Inquiry is seen as a tension among three modes of imagination. These modes are labeled creation, self-criticism, and observation. Most people do not want to inquire. They tend to cling to their beliefs about the world. Freud's theories are used in a class designed to dramatize inquiry. (MLW)

Contends that academic training involving collaboration of sociology and history disciplines should begin at the undergraduate, rather than the graduate, level. Advocates teaching sociological principles in a historical context. Suggests that a course examining the interplay of sociology and history should be required for sociology majors. (DB)

Reviews the current goals of a laboratory course and describes experiences in using laboratory time to cover several important topics related to industry and academia. Discusses several subjects and presents related experiments. Contains 184 references. (DDR)

Reports the results of a study that explored student pass rate by focusing on the effect of combination multimedia/workshop teaching in small groups, reduced practical assessment with opportunity for informed improvement, and continual theoretical assessment via phase testing. (Contains 19 references.) (Author/DDR)

Describes the investigative case-study approach in biology, a variant of problem-based learning. Students develop questions that lend themselves to scientific investigation and develop their own investigative approaches. Contains 16 references. (DDR)

This study, using data collected from 18,817 college students by the American Council on Education and the Higher Education Research Institute, addresses the extent to which college impacts students' sense of the importance of promoting racial understanding. Multiple regression analysis is used to study the manner in which various background…

Considerations regarding the undergraduate psychology program at Ithaca College are reviewed. In reevaluating the program, the following projections were made: the number of students who select psychology as a major in preparation for graduate studies will diminish; the majority of students electing the major will primarily need a solid liberal…

Students (N=78) enrolled in either the Fall, 1989 or Spring, 1990 semester of an urban university campus were studied to determine their preference for either the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI or Keller Plan) or the traditional lecture class in an undergraduate self-paced statistics class. (This was also the first self-paced course that…

A project to help small independent liberal arts colleges integrate technology and the liberal arts in the undergraduate curriculum is considered in this newsletter issue. The first two stages of this project on Technology and the Liberal Arts, which is sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges, are described, along with the progress of…

This paper emphasizes the importance of faculty attention to instructional improvement practices and curriculum development for underprepared college freshmen. Instead of downgrading course content instructors must devise college level instruction that has the following characteristics: (1) interdisciplinary content; (2) student focus; and (3)…

This study involving migrant agricultural workers began in 1966 and continued for four summers. In its initial conception, the two projects that were carried on, the Cornell Migrant Labor Project and the California Agricultural Workers Study, were intended to accomplish three basic functions: (1) to influence the development of policy; (2) to…

This study of undergraduate grading practices at Georgia State University investigated differences in grading patterns by major fields of study, controlling for such antecedents as scholastic aptitude, demographic background, course type, and longitudinal trends. The principal finding of the study was that major field is strongly associated with…

This study focuses on the results of an open-ended questionnaire on positive and negative science experiences and the preliminary findings for the development of a survey instrument based on those results. The primary objective of the study was to determine if there are detectable differences in prior science experiences between those who become…

Cooperation between the Department of Computer Science and the College of Education at North Texas State University has brought about computer-related courses and programs specially designed for educators. Courses for graduate students and undergraduates, a computer science teacher certification program, and a master's degree program in…

The traditional relationship between a bachelor's degree and the preferred occupational slots in the nation's labor markets is seen as having weakened or collapsed in numerous fields. The general trend in this decade has been away from disciplinary majors toward "vocational" ones. (MLW)