Changes in the demand for entry to university education by mature students in the period 1974-80 are examined in terms of numbers of applications, subject choice, and chance of success in application. It concludes that mature applicants have not been as successful in obtaining university places as have conventional students. (Author/MLW)

Promotes the use of presentation software in psychology courses to teach students technological skills that prepare them for the future. Explains that many graduates in psychology are employed in other fields after graduation. Discusses the use of presentation software with a focus on poster preparation using Microsoft PowerPoint software. (CMK)

Addresses the use of fiction to teach undergraduate students about sociological theories and concepts. Discusses how "A Thousand Acres" (Jane Smiley) was used in a sociology of families course. Includes descriptions of the plot and themes in the book and the group work and paper assigned in conjunction with Smiley's novel. (CMK)

A survey of staff of 10 Australian medical schools investigated whether their teaching covered the knowledge, skills, and attitudes outlined by experts on the health care of people with an intellectual disabilities. Half the medical schools displayed significant gaps in their teaching when compared to the ideal curriculum. (Contains references.)…

There is substantial evidence that scientific teaching in the sciences, i.e. teaching that employs instructional strategies that encourage undergraduates to become actively engaged in their own learning, can produce levels of understanding, retention and transfer of knowledge that are greater than those resulting from traditional lecture/lab…

As pressures on resources are growing and some question the value and types of final year research work for students in the biosciences and other disciplines, it is important to be well informed about student expectations of their project. In this case study within Biomolecular Sciences, questionnaires were used to compare staff and student…

This manuscript presents a proposal for teaching Latino Caribbean heritage using as principal focus the novel and film "In the Time of the Butterflies." It discusses terms of literary works and their readings, the foundation of a Spanish caste system, African immigration, and political and economic aspects affecting Dominican American identity and…

A learning object is a small, stand-alone, mediated content resource that can be reused in multiple instructional contexts. In this article, we describe our approach to design, develop, and validate Shareable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) compliant learning objects for undergraduate computer science education. We discuss the advantages of…

Writing and teaching case studies of problematic educational situations or events to undergraduate preservice teachers raises several practical issues relevant to the success of the method. These concerns include: knowledge of the undergirding rationale for using cases; knowledge of the advantages, disadvantages, and practical problems in case…

In response to curricular changes at Muhlenberg College (Pennsylvania), emphasizing interdisciplinary exploration and a focus on writing, students in an introductory psychology course were assigned a paper examining a "hero" of their own choosing from a psychological perspective, from an ethical perspective, and from a viewpoint…

This paper estimates the relative importance of three, theoretically interrelated sets of variables on changes in students' intellectual curiosity and interest in learning for its own sake. Variables being analyzed are: (1) students' curricular experiences; (2) students' formal instructional experiences and classroom-related contacts with faculty…

The prevalence of grade inflation was analyzed from over 125,000 final grades, representing 144 undergraduate courses and 9,338 students. Grade inflation was defined as a systematic increase in grades for the same course over a five year period, statistically controlling the student's major and academic and demographic background. There was no…

The College Outcome Measures Project (COMP) was established to develop, validate, and implement measures of the knowledge and skills that undergraduate students are expected to acquire and that are important to effective adult functioning. The COMP Measurement Battery yields a "communicating" score based in part on a speaking assessment…

This is a report about a program at the University of Massachusetts which allows undergraduate students to devise and teach one-credit courses with appropriate faculty supervision. Students without prior teaching experience must first take two credit hour workshops which train them in teaching skills. The program is coordinated by student affairs…

Conceptualizing progress through college as a sequential process, the study examined factors that affect rates of persistence and dropping out, using longitudinal data for a national sample of young men attending college in the late 1960's. A principal conclusion was that factors important to understanding persistence vary with the stage of the…