A survey of undergraduate students (n=473) from a small liberal arts university evaluated several independent variables (gender, community service, membership in campus organizations, and out-of-class experiences) in terms of goals associated with a liberal education. Analysis indicated that gender and type of extramural activities (i.e., student…

A growing number of institutions, prompted by pressures from minority groups, racial tension on campuses, and concerns that students are leaving college unprepared to live in an ethnically diverse nation, are requiring students to take courses that explore issues relating to race. Hurdles facing these requirements are discussed. (MLW)

Reveals that students have a much more positive attitude toward required language study than is generally believed. A critical factor in this determination is the student's perception of individual progress toward mastery of the language. Students expressed the conviction that study of a foreign language should be required in a university…

Reports on efforts at California State University to limit remedial instruction through such measures as requiring students to complete all remedial work before their sophomore year and working with high schools to align placement testing and high school curricula. Critics suggest students are being punished for attending high schools that failed…

Examined perceived interest of students in English language learning and perceived relevance of compulsory English to students' acquisition of a functional education. A questionnaire was administered to university students in India. Results suggest that the majority of students considered the English course relevant and were interested in taking…

The evolution and administration of testing to measure student progress through a required undergraduate bibliographic instruction course (Library 160) at Iowa State University are described. Bibliographic instruction began at the university in 1890. Through 1958 all colleges within the university received a noncredit required course in library…

A "Culture, Ideas, and Values" requirement with goals similar to those of an existing freshman program including works by women and minorities, will be initiated at Stanford University but without a fixed reading list. The faculty has been embroiled in debate for two years. (MLW)

Summarizes information on learning disabilities and foreign language learning and details the University of Pennsylvania's policy on exempting learning disabled students from foreign language requirements. The policy for exemption involves the review of students' case histories, evidence of effort made, and satisfactory performance in other…

The trend toward including instruction in critical and logical thinking as a required element in the college curriculum, and the various approaches to teaching it, are discussed. (MSE)

Describes a physical education fitness/wellness course that uses classroom lectures on wellness plus laboratory sessions where students strive to achieve physical fitness through one specific aerobic activity. An assessment evaluated 1,500 students' knowledge gained, attitudes toward the course, current lifestyle, and physical fitness changes. It…

Students at Rutgers University completed a one-semester interdisciplinary course on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Questionnaires administered before and after the course assessed changes in AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Results showed that sexual behaviors did not change significantly. (SM)

Studies determinants of university dropouts, using a longitudinal data set on student enrollments at the University of Montreal. Variables explaining persistence and dropouts are related to a nontraditional class-size effect in first-year required courses and to type of university program. Strong academic performance influences student…

Selected subtests from the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Achievement (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001) were administered to three groups of university students. The groups included students with learning disabilities who received course substitutions for the institution's foreign language requirement, students with learning disabilities who…

Faculty are pressured to provide high-quality advising for undergraduate psychology majors, but lack the time and resources. One efficient solution provides comprehensive advising information via a departmental handbook that helps students solve the problem of graduating with a degree in psychology, prepared for employment or graduate school. A…

Assigning grades is an integral part of social work education. However, social work educators must decide whether to use norm-referenced or criterion-referenced measurements to grade exams and other assignments. This paper presents arguments for grading with both norm-referenced and criterion-referenced measurements. The benefits of…