Presents data collected from national random samples of administrators and from faculty members in selected colleges and universities showing problems in the undergraduate curriculum (e.g., lack of accommodation for student differences; rarity of systematic curriculum evaluations; and lack of the time, consultants, knowledge base and funding for…

Expresses general agreement with Shapiro's "Scholarly Concerns of a Faculty of Education" and its position on schools of education as part of the larger university; the need of interdepartmental cooperation; and the importance of general education to teacher training. Describes the University of Calgary's joint General Studies/Elementary…

This final project report describes a 3-year project designed to integrate ethics into all disciplines at Utah Valley State College to introduce students to ethical complications they may face in their careers and vocations. Fifty faculty members participated in the project, the major components of which involved a 2-week summer seminar in ethics;…

The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) project involves gaining access to data on student learning from the National Council of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors (NCEES) that schools and programs do not normally have. This document contains an executive summary in addition to the full length report on the accomplishments of the project. The…

The modern research university has wiped out general and liberal learning in American colleges and universities. The need to restore a sense of purpose to colleges which offer general education is discussed, along with the importance of placing a proper value on teaching. (PP)

An analysis of the undergraduate transcripts of 465 students from the University of Rochester who applied to medical school indicates a surprising breadth in undergraduate training, which is inconsistent with critics' claims of narrowness in premedical education. Medical educators are called upon to further specify the desired role of nonscience…

In theory, most educators in this survey supported teaching ethics; in practice, few baccalaureate programs provide planned curricular offerings dealing with this subject. Suggestions are offered for implementing curriculum changes. (Editor/TA)

Explains an approach to teaching dimensional analysis that differs slightly from the traditional approach. The difference lies in the novelty of exposition in the presentation and interpretation of dimensional analysis as a speculative process. (DDR)

Describes a study of college women (n=20) who participated in an experimental version of an introductory physics course that used a Physics Careers Web site. (Contains 21 references.) (DDR)

Examines a capstone class at Virginia Tech that focuses on the role science and scientists play in the process of natural resource management. Connects such curricula with the development of scientific literacy. (Contains 36 references.) (DDR)

Reports research that investigates the encoding that students use to develop molecular models at the undergraduate level. Focuses on the translation between symbolic and subatomic representations of molecules. (Contains 31 references.) (DDR)

Describes an introductory economics course in which all of the reading material is drawn from the Great Books of Western Civilization. Explains the rationale and mechanics of the course. Includes an annotated course syllabus that details how the reading material relates to the lecture material. (RLH)

Reports the results of research that explores how scientific literacy sustains belief in pseudoscientific claims. The population of college biology students who were non-biology majors completed questionnaires which were assessed and used to plan instruction. (DDR)

A discussion of undergraduate higher education in the United Kingdom focuses on the history of interdisciplinary study and its current state and future prospect. It is argued that, in the 1970s, higher education failed to analyze thoroughly the nature of disciplines, resulting in a decontextualized view of interdisciplinarity. (MSE)

Argues that epidemiology, the study of disease in populations, is an ideal upper-level course for undergraduate liberal arts curricula because it offers a forum for learning and applying critical-thinking skills, as well as other skills important for the liberally educated student, such as analysis of political, social, and demographic contexts…