In this article Raymond Benton, Jr. describes how he implemented a variation on Eliot Aronson's (Aronson et al. 1978) "jigsaw classroom" activity. While there are similarities between Aronson's jigsaw classroom and what is described here, there are differences as well. In Aronson's system, the classroom was divided into subgroups. Each…

Students enter physical education teacher education (PETE) programs with preconceived notions about what it means to be a physical educator, developed in response to their own experiences in K-12 physical education. These preconceived notions may be flawed or incomplete and, in order to be effective, PETE programs must help preservice teachers…

Learning communities can strengthen early undergraduates' learning, but planning them can be daunting for instructors. Learning communities usually rely on integrative assignments that encourage interdisciplinary analysis. This article reports on our experiences using microloans as an interdisciplinary assignment in a learning community that…

As an educator, the author learned that her job was not simply to teach the fundamental concepts of literature and writing, but also to teach students the fundamentals of conversation and collaboration. In this article, the author shares her experience in using traditional, teacher-centered methods to inspire spirited conversations among students…

Creative exercises (CEs) are a form of assessment in which students are given a prompt and asked to write down as many distinct, correct, and relevant facts about the prompt as they can. Students receive credit for each fact that they include that is related to the prompt and distinct from the other facts they list. With CEs, students have an…

Global social justice is often portrayed as a project of either developing appropriate dispositions or of amending the rules that govern global interaction. Despite policy pronouncements by many university vice chancellors on the significance of higher education in contributing to learning about global social justice, there is very little…

The author advocates the use of films to supplement textbook treatments of bank runs and panics in money and banking or general banking classes. Modern students, particularly those in developed countries, tend to be unfamiliar with potential fragilities of financial systems such as a lack of deposit insurance or other safety net mechanisms. Films…

Children with disabilities live in every country of the world. Training personnel to provide education and rehabilitative services to these children, no matter where they live, is a continuing challenge for the profession. This paper describes a human development course in a program designed for an international religious organization based in…

Describes a class assignment that was used in a social psychology course in which students worked in groups of three and produced a 15-20 minute presentation about a prominent social psychologist. Evaluates the reactions of the students to the assignment. (CMK)

Discussion of the curriculum for library and information studies focuses on courses at the Queensland University of Technology (Australia) dealing with information organization. Highlights include subject design and implementation; unit objectives; instructional design; course content; student assignments; and reactions from the professional…

Based on a communications course at John Carroll University (Ohio) that was developed to include communication on the Internet, this article describes areas to consider when planning Internet integration. Discussion includes campus computer services, computer labs and Internet programs, teaching strategies, and student reactions to Internet…

Describes how a computerized environment supplemented traditional undergraduate courses in English literature and composition at the University of Florida, and was developed with a grant from IBM. Highlights include the use of MOO (multi-user, object-oriented) space; student assignments; the client-server setting; and student and teacher…

As a social studies teacher educator, the author wants her students, as the nation's future teachers, to aspire to engage their students in K-12 classrooms in meaningful civic activity. Toward this end, she has developed several programs for preservice teachers to gain knowledge and the direct experience of civic participation. The Social Issue…

Describes the potential of a FirstClass server in audioconferencing courses at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks using telecommunications, e-mail, student-to-student interaction, submission of assignments, e-mail, timely instructor feedback, and the transfer of files and multimedia documents. Student surveys indicated some positive aspects of…

Describes CAPA, a software tool to implement a computer-assisted personalized approach for homework assignments and examinations in a large introductory physics class at Michigan State University. Highlights include increased individual attention for students; correlation between homework performance and results of the final exam; feedback for…