Steps to improving introductory courses to keep the appropriate liberal education emphasis include: teach less, restructure testing, relate course content to problems in the outside world, pursue ethical issues, balance facts with other forms of knowledge, teach the arts of discussion and critical thinking, and help students develop wisdom. (MSE)

Academic reward systems are widely perceived to emphasize research over teaching, inhibiting instructional and curricular change. Despite much conversation about changing the reward system for faculty, there is reluctance to take action. Unless teaching is better rewarded, there is a danger that external agencies will introduce their own measures…

Many social and intellectual forces focus introductory courses not on the process of inquiry but on its products. Changes that can help refocus these courses include limiting class size, emphasizing writing skills, having all levels of faculty teach the courses, and promoting exchange of ideas in the classroom. (MSE)

A new approach to introductory accounting at the University of Southern California teaches students to view issues from varied perspectives, broadens exposure to unstructured problems with more than one solution approach, and places accounting in real-world context. It has increased enrollment and persistence and attracted new students to the…

Creation of a college classroom environment that is genuinely culturally inclusive requires leadership of faculty willing to make major changes in an entrenched, traditional academic culture, including a teaching approach combining personal caring with high expectations, incorporation of new knowledge into the curriculum, and authentic response to…

Discussion of the problem-based learning approach in higher education looks at its origins in medical curricula, characteristics of the original method, the variety of educational objectives possible with this approach, problem-based curriculum development, advantages of the method, and its use outside the medical domain. (MSE)

A sophomore- or junior-level education course on social diversity in education is described, and techniques used to teach it are discussed. Content includes five subject areas: gender and sexism, race and racism, religious culture and anti-Semitism, sexual orientation and heterosexism, and physical or mental ability and ableism. (MSE)

Argues that developing writing activities, consulting with students as they work on a major writing project, and responding are important vehicles for teaching that fosters engaged learning. Central principles are to make assignments inquiry- or issue-based, to keep them focused but open enough for students to develop their own angle or interest,…

This journal presents a collection a essays that offer several new perspectives on teaching practice; give descriptive and narrative accounts of curricular and teaching innovations; and discusses a range of shared learnings obtained from public university, community college, and private college multicultural change processes. Chapters and their…

Two McMaster University (Canada) chemical engineering courses enrolling 30-50 students incorporate problem-based learning (PBL). Issues addressed in implementation included overcoming faculty and student resistance, integrating PBL methods within a predominantly conventional curriculum, developing PBL problems and objectives, and using tutorless…