Test-only placement systems are associated with inaccurate placement determinations that can perpetuate college achievement gaps by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES). In response to the pitfalls of traditional, test-only placement systems, colleges across the country are increasingly experimenting with and adopting alternative…

A number of states are considering policy proposals to update credential or degree requirements for early educators. Practitioners, policy experts, and researchers have expressed concern, however, that well-intentioned policies to raise educator qualifications without sufficient supports may have negative consequences for the adequacy; stability;…

Across many organizational communication curricula, faculty are including undergraduate courses on the analysis and assessment of an organization's communication. This paper was designed to aid potential instructors of an organizational analysis course in their preparation and execution. The paper contains a syllabus which provides one example of…

Discusses implementation of comprehensive musicianship in the Southern Region of the Contemporary Music Project's Institutes for Music in Contemporary Education (IMCE) from 1966 to 1968. Concludes that the program did not result in long-term changes in undergraduate music curricula. Explores reasons for the program's failure to produce lasting…

Discussion of the possibilities of introducing artificial intelligence (AI) into the undergraduate curriculum highlights the introduction of AI in an introduction to information processing course for business students at George Washington University. Topics discussed include robotics, expert systems prototyping in class, and the interdisciplinary…

Characteristics of undergraduate psychology research conferences (UPRC) are discussed, the role of UPRCs in undergraduate education is examined, and guidelines for organizing such a conference are presented. (RM)

Examines the rates of attrition for undergraduate engineering students by addressing the following issues: ease of transition from high school to college; relevance of basic science coursework to engineering curricula; emphasis on management within general education component; improvement of academic advising schemes; development of universal…

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.…

Describes an advanced undergraduate course introductory course designed to integrate two ways sociologists examine literature. Presents sociology of literature through reading fictional works, like Dickens'"Hard Times," that deal with sociological issues. Writing assignments provide opportunities to test ideas about authors, critics, and…

Offering models for what reconfigured literary and cultural studies classrooms might look like, this book suggests new directions for teachers of literary and cultural studies seeking to change their own classroom practices and curriculum designs in a time of significant cultural uncertainty. The 14 essays in the book are grounded in the…

Reassess the influence of the Commission on Undergraduate Education in the Biological Sciences (CUEBS) upon current undergraduate biology instruction, 20 years after making its findings public. Emphasizes the importance for the new generation of biology educators to reattempt the achievement of CUEBS goals despite past failures. (24 references)…

Argues, with exemplification, that what is relevant to the undergraduate biology curriculum, as well as what must be covered by that same curriculum, can both be systematically addressed by the process of outcomes assessment, thereby assuring appropriate program perspective as a desirable precursor to major curriculum revision. (nine references)…

Based on the idea that expanding the literary canon has to mean more than simply incorporating "nontraditional" texts into literature courses, this book presents essays that address such issues as text selection, course design, and the effects of multicultural literature on students of color. After an introduction by the editors, the…

Presents an annotated list of 20 basic concepts from ecology that might be considered for inclusion in courses of study designed to improve environmental literacy among undergraduates. Supplies references for each concept. (64 references) (JJK)

A Kean College of New Jersey biology professor recounts her experience first learning Spanish and then teaching the first-year biology course in Spanish as part of the college's Spanish-Speaking Program. She argues for science faculty to revise curriculum and re-think instructional methodology to retain nonnative English-speaking students in the…