Structural questions about the undergraduate political science major have spurred debates in the field for more than thirty years. Today, resurgent growth of unusually sharp threats to American democracy fuel familiar curricular questions with new urgency. However, the combined effects of inertia, bureaucratic hurdles, and resource constraints…

With the increasing strategic importance of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) in higher education, this paper offers an innovative approach to advancing discussions and practice around MOOC learning design, in the context of staff development. The study provides a deeper understanding of staff (academic and learning technologists') experience…

Face-to-face human tutoring in classroom environments amply facilitates human tutor-learner interactions wherein the tutor gets opportunity to exercise his cognitive intelligence to understand learner's pre-knowledge level, learning pattern, specific learning difficulties, and be able to offer course content well-aligned to the learner's…

When projects are the spine of a course, they are systematically sequenced one after the other, and they do the heavy lifting of the course. They teach its core content and skills. The author has been testing this model of course design for several years, aiming for experiential learning that is tied to deep rather than superficial learning of…

Two-course writing sequences are valuable because they extend the time that students spend focused on developing as writers and researchers, yet they cannot rely on a "more is better" argument to justify their ongoing implementation, especially when general education curricula are shrinking and one course often looks much the same as the…

We evaluated the effectiveness of two alternative middle-school science curriculum sequences, namely, a general science model and a topic-specific model (i.e., physics, chemistry, etc.). We also investigated the differential effectiveness of the alternative sequences for two ethnic groups. The sample consisted of 367 grade 8 science students from…

A course design question for self-paced courses includes whether or not technological measures should be used in course design to force students to follow the sequence intended by the course author. This study examined learner behavior to understand whether the sequence of student assignment submissions in a self-paced distance course is related…

The majority of adaptive and intelligent tutoring systems (AITS) are dedicated to a specific domain, allowing them to offer accurate models of the domain and the learner. The analysis produced from traces left by the users is didactically very precise and specific to the domain in question. It allows one to guide the learner in case of difficulty…

To develop scope and sequence in the gifted curriculum in Gary (Indiana) Community Schools, a curriculum needs assessment was conducted. A curriculum framework was then developed by identifying desired educational outcomes, examining the gifted programs across levels and content disciplines, and linking the outcome statements to curriculum…

A longitudinal research study in Israel was designed to investigate effects of mutual interrelations between courses in sequential teaching on long-term retention of learning in a science curriculum. The results implied that a program composed of a hierarchical sequence of learning units is superior to a discontinuous array of discrete courses.…

Discusses a new language curriculum model called the "merry-go-round model," which involves the use of levels rather than courses. By emphasizing skill acquisition rather than course completion, this system allows individual progression and groups students according to their level of skill development. Assessment in this program is…

In developing a gifted education curriculum, the match between learner and curriculum must be considered, and a strategy for preparing the scope-and-sequence curriculum product should be determined. In the curriculum development process in Gary, Indiana, goals and sequential learning objectives were generated for each subject area by grade level…

Advocates the use of the Engelmann-Becker Direct Instruction method to address third-world problems in education. Explains the method, which structures meaningful, strategic learning to ensure student success. Presents results of a pilot study of its use in Gazankulu in South Africa. (DMM)

The author describes common elements of exemplary vocational curricula. These include (1) business and industry involvement, (2) an integrated learning system, (3) a logical sequence, (4) equity components, and (5) preparation for lifelong learning. (CH)

Argues that coordinated language-learning sequences provide continuity for learners and clearer understandings about the interrelationships of curriculum, instruction, outcomes, and evaluation for teachers. The article discusses articulation in French, German, and Spanish programs; vertical models of articulation; horizontal articulation; program…