Uses data from a national study of science instruction in community colleges to explore instructional methods and media use in terms of effects on attrition, media production facilities and assistance used, and locally developed materials. Reveals that lecture is the predominant teaching method and media have little effect on attrition. (DMM)

Argues that increasing media use in community college instruction will come from active involvement of faculty in developing mediated curriculum. Faculty education through hands-on experience, staff development workshops, and institutional grants will foster faculty acceptance of the technology in use in society at large. An extensive bibliography…

Examines major findings of a nationwide survey of community college instructors conducted to assess teaching practices in the sciences. Survey findings cover enrollment and completion rates; use of instructional media, assignments, reading requirements, knowledge tested, grading practices, support services; use of out-of-class activities; and…

This report summarizes results obtained from a questionnaire mailed to 1,023 community college economics departments in the fall of 1971. Data was collected on instructional objectives in economic education as well as incidence of programmed instruction, audiovisual materials used, range of courses, and ease of transfering credits to four-year…

The need to prepare students for intercultural communication and understanding has stimulated interest in global studies. Within the community college, global studies have been encouraged, but also limited by uncertainties in funding and resource commitment. In this period of confusion, it is important that college anthropology instructors adopt…

This study was undertaken to determine if instructors in community colleges in the United States are as innovative as has been perceived in some quarters. The data used for the study were originally collected by Cohen in a 1978 nationwide survey of science and science-related courses in two-year colleges to obtain information about the curriculum,…

One educational innovation that is receiving national attention is computer assisted instruction (CAI). The PLATO system developed at the University of Illinois (Urbana) is perhaps the most sophisticated CAI system. As with other CAI systems, it permits each student to learn at his own pace; it can provide precise feedback and remedial or advanced…

This document describes an aid invented by the author for teaching binary computer concepts in a data processing course for business students unfamiliar with mathematical concepts. It permits the instructor to simulate the inner, invisible operation of storing data electronically. The standard 8-bit "byte" is represented by a portable…

As part of an effort to survey members of the humanities faculty at 178 community colleges about their instructional practices, a sample of 1110 class sections was chosen by pulling every tenth section from the colleges' fall 1977 schedules of day and evening classes. Because 92 class sections were not offered, only 1018 survey forms were…

Describes the development processes of an instructional video for use in a course offered through the Extended Learning Institute of Northern Virginia Community College entitled Women Writers II. Characterizes the process of transforming this English course from a print-based to a distance-learning course as time-consuming, creative, and…

Examines the difficulty of determining sociology course objectives for the diverse student populations at community colleges. Argues that sociology instructors, in light of this diversity, should use a combination of teaching modalities and should stress content relating to college survival skills, enhanced social awareness, and increased…

A study was conducted in the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) in Texas to investigate the attitudes of students and professors toward the use of interactive videodisc technology in the classroom. In contrast to a videotape which must be wound and rewound to find a particular segment, videodisc technology allows the instructor to…

An instructor's experience teaching introductory Sociology at Maple Woods Community College demonstrates the benefits of using instructional technology to deliver standard lecture material. In order to integrate technology with each lecture, a PC was used to create an interactive text-based design through Compel, a multimedia slide presentation…

As part of a series dealing with competency-based education, this monograph explores the optimum selection and utilization of instructional activities, materials, and methods. The monograph first discusses the responsibility of the instructor to plan learning activities that reinforce targeted performance competencies, and then presents a…

As part of an investigation of science and science-related curriculum and instruction, a survey was conducted of science instructors from 175 two-year colleges; the colleges were selected to be representative of region, size, and means of college control. Instructors of every thirteenth science course section offered in Fall 1977 were surveyed. Of…