This study reports on the development of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) multimedia courseware on oral presentations, and its integration into self-study learning and elective courses for students with different English proficiencies, as one solution to problems in ESP courses in Taiwan. The courseware design is based on Mayer's multimedia…

Argues that turning more required courses into electives would increase accountability because only those courses chosen by students would be justified in the curriculum. (IRT)

Integrating biology in the chemical engineering curriculum seems to be the future for chemical engineering programs nation and worldwide. Rowan University's efforts to address this need include a unique chemical engineering curriculum with an intensive biology component integrated throughout from freshman to senior years. Freshman and Sophomore…

One method used extensively to aid in determining instruction effectiveness is Student Evaluations of Instruction (SEI). This paper examines the use of statistical Process Control charts as a way to correctly measure teaching effectiveness. This field studying SEIs has produced a significant literature. It is not surprising that there is…

This study examined the impact on a course evaluation of the course being either an elective or a required part of a training programme. Three elective and three required courses were evaluated using both a scaled and an open-ended response form. Many variables were taken into account when examining the effect of course status which other…

An evaluation of the reading and writing capabilities of students who took English electives rather than the traditional course is discussed briefly. Results show that the electives program was teaching as much as the traditional classes, and the students themselves see it as a distinct improvement over the traditional. (DB)

The author argues for English schools to develop a common five-year secondary curriculum for all their pupils, insisting that, under the current "optional" system, pupil freedom of program choice is in fact illusory, especially for lower ability students. (Editor/SJL)

Research on whether health education, specifically personal health classes affects behavior change is inconclusive. In this study, a sample of students from two large southeastern universities enrolled in a required personal health course and an elective personal health course were administered the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey…

Our nation's bleak economic situation has forced state governments to cut educational funding. While funds are decreasing, accountability for student achievement remains high. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) forces each state to create and implement an accountability system of rewards and sanctions based on standardized test scores. In…

"The Principal," a publication of the School Administration Association of New York State, contains this article clarifying goals for the organizational change involved in instituting mini courses and providing suggestions for successful mini course implementation. (JH)