In recent years, major drivers of undergraduate science education reform including the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) have called on college and university instructors to take a more scientific approach to their teaching. Although many biochemistry instructors are gaining confidence in using…

The 1996 Advisory Committee report to the National Science Foundation, "Shaping the Future: New Expectations for Undergraduate Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology," called for many changes in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. The committee's overriding recommendation was that "all…

The assessment of student learning outcomes (SLOs) is a curricular activity that can be both beneficial and productive. Faculty who engage in SLO development and assessment can acquire concrete evidence upon which to base the collegial review of their programs and the improvement and enhancement of student learning both in individual classes and…

The SCALE-UP (Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment for Undergraduate Programs) project was developed to implement reforms designed for small classes into large physics classes. Over 50 schools across the country, ranging from Wake Technical Community College to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have adopted it for classes of…

This article, presented as a dialogue between the authors, explores what they perceive as critical areas of teaching and learning in the discipline of Medieval Studies. Within the discussion, notions of relevance and usefulness, widening access, and epistemological assumptions about the discipline are discussed and related to the practice of…

Summarizes the report of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Commission on industrial productivity, "Made in America: Regaining the Productive Edge." Provides six comments on the report's implications of the role of engineering education. (YP)

This paper is a status report and an extension probing further into the issue of internationalizing the undergraduate business school curriculum. The research analyzes the responses (n=123) to a 1992 survey of business schools and programs that were members of the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) to determine to what…

This brief report summarizes a longer document with the same title. It reviews the reshaping of the college undergraduate curriculum in order to meet the new and compelling issues of the future such as accommodating diverse races and ethnic groups, incorporating global perspectives on the environment, and dealing more effectively with the human…

Over the past three decades, American higher education has witnessed a shift in demographics which has created a more diverse student body. However, many university campuses remain unsupportive or even hostile to minority faculty and students. This anthology introduces to readers the Difference, Power, and Discrimination (DPD) Program, a…

The components of an undergraduate international business (IB) course, developed and taught according to corporate suggestions, are correlated with the importance ascribed to them by students taking the class. Students felt all 21 components should be emphasized, especially the sociocultural/political/legal forces in IB, international finance, and…

Recent research on how college students learn and what constitutes an effective educational experience is reviewed, and implications for bringing about desired changes in the undergraduate experience are discussed. Topics examined include students' ability to reason with abstractions, development of moral values, extent to which the curriculum and…

This paper proposes a course in business communication that includes international or global perspectives in its philosophy, content, and assignments. The course is proposed because current business education does not thoroughly address the global perspective in business communication, thereby making graduates assuming leadership roles in American…

This is the fourth in a series of occasional papers that analyze the changes taking place in U.S. undergraduate education. This essay examines two streams of reform on the campus and in the curriculum--internationalization and diversification--and suggests that these separate movements must come together in a new paradigm of higher education in…

Reports on a study of the number of four-year Bachelor's degrees awarded in economics in 1993-94. Finds that the number of undergraduate degrees in economics continues to decline. Presents three tables of statistical data and discusses possible reasons for this decline. (CFR)

This publication is a compilation of examples of practical, easily implemented activities to help mathematics, science, and education faculty duplicate efforts by the Rocky Mountain Teacher Education Collaborative (RMTEC) to reform and revise curriculum for preservice educators. Activities are organized by content areas: mathematics; geology,…