Several major trends in legal curriculum innovation in the last 30 years are considered, and it is suggested that each raises recurring and occasionally elusive problems in legal philosophy. Among the issues addressed are: compulsory and elective courses, "law and..." courses, the case method, the litigation hypothetical method, and law…

The University of Oregon's physical education department responded to the state legislature's withdrawal of funds for facilities and student activity programs by imposing user fees, renting facilities to outside groups, and making physical education an elective while charging fees to enrollees. Courses organized to meet student demand proved…

When the course selection requirements were made flexible in a college of education, the graduated students following the flexible program achieved lower scores on the NTE Mathematics Scale and did not achieve higher cumulative grade point averages in the college when compared to those who followed the more rigid program. (Author)

Reviews an elective course designed to incorporate: (1) study of operating methods for adsorption, chromatography, and ion exchange in a pattern set by the instructor; (2) study of student selected topics with instructor developed lectures and assignments; and (3) course project done by each student. (SK)

Reports one high school's experiment in diversifying the English curriculum through the use of minicourses. The primary purpose of this study was to determine if this change in curricular structure made a difference in student achievement. Results are presented in tabular form and program guidelines are suggested. (SJL)

Describes an individualized Physical Science Study Committee (PSSC) physics program which follows the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) format. The program has a variable-credit option, to provide flexibility to meet students' needs and interest. (GA)

Students (n=210) and alumni (n=1,933) who took entrepreneurship electives indicated that 75% of students intended to start businesses; 9.3% of alumni were business owners and 2.9% were starting businesses. Over one-third of alumni were business majors, over one-quarter engineering majors. The student sample included a higher proportion of…

Discusses the use of an optional computer graphics laboratory that has been successful with at-risk elementary school students. The role of art with at-risk students is discussed, laboratory facilities are described, the interaction of students from different grade levels is discussed, and program effectiveness is assessed. (three references) (LRW)

Compares New York State and California public school spending and educational quality indicators. Discusses differences in class size, enrollment in elective courses, academic standards, and standardized test performance. (FMW)

Discusses the effects of school scheduling practices upon middle school music instruction. Offers recommendations for addressing scheduling difficulties. Describes teaming and block scheduling, curriculum integration, redesigning the "exploratory wheel" scheduling technique, electives, and other scheduling options. Identifies principles of…

Describes an undergraduate course in chemical engineering that details the technology of immobilized enzymes and cells. Includes the course rationale and purpose; the course outline when offered as an engineering elective in the biotechnology area; and discussion of appropriate text, selected real-world applications, and laboratory presentations.…

Despite the developing infusion of three-dimensional, technological imagery, little has been done to explain the effects of two-dimensional versus three-dimensional imagery on the learning process. This study examined the effects of two-dimensional stimuli and three-dimensional stereoptic stimuli on spatial representation in drawings. A scene was…

A classroom teacher asked two colleagues in his district to keep a daily record of their aims, methods, materials, and great discussions in two courses each: one state-tested, the other an untested elective course with no state curriculum. Each week during the study, the teacher reviewed these logs with his colleagues in separate interviews. Data…

Reports the first two years of a 4-year study of 1100 beginning freshmen including an experimental group of 400, who were permitted to waive any or all core requirements. The experimental group has had higher grades with higher course loads, has selected many core courses, and indicates greater satisfaction. (JT)

This digest highlights the planning phase of developing and implementing middle school foreign language programs, focusing particular attention on program types and criteria for selecting an appropriate program. Specific issues addressed include the following: (1) Which language or languages should be taught? (2) At what grade level should foreign…