatures preparing 15-20 new laws per year dealing with educational issues, it is essential that teachers become advised of the impact of law on their classrooms and their activities. This study surveyed a sample of 480 Louisiana teachers on…

Opinions and experiences of college seniors majoring in engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, were studied in spring 1982. Specific attention was focused on the unequal distribution of interest in the various engineering programs. Data were analyzed by program, year of entry, and commitment to engineering in general and/or one's…

The report presents data from a nationwide survey conducted in spring 1988 to obtain information about undergraduate general education and humanities requirements in U.S. colleges and universities for students entering in 1983-84 and 1988-89. Two sections of the report focus on general education requirements at four-year schools and general…

Exemplary programs disseminated through the U.S. Department of Education's National Diffusion Network (NDN) pertaining to the preservice and inservice needs of higher education institutions were addressed through a survey of NDN program personnel. Attention was focused on collaboration activities that have been planned and implemented. Interviews…

Presents five problems on organic stereochemistry in the form of an open-book quiz meant for senior undergraduates and graduate students in chemistry. Provides some acceptable solutions to the problems. (TW)

The is the first report from a study of a structured active learning approach to an analytical chemistry course. The purpose of the study is 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…

There is a widespread demand in this country today for greater effectiveness in college teaching. Three facts help to account for this. The maturity and settled purposes of the veteran students is one. The rapid increase in the proportion of young people attending college is another. Finally, the cold war is highlighting the need for a change in…

The National Science Foundation's Undergraduate Faculty Enhancement Program (UFEP) awards grants on a competitive basis to project directors at colleges and universities, professional societies, industry, and other qualified organizations to conduct regional or national seminars, short courses, workshops, conferences, or similar activities for…

The School for New Learning (SNL) was established in 1972 at DePaul University especially for adult students. SNL students are adults, age 24 or older, who want to accelerate their progress to a degree by using experience as well as classwork for academic credit, and who want to design their own programs with help from an advisory committee of…

This paper reports on student reaction to the use of computer programs in political science courses during 1991-1995 at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The courses were junior-senior level courses, except for the honors section. Three types of software were used: (1) simulations; (2) Internet materials; and (3) data processing software…

As part of a larger investigation into workshop approach teaching, this study looked at how the workshop approach affected student creativity in project development and how the use of reflective journals impacted student project work. The workshop approach causes students to engage in metacognitive thinking during work on their class projects.…

A national survey of trends in college grading practices was conducted in 1992 by gathering data from college registrars. The survey instrument, which had been field-tested, was sent to registrars at 2,302 institutions and responses were gathered from 1,601 (70 percent response rate). Among the general findings were the following: (1) 97 percent…

This report presents the results of a nationwide survey on the freshman placement practices of American colleges and universities. The report includes subgroup analyses by degree level, affiliation, size, region, and selectivity. Sources of information used for placement in English and mathematics are reported, including the most commonly found…

This report describes what has been learned from three surveys about undergraduate academic dishonesty at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The surveys involved 891 undergraduates, approximately 490 faculty, and 481 graduate teaching assistants. Cheating was examined as a literal reality rather than as an abstract concept.…

Opinions of contract grading were received from 51 undergraduate education majors and 28 graduate students majoring in education in Acadia University (Nova Scotia, Canada). Students at both educational levels reacted to contract grading in a clear and decisivly positive manner. They agreed that the grading system and assignments were made clear…